What shirt & tie to match with Navy Athletic-cut suit?

[mpdahaxing]

Hi,

I'm going to a wedding in Toronto, BC,CN soon and have just bought this suit in Navy Blue:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/john-va...276732?origin=category&BaseUrl=All+Men's+Sale

I'm now wondering what shirt and tie I should wear with my new suit. I have some shirts and ties in my wardrobe already:

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u51/mpdahaxing/000_0020.jpg

But I don't know if they match with my suit or not. Are my current shirts/ties fine? Or should I purchase new ones? If the latter is true, what colors and patterns?

Also, here is a picture of my face, so you know my complexion and hair color (I'm a young asian guy):

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u51/mpdahaxing/IMG_0295.jpg

I don't think you need to see my eyes, but they're dark brown and the same basic shape as those of the actor John Cho. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[bellyhungry]

Get a light to medium blue shirt and pair it with your existing navy tie.

Don't wear either of the two shirts you have in your pic.

 

[mpdahaxing]

bellyhungry,

Think any of these will do?:
http://www.bluefly.com/Dolce-Gabbana-light-blue-cotton-point-collar-dress-shirt/cat60013/317433901/detail.fly

http://www.bluefly.com/Joseph-Abbou...ket-dress-shirt/cat60013/317740201/detail.fly

http://www.bluefly.com/Joseph-Abbou...lar-dress-shirt/cat60013/317742401/detail.fly

http://www.bluefly.com/Alara-blue-cotton-spread-collar-dress-shirt/cat60013/314054801/detail.fly

http://www.bluefly.com/Joseph-Abbou...lar-dress-shirt/cat60013/320070902/detail.fly

http://www.bluefly.com/Alara-light-...lar-dress-shirt/cat60013/314056801/detail.fly

Also, do you think I should go for patterns? Or keep the shirt solid? Thanks for responding.

 

[cptjeff]

Dark shirts should never be worn with a tie. It looks awful, and marks you as a rube.

White or light blue shirt. Get one of each, those are your staples. The navy tie would be fine with either, but I would probably only wear the stripe one with the white. The tie should always be darker than the shirt, for reasons that are too long to go into here, and it's not a rule you should ever break. With the significant element of white in that tie, if the shirt doesn't contain white, don't wear it.

Edit: Any of those shirts would be great. Stick to solids for now, save the patterns for later. If you wear one patterned shirt every time you wear a suit, it's immediately obvious that's your only shirt. Classic solids are much more anonymous, and besides, they're much easier to match things with.

 

[mpdahaxing]

cptjeff,

I see. Thanks for the lesson. Would I look better wearing a dark shirt without a tie then? Or does that look too punky/stupid?

 

[cptjeff]

Many on here would say never, but yeah, they're fine with no tie. I have a dark purple ones that I wear casually in a similar role. No tie, under a lighter v neck sweater, or with a gray sportcoat. I'm not a fan of the no tie look with a full suit, but if you were to do it, a mid gray suit and an open collar black shirt can be a good look, a la George Cloony. Doing that with jeans and a gray blazer works as well. Better, IMO.

 

[mpdahaxing]

cptjeff,

Thanks. But I think I'll stick to the tie since I already bought the suit and don't wanna go hunting for a new, gray suit. I guess I'll be buying a solid, white shirt as opposed to a solid blue one then.

 

[cptjeff]

Buy both. It's a good long term investment, even if you don't expect to be wearing a suit all that often.

 

[mpdahaxing]

The navy almost looks charcoal, by the way. Like this:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/john-va...uit/3279466?origin=category&BaseUrl=All+Men's

Haha, I don't know about buying both. I'm still a kid

 

[mpdahaxing]

Like this:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/john-va...uit/3279466?origin=category&BaseUrl=All+Men's

Lol, iunno about buying both. I'm still a kid.

 

[cptjeff]

If you don't have the money, then don't worry about it. But if you can spring for both, do it. You may be young, but you're probably done growing, and full fledged having a job adulthood isn't as far off as you may think. Well, adulthood, anyway. Maybe not the job part, it's a ridiculously tough economy for the young right now.

 

[mpdahaxing]

Yeah the job comment is dead on with my hunting experience. I can't even get hired to flip burgers and fold burritos. Hopefully the suit can help with interviews at the local pharmacies.