Everyone needs a go-to blazer combination that they can wear to a huge range of settings. The question is, can you wear a blue blazer with black pants?
A blue blazer can easily be worn with black pants in business-casual and smart-casual settings. Dark blue blazers and black chinos or dress pants would be more appropriate in dressier settings. Blazers in lighter shades of blue can be worn to more casual events.
But there’s more to it than that.
After going through some essential tips for wearing this combination the right way, we’ll answer some FAQs on the topic to finish up.
Let’s get to it.
7 Tips For Wearing Blue Blazers With Black Pants
These tips should see you through no matter what style or shade of these two items you’re thinking of wearing.
Make Sure It’s Appropriate
A blue blazer and black pants combination should only be worn in business-casual and smart-casual settings.
It should never be worn in formal or business-professional settings.
“Business-casual” is a dress code where traditional “business” or professional attire is blended with typically more casual items.
Perfect business-casual items include:
- Blazers
- Sport Coats
- Chinos
- Dress pants
- Sweaters
- White dress shirts
- White OCBD shirts
No suits and no jeans.
A blue blazer and a pair of black chinos or dress pants would be absolutely fine. A white dress shirt/OCBD would be essential, however.
In “smart-casual” settings, you’ve got the freedom to wear even more casual items if you wanted to.
In addition to the items listed above, you could also go for:
- Black jeans
- Dressy sneakers (all-white/all-black and minimalist leather)
- T-shirts (under the blue blazer)
- Turtlenecks
Formal dress codes are those where wearing a 2-piece suit would be necessary at a minimum. A blazer and pants combo wouldn’t cut it.
Business-professional dress codes are applicable in the workplace – especially corporate ones.
A suit would be necessary here and you shouldn’t wear a blue blazer and black pants outfit.
Dark Blue For Dressier Settings
The dressier the setting, the more likely it is that a dark blue blazer would be more appropriate.
Dark shades of blue include navy, midnight blue, and admiral blue.
Let’s refer back to our two appropriate dress codes – business-casual and smart-casual.
When dressing for business-casual settings, a dark blue blazer would usually be more appropriate than a more casual-looking light or medium blue blazer.
Navy would be ideal.
With smart-casual settings, consider each event on its own merit.
Dressier smart-casual settings such as evening galas would benefit from dark blue blazers in the same way as you would in business-casual settings.
The more casual smart-casual settings give you the freedom to go for lighter, brighter, and bolder shades of blue – eg. royal blue, sky blue, baby blue, and so on.
A quick word on fabrics:
In dressier settings, you’d be better off going for a blue blazer in a fabric with a shinier and more wrinkle-resistant texture such as worsted wool.
In more casual settings, consider a blue blazer or even a sport coat in a more casual, rugged, and wrinkled fabric/weave to really produce that laid-back aesthetic.
Examples include tweed, linen, and seersucker.
Consider The Style Of Black Pants
When deciding what style of black pants to wear with your blue blazer, consider what you’re dressing for.
In more casual settings, a pair of dark wash black jeans or black chinos would usually be fine.
In business-casual settings, go for black chinos at a minimum – no jeans. Black dress pants (i.e slacks) would be fine.
Ultimately, the texture and general vibe of the blue blazer should be similar-ish to that of the black pants.
A shiny and formal-looking blue worsted wool blazer would look a little strange worn with a pair of rugged black jeans.
In the same way, a wrinkled blue linen blazer would look strange worn with a pair of pleated black dress pants.
Consider Ditching The Tie
A tie may be perfectly appropriate when you’re looking to dress that blue blazer and black pants combo up a little.
But in many cases, ditching the tie and leaving a top button undone may be the right way to go.
It produces an effortlessly relaxed aesthetic when wearing a blazer.
The tie-less look is ideal when you’re dressing for a smart-casual setting. These are events where a tie may come across as too much in any case.
Even in business-casual settings, a tie isn’t usually necessary.
Neutral Shirt Colors Work Best
When wearing a blue blazer and black pants, neutral shirt colors such as white, grey, and black work well.
Which one you choose does, once again, depend on the dress code.
In dressier settings such as business-casual events or the dressier smart-casual settings, a white shirt would always be the best option.
In the more casual of smart-casual settings, a black shirt worn with a blue blazer and black pants often looks great.
It has a pretty effortlessly sophisticated and elegant look to it.
Here’s a summary:
- Business-Casual – White shirt
- Smart-Casual (Dressy) – White or light grey shirt
- Smart-Casual – White, grey (light/dark), or black shirt
A light blue shirt is also usually considered appropriate in business-casual settings given how commonly it’s worn in professional workplaces.
Just make sure the shade of the blue shirt is lighter than that of the blue blazer.
Finally, always tuck the shirt in. No matter how casual the items you’re wearing are (even jeans/chinos), a blazer combination always looks better with the shirt tucked in.
Black Or Brown Shoes
Black or brown dress shoes work best when wearing a blue blazer with black pants.
The dressier the event or setting, the more likely it is that black or dark brown dress shoes would be more appropriate.
In more casual settings, shoes in lighter shades of brown look great as well. In fact, these shades of brown (eg. tan) produce a nice sense of contrast with the blazer and the pants.
In especially casual settings you could even wear a pair of sneakers.
However, given that a blazer could never really be considered truly casual, be careful with your choice of sneakers.
Go for all-white or all-black minimalist leather sneakers. In the right place and at the right time, it can be a great choice.
Match The Belt To The Shoes
When wearing dress shoes, wear a matching belt to really round off the outfit in style.
If you’ve gone for black shoes, wear a black belt. The same goes for dark/light brown shoes as well.
Matching your belt to your shoes is a great way to make any outfit come across as well coordinated.
This is especially true when you’re tucking the shirt in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to a few FAQs on this classic combo to finish things up.
Can You Wear A Blue Blazer And Black Pants To An Interview?
A blue blazer and black pants combination would usually be appropriate for interviews at workplaces with a business-casual dress code. If a suit would be required to work there, do not wear a blue blazer to the interview.
When dressing for an interview, a good basic principle to follow would be to dress a notch more formally than what would be expected if you were to start working there.
So, if you could turn up to work in a T-shirt and jeans outfit, you could pretty much wear anything to an interview, but a polo and chinos ensemble would be better.
If the workplace is “business-casual”, a dressy-looking blue blazer (eg. worsted wool) with tapered black chinos would probably be fine. Just be sure to wear a white dress shirt and black/dark brown dress shoes.
If the workplace is “formal” and a 2-piece suit would be required to work there, don’t wear a blazer and pants combo. Definitely wear a suit for the interview.
Can You Wear A Blue Blazer And Black Pants With A Navy Shirt?
A navy shirt can be worn with a blue blazer and black pants in smart-casual settings. In fact, it makes for a great alternative to the more commonly seen black shirt.
However, it wouldn’t be appropriate in business-casual settings where a white shirt would definitely be a better option.
Conclusion
It’s a combination that has plenty of benefits – versatility, effortless sophistication, and comfort.
Consider the shade of the dress code, the blue blazer, and the style of the black pants whenever you’re putting your ensemble together.
Enjoy.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.
