What To Wear With A Black Shirt
First things first. Before we get to what to wear with a black shirt, let’s set down a couple of ground rules. Here’s what NOT do with a black shirt.
1. Don’t wear it to the office
Black shirts are casual shirts. Yes, you may have seen some guys wearing them to the office. Not to stereotype but they’re probably in the IT department.
2. Don’t wear a tie
Because black shirts are casual, they don’t lend themselves to being worn well with ties. Furthermore, your tie shouldn’t be lighter than your shirt or you start to look like you’ve got on a 30s gangster costume. So we say skip the tie altogether with a black shirt.
3. Don’t go overboard with the black
The blackout look—a black shirt with a black suit with black socks and black shoes—is okay, but a little predictable in our book. It’s time to mix things up.
Okay, whew, now that we’ve gotten that off our chests we can move on to what we’re all here for, the answer to the question…
What to Wear With a Black Shirt
There are two basic approaches to figuring out what to wear with a black shirt. The first is a monochromatic approach. Mono-what now? Don’t worry we’ll explain that below. The second approach is to use the black shirt to create contrast.
The Deep Burgundy Custom Suit and Rivington Gray Custom Suit by Black Lapel.
You can see how these approaches look in the photo above. Now, let’s break down what makes these looks work.
What to Wear With a Black Shirt For A Minimalist Look
The Black Solid Broadcloth Custom Shirt and Rivington Gray Custom Suit by Black Lapel.
We’re overachievers here at Black Lapel, so we never thought we’d be advising anyone to do the minimum, yet here goes. That word that we used above: monochromatic. It means consisting of only one color. When black is in the outfit, it’s monochromatic if it’s made up of only black and shades of gray, like this Rivington Gray suit with a black shirt.
Using the fewest possible colors is a surefire way to put together a cohesive look. This is a key point that the average guy misses when getting dressed: when it comes to color, a little restraint can go a long way.
What to Wear With a Black Shirt When You Want to Stand Out
The Black Solid Broadcloth Custom Shirt and Deep Burgundy Custom Suit by Black Lapel.
For a more advanced move, try pairing a black shirt with a strong color, like red, in a muted saturation, like burgundy. The result is what you see above. Why is this an advanced move? It takes a good eye to find the right amount of saturation. Too strong of a color and you end up with a jarring contrast with the black, like yellow with black. Too weak of a color and you end up with a muddled combination, like navy and black.How to strike the right balance? Nothing beats a mirror. You can discuss color combinations until you’re blue in the face but the best way to know whether a color combination works for you is to try it on in front of a mirror. Of course, if you want to try on this combination, you’ll have to check out the new deep burgundy suit for yourself.
Your Turn
So if you’ve been wondering what to wear with a black shirt, you should be inspired and encouraged by what you’ve read. Want to get the look? Choose the suits or shirt below to learn more.
