Cowl neck sweater cordination

[acm1300]

I recently bought a charcoal cowl neck sweater and am trying to find the best way to wear it. Regarding pants would it be best to go with a similar color or more of a black? Shoes I would think would depend on the pants, with more of a brown if they are a grayish color and black if black. But I could be wrong, which is why I am asking. My biggest problem is whether I should wear a dress shirt underneath and if so what color would be best. I was looking at light blue but was not sure if that would be best. Any help and feedback is great-full!

And yes, I am new

 

[mensimageconsultant]

Light blue or light green, for example. Moderate color in the shirt is safest (and probably not pink, because the sweater style itself is on the feminine side). A casual shirt probably would be a better choice than a dress shirt, due to the informality of the cowl neck, unless it's a very subdued (small) cowl neck. (It's a "small question," but interesting due to the cowl neck.)