Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! In today's video, we discuss how to
pair gray suits with shirts and ties so you look the part
every time. Next to the navy suit, a gray suit is an absolute men's wardrobe
staple. Why? Well, it's not just a good business suit but the gray color allows
you to pair it with all sorts of shirt colors and ties putting it on top of the
versatility scale. Gray, in general, is a fantastic suit color because it comes in
many different shades. A darker color may be better for winter, a really light
color is great for summer. Now, before we dwell then into shirt tie and gray suit
combinations, let's talk about the gray suits first. First on the list is the most
formal shade, the so-called charcoal gray. It's dark enough that you can wear it in
most functions where you otherwise would think of a black suit, think of a funeral
or attending a play or going to a business event, the charcoal suit will
always work. A charcoal suit is similarly dark to most navy suits yet while a
navy suit usually makes a younger man look even younger, a charcoal suit makes
you look more mature. In my opinion, the first charcoal suit you should add to
your wardrobe is a charcoal flannel suit such as this 6x2 double breasted one I'm wearing here right
now. The charcoal flannel suit was also popularized by Gianni Agnelli who really
wore it well and you can still get the exact fabric from Vitale Barberis Canonico
today. To learn more about it please check out the guide on our website about
Gianni Agnelli here. Next up we'll go one shade lighter, medium gray. A general rule,
not just with gray but with all suiting colors is the lighter the shade the less
formal it is. So therefore, while a medium gray suit is still appropriate for the
office and most other functions mentioned earlier, with the exceptions
of funerals, it has a slightly more casual vibe. Now this is not a bad
thing at all. It just means when you pair shirts and ties together, you can go with
slightly less formal options. Now last but not least, you have the light grey
suit which is something I'm wearing here right now.
It's even more casual yet it's still a suit, it can be used as a fresco fabric
in the summer so it's a light breezy feel and you can wear it with even
bolder and more summery colors. Of course, any of those gray shades can come in
either a striped version, in a solid version, or other small patterns such as
a Glen check or houndstooth, for example. Sometimes, the fabric texture can
also be different such as a fresco, a worsted, or a flannel, to learn more about
worsteds, check out this video and for flannels this one. Just as a general rule,
the more texture your suit has and the larger the pattern, the more casual it is.
On the flip side, a solid worsted suit is the most formal one followed maybe by a
flannel or a faintly striped suit in gray. Now, it should go without saying
that choosing the right color is just one aspect of finding the perfect suit.
Of course, it has to fit well and to learn more about how a suit should fit
please check out this video series here. Now that we've covered our suiting
grayscale basics, let's start about specific shirt and tie combinations that
you can wear so you look your best. First, let's talk about shirts. The classic
staple is the white dress shirt. For a charcoal suit, you probably want
something that is very formal and I would suggest to go with a white dress
shirt, medium spread collar, no breast pocket, and French cuffs or double cuffs
that are worn with cufflinks. Honestly, a white shirt works with any shade of gray
suit no matter if it's really dark, medium, or light. It works so well because it
provides a strong contrast which just works well for most men. Compared with
a medium grey or a lighter gray suit, you can skip the French cuffs, maybe go with
a slightly more textured fabric and maybe go with an even more relaxed
collar style, maybe something even like a button-down collar or an unlined collar
that is a bit more casual than a fixed fused collar. To learn more about shirts
and the details please check out this guide here. If you go with a solid gray suit and
a solid white shirt, you have to add some color with your tie and your pocket
square, maybe your socks or other accessories or cuff links
with your rings. Very classic combination is to add a red tie, maybe a
shade of burgundy. If you are not a fan of red and you want to cool down your outfit
otherwise, you can go with a navy or blue tie,
maybe something in green such as forest green, plum, or even in bronze
orange. Basically, any dark tone tie with a white shirt and a gray suit would be
appropriate for cocktail attire and if it's a charcoal suit, you can even wear
it for black tie optional ones. to learn more about those dress codes please
check out the respective videos here. Meanwhile, lighter colored ties will work
better with medium and lighter gray suits. Also, in terms of a tie pattern,
keep in mind that the smaller the pattern, the more formal it is so bigger
patterns are always less formal, they're better with lighter shades of gray. Now,
let's quickly talk about a very fashion-forward look which is pairing a
gray suit with a black shirt. Now, chances are there are a lot of Instagrammers and
influencers trying to tell you that wearing a black shirt is hip and trendy
and fashionable but in classic menswear, black dress shirts have never been
a viable option. If you want to wear black shirts with a gray suit, go for it but we
believe that a lighter shirt color that provides a bit more contrast is always
more complimentary to your outfit and look. The same is true for any kind of
bold darker collared shirts in red, turquoise, blue, green, or orange. Typically,
these are shirts worn by people who don't know much about menswear and they are
just too bold and make you look like you got your outfit from a very cheap rental
place. Moving along from black and other shirt colors, a very versatile
shirt color is light blue. Light blue shirts can be combined with any kind of
gray suit but look particularly nice with medium
and lighter grey suits. Of course, light blue comes in 200 different shades and
there are many patterns and textures, you can pick one that you like and that
provides a contrast to your suit. If you wear a light blue shirt with a medium or
light grey suit, I suggest you go with barrel cuffs
instead of French cuffs and maybe a slightly more casual collar but I'd
always skip the chest pocket because you shouldn't use it anyways and it just
works well with your suit it looks nice overall because it's a bit
more casual and therefore, the whole outfit flows together. Pretty much the
only darker blue shirt I had to wear with a gray suit is a denim shirt. Those
have been really popular lately, they have a certain wash so they have lighter
elements. Overall, I would suggest you always try to have a shirt that is
lighter in color than your suit otherwise it looks a little off. In terms
of ties, a solid navy tie is of course a formal staple paired with a blue shirt and
a gray suit but it can be also a little boring. So other than the typical
suspects red, green, or plum, you could also experiment with a complementary
color of blue which is orange. Not sure what a complementary color is? Please
check out this video where we teach you color basics so you can put together
better looking outfits. When it comes to shoes, a charcoal suit works well with
black shoes, otherwise, medium and light gray suits work well with brown shoes,
particularly, darker brown shoes such as chocolate brown or medium brown.
Personally, I've also worn navy or dark green suede shoes with gray suits. The
third most common shirt color for gray suits is pink. Pastelly pinks can be a
great change to the monotony of white and light blue shirts and they work
particularly well with gray because there's a subtle contrast yet it warms
up that gray color. Probably for that reason, pairing charcoal suits with pink
shirts was a favorite of Fred Astaire who was always very well dressed. Adding
a navy, purple, or violet tie to your pink shirt and your gray suit will create
an interesting combination that is still harmonious. Of course, a burgundy tie
would work too but I personally stay clear of a brighter red since it's too
much next to the pink background. Following the staples of white, blue, and
pink dress shirts, basically, any other type of pastelly color can work really
well with a grey suit. It could be something like a light green, maybe a light yellow,
or a pastel orange, they all work with gray suits. If you go with a differently
colored shirt, a safe way is always to choose
a tie that is darker in the same color family. So if I have a light orange or
creamy shirt then maybe an orange tie would work. If there is some green in my
shirt, a green tie works. Of course, you can also use the complementary color or
you can just experiment just the way I'm doing here in this outfit where I am wearing a
striped blue shirt with a green knit tie. Which brings us to the next point, shirts
don't have to be solids; you can have patterned shirts as well and stripes are
the most classic ones. Again, larger stripes are more casual and therefore,
better suited with lighter shades of gray. Of course, you can
also incorporate check shirts into your outfits, they're a bit more casual than
striped ones so they work better with light grey suits. To learn more about
checks check out the guide here and to learn everything there is to know about
stripes and menswear this guide will help you. In general, shirts with smaller
more traditional patterns such as stripes or checks will work better with
gray suits then very bold flowery prints. If you want to pair a patterned gray suit
with a patterned shirt and a patterned tie, you can maybe pull it off, just make sure
the rules of density apply just like in the case of stripes. Your suit has to be
maybe a pinpoint or something that's very close to a solid, your shirt could
be striped and your tie could, for example, be a micro pattern that's a
little larger so everything is harmonious and not just all the same
width and scale, otherwise, it's confusing to the viewer who looks at you and it's
just not a harmonious outfit. Also, don't forget about the importance of textures.
A solid silk tie is more formal than a knitted tie in the exact same color.
Let's say you have a gray suit with a striped shirt, rather than getting a
plain solid tie, I suggest to go with a grenadine tie because it as an
interesting texture or maybe a knit tie If you want to have even more texture. In
general, the lighter the shade of gray is for your suit, the more texture
you can add. At the same time, for example, if you have a charcoal flannel suit
which is quite dark, a knitted tie works well because they're both somewhat
casual in texture and so it's a harmonious look. Now that was quite a bit
of information, if you want to learn more about how to combine pocket squares and
other things please check out other videos in our Channel and make sure to
subscribe. So in a nutshell, how do you pair a gray suit with a shirt and tie?
For shirts, the most classic options are white, blue, and pink. You can also add
classic patterns such as stripes or checks or even floral prints but always
keep in mind that the darker the gray, the more formal it is, the lighter it is,
the more casual it is. That being said, bolder patterns, large stripes, or bright
colors are more casual and therefore, it pairs better with a
lighter gray suit. Ideally, you stay clear of very dark colored shirts including
black, navy, or dark red, and turquoise, and instead, go with lighter pastel color
tones and you always want to choose a tie that is darker in color than the
shirt background. With dark gray suits, you can wear French cuffs for cufflinks,
with lighter gray suits, you go with barrel cuffs without cuff links.
If you wear pastel colored shirt with your gray suit, the safest combination is to
choose a tie that is slightly darker than your shirt but still within the
same color family. For example, a light blue shirt with a navy tie or a slightly
orange shirt with an orange tie. The next best way for a tie color is to choose
the complementary color of the shirt color. At the end of the day, pretty much
any shirt or tie color can work with a gray suit as long as you understand
basic color theory and you can learn about that in this video here. In today's
outfit I'm wearing a medium to light grey fresco suit that looks solid from
afar but if you look closer you see that it consists of many different colors making
it a bit more casual and has a nice color depth. it's made out of a fresco
fabric which is 100% wool with an open weave that allows air to go through so
it's perfect for the warmer days of the year. I'm pairing it with a white shirt
and somewhat bolder blue stripes and because it's a little more casual, I
choose a dark color tie in green which is a bit of an olive-green and it
all ties it well together. I pick up shades of green in my pinky ring as well
as my shoelaces and the shoes are a dark chocolate brown suede which goes with a
casual character of the gray suit and the knitted tie. my socks are shadow
striped charcoal and light gray and they built a noticeable transition between my
shoes and my pants without being too strong even though I could have worn
barrel cuffs with this outfit I decided to go with French cuffs simply because I
like it and I chose monkey's fist knot cufflinks from Fort Belvedere which you
can find in our shop here just like that olive green tie and the socks of course
as well as the shoelaces