Combining a tie: this is how you choose color and pattern with your outfit

Which tie suits your outfit? It is better to determine this on the basis of color, pattern, proportion and occasion than on fixed meanings such as 'red is leadership' or 'blue is trust'. A tie is mainly a visual part of the whole.

Start with the shirt and jacket

Do not choose your tie separately from the rest. First place the shirt and jacket next to each other and see which colors are already present. The tie can return to one color, consciously contrast or remain calm.

With a striking jacket or busy shirt, a calm tie is often stronger than a third statement.

Tie with a white shirt

White gives the most freedom. Dark blue, burgundy, green, brown, gray and almost any classic print works.

This makes white also ideal if you want to wear a distinctive vintage tie.

Tie with a light blue shirt

Light blue combines easily with navy, burgundy, dark green, brown and many warm vintage colors. A tie with a small blue detail ties the combination together without having to be exactly the same shade.

Tie with a striped shirt

Combining patterns works easiest when the scale differs. A finely striped shirt works well with a larger paisley, wide diagonal stripe or coarser geometric motif.

Two stripes of almost the same width can become restless.

Tie with a print shirt

The busier the shirt, the simpler the tie can usually be. A plain tie that uses one color from the print is a safe choice.

Do you want to combine two prints? Also read how to combine a print shirt.

Tie with a dark blue jacket

Dark blue is very flexible. Bordeaux, dark green, brown, goldish tones, gray and many vintage prints work well, depending on the shirt and occasion.

With a white shirt it becomes more classic; more creative with a print shirt.

Tie with gray

Gray gives space to color. Dark red, blue, green and purplish shades can be strong. With a checked gray jacket you prefer to use a color from the check.

Tie with brown or tweed

Brown, olive, rust, cream, burgundy and dark blue often match nicely with tweed and earth tones. A matte or textured tie often feels more natural with a heavy tweed jacket than a very shiny one.

How do you combine two patterns?

Use three simple principles:

• allow the scale to differ;
• repeat at least one color;
• make sure not all parts are equally busy.

A fine For example, a striped shirt, larger paisley tie and plain jacket can work great.

And three patterns?

That is possible, but becomes considerably more difficult. If the shirt, tie and jacket have a pattern, the scale and colors must be clearly different from each other. Then keep trousers and accessories quiet.

Width of the tie counts

A tie must fit in scale with the collar, lapel and body type. A very wide vintage tie feels more logical with a larger collar and wider lapels than with an extremely narrow modern jacket.

You can read more about this in how should a tie fit?.

Tie with waistcoat

A waistcoat gives the combination more structure. Make sure that the tie remains behind the waistcoat and does not stick out at the bottom.

With a checked waistcoat, a quiet tie is often enough. With a plain waistcoat you can play with paisley or a vintage print.

Use a vintage tie

Vintage ties are interesting because of other widths, designs and color combinations. Don't automatically treat them as formal: a wide 70s tie can actually be the striking element above a quiet shirt.

Read also wearing and combining a vintage tie.

Formal or personal?

For a formal occasion, calm is usually safer: plain or subtle patterns and colors that match the suit. For a dinner, party or creative outfit you have more room for contrast and vintage designs.

Personality is not in a fixed color code. It depends on how consciously you choose the combination.

Ties at EcoGents

In our collection second-hand and vintage ties you will find various widths, colors and patterns. This allows you to choose a tie based on the shirt and jacket you are actually wearing, rather than just on the tie itself.