Navy Suit, White Shirt, Which Tie/PS for Holiday Party?

[ktown]

My company is taking us and our dates to drinks and a musical. I want to wear a navy suit, white shirt, and black captoes.

I have these ties: navy grenadine, navy pindot (white dots), solid burgundy, black grenadine, navy with a small pattern.

I have a plain white linen PS and a silk lavendar one.

I want to pick one of my existing ties and buy a new PS. The white linen one is kinda boring so I want to change it up. What's a good PS to pick up that I can use in the future for weddings/parties? I also have a dark gray suit so that is an option instead of the navy suit.

 

[Mute]

If you're going with the white shirt, throw in a little color. I'd go with the burgundy tie and get a ps with some colors that will complement the tie.

 

[ktown]

What colors compliment a burgundy tie? Does pink go well with it?




I also like this madder:

 

[GBR]

White shirt seems too formal at best so introduce some colour.

 

[msulinski]

It sounds like you are going to a business formal evening event. I would stick with the white shirt and white pocket square. Boring or not, this is the best fit for the rest of your outfit.

I would, however, go with either the solid burgundy or possibly a different tie, like one of these:
http://www.kentwang.com/ties/glen-plaid.html
http://www.kentwang.com/ties/shepherds-check-black.html

That is pretty much as formal as you can get without getting into formal wear. If you are looking to take it down a notch, you can do it with the tie (something with dots or whatever or the shirt (light blue) or both. Either way, I recommend not going with a navy tie, but that is really just my personal bias against navy tie + navy suit. Many others on this forum think it looks just fine.

 

[ktown]

I didn't attend last year but I looked back at pics and 90% of men wore a white shirt. Only one person wore a PS (white linen, TV fold). Most of these outfits were not SF approved and there were also a few eccentric ones. I'll just go with the navy suit, white shirt, burgundy tie, black shoes, and white PS. It's boring but my stuff fits well.

 

[Terpo]

White shirt seems too formal at best so introduce some colour.

This. Light blue shirt is better. And just because 90% wear white doesn't mean it's good. What do the other 10% wear?

 

[msulinski]

Quote:
But why is a blue shirt better? He is wearing a very "city" outfit, at night, so a white shirt works perfectly in that context.

 

[Terpo]

Quote:
A blue shirt is more often than not more flattering than a white shirt. This is especially true with navy suits, since the contrast between navy and white is very stark and thus makes the face appear pale. A (light) blue shirt - the precise tone depends on complexion and hair color - has less contrast with the suit and face than the white shirt and hence enhances the radiance of the face - which is ultimately the goal of a man's clothing.

 

[msulinski]

Quote:
I suppose some of that depends on the contrast level of the OPs complexion. Also, some of these contrast issues are mitigated at night, due to low lighting.

 

[Terpo]

Quote:
True. Since we have no pictures, I recommend OP to try it and see. Pick a few shades of blue and take some snaps and the same for white. See what lightens up the face more.

 

[oldog/oldtrix]

 

[oldog/oldtrix]

or--

 

[archibaldleach]



True. Since we have no pictures, I recommend OP to try it and see. Pick a few shades of blue and take some snaps and the same for white. See what lightens up the face more.

I generally prefer to wear my white shirts with suits. What you've said about light blue can be true (especially during the day), but in addition to finding a flattering look, white provides a certain elegance and connotation of formality. Evening events also favor the high contrast look between a dark suit and white shirt (same principle as black tie, just a notch down in formality).

 

[unbelragazzo]

Sounds like this event is in the evening. Therefore, white shirt.