How To Wear A Blue Suit With A Pink Tie

The blue suit looks great in so many different settings it can be tough to go without owning one. But the question is, can you wear a blue suit with a pink tie? 

A blue suit can easily be worn with a pink tie in formal, business-professional, and smart-casual settings. Dark blue suits and dark pink ties are better suited to formal settings, while items in lighter shades are more appropriate for smart-casual settings. 

That’s the short answer, but there’s way more to it than that. 

After going through some essential tips for pulling it off in the best way possible, we’ll answer a few FAQs on the combination to really round things up. 

7 Tips For Wearing Blue Suits With Pink Ties

Consider all of these before putting your suit and tie combo together. A couple of them may make all the difference for you. 

Make Sure It’s Appropriate 

A blue suit and pink tie combination can work well in a variety of different settings. 

Here are the dress codes where it would be appropriate: 

• Formal – Dark blue worsted wool suits (eg. navy or midnight blue) would be best, as well as a silk tie in a darker shade of pink. 
• Business-Professional – Think corporate workplaces. 
• Smart-Casual – A lot more freedom when it comes to suit/tie color and shade, as well as the suit fabric. 

Inappropriate dress codes include: 

• Black-Tie – A tuxedo would be required at a minimum.
• Specific Formal Events – Where a black or charcoal suit has specifically been requested. 
• Business-Casual – Suits are generally discouraged. Go for a sport coat and chinos/dress pants combination instead. 
• Casual – A suit would be way over the top. Avoid it at all costs. 

The Shade Of Blue Matters

The more formal the setting you’re attending, the more you should consider wearing a dark blue suit. In more “smart-casual” settings, consider going for a medium or light blue suit instead. 

Here’s a table listing suits in some of the common shades of blue, as well as the dress code they’d be best suited for. 

Navy Blue Suit With Pink Tie	Ideal for formal and business-professional settings
Royal Blue Suit With Pink Tie	Perfect for business-professional workplaces
Light Blue Suit With Pink Tie	Works well for smart-casual events
Baby Blue Suit With Pink Tie	Commonly worn in smart-casual settings

Of course, there are plenty of other shades of blue (eg. steel blue, teal). 

The bottom line is that you should reserve your darkest blue suit for more formal settings such (eg. weddings, office environments, evening galas). 

Your light blue suit – whether it’s baby blue, sky blue, teal, or anything else – would be a much better option in more casual environments where you’re looking to make more of a statement. 

Consider The Shade Of The Pink Tie

“Pink” is a spectrum of shades ranging from very light to very dark. The shade of pink you choose should depend on the dress code, as well as how much contrast you want between the suit and the tie. 

Much like the blue suit, ties in darker shades of pink would be a better option if you were looking to dress up for a formal occasion. 

Another reason for this is that in formal settings, the less contrast you have between the suit and the tie, the better. 

On a formal occasion, you’re likely to be wearing a dark blue suit (eg. navy or midnight blue). To produce a low-contrast combination, you’ll want to choose a dark pink tie. 

A dark blue suit worn with a light pink tie can work, but will always look more casual than a dark suit and dark tie combination. 

Light blue suits, on the other hand, often look better with light pink ties. 

Here’s a list of blue suit colors with the shade of pink tie they’re ideally suited to: 

Light Blush Pink Tie	Works well with a baby blue suit
Salmon Pink	Looks great with a royal blue suit
Dusty Pink Tie	Ideal for a steel blue suit
Hot Pink Tie	Looks great with a teal blue suit
Dark Pink Tie	Works well with a navy blue suit

Try To Coordinate Fabrics

While it’s important to not overthink this, try to coordinate the fabric of your suit with that of your tie. 

Of course, it doesn’t need to be matching. In fact, it would be strange if it did match. 

Keep things simple. 

If you’ve gone for a formal-looking, shiny, wrinkle-resistant worsted wool blue suit, it would look pretty strange worn with a rough and rugged knit pink tie. 

Here’s an example: 

Go for a similarly shiny and wrinkle-resistant silk tie instead. 

On the other hand, if you’re wearing a rough and rugged blue tweed suit, a knit pink tie would look fantastic. 

Here’s an example: 

White Dress Shirts Work Best

Both blue and pink are quite vibrant and bold colors. Blue has clear “cool” undertones while pink has obvious “warm” undertones. Together they produce a nice sense of harmony and balance. 

However, wearing two dominating colors does make it important that you stick to neutral items when it comes to the rest of your items. 

Your shirt is no exception here. 

In general, it’s best to stick to white dress shirts whenever you’re wearing a blue suit with a pink tie. 

Sure, it’s the most traditional and widely accepted color when it comes to formal attire. 

But even in more casual settings, wearing a white shirt gives you a whole lot of flexibility. It blends quietly into the background while your colorful suit and tie combination takes center stage. 

It also gives you a little more room for experimentation with color when it comes to your pocket square (we’ll talk about that later). 

Black Or Brown Dress Shoes Only 

A blue suit and pink tie combination works best with black or brown shoes. If you’ve gone for a dark blue suit and you’re dressing for a formal setting, it’s likely that black or dark brown would be your best option. 

If you were dressing for a more “smart-casual” setting, shoes in lighter shades of brown would be absolutely fine. 

There are other common dress shoe colors such as oxblood or burgundy that you could consider, but much like light brown, these colors do come across as more casual than black and dark brown. 

The style of dress shoe you choose will also depend on the dress code of the event you’re attending. 

For truly formal settings where there’s a real risk of underdressing, consider a pair of black Oxford shoes. 

Derby shoes would be one notch less formal due to the open lacing system, but they’re generally considered appropriate in most formal settings. 

Monk straps and loafers would be your more casual options – they’re perfect for smart-casual settings but can be worn in more relaxed business-professional environments as well. 

Choose The Perfect Pocket Square 

When choosing the perfect pocket square to go with your blue suit and pink tie, consider what color scheme you want to go for. 

• Monochromatic – Go for a pocket square in a different shade of pink (eg. a dark pink pocket square with a light pink tie). 
• Neutral – A simple white or grey pocket square. The easiest option. 
• Analogous – Choose a pocket square in a similarly “warm” color – eg. red, orange, or yellow. 
• Complementary – Choose a pocket square in a color that’s directly opposite pink on the color wheel. This would be a shade of green such as chartreuse. Complementary color schemes are high-contrast, striking, and casual. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a couple of frequently asked questions on blue suits and pink ties to really finish up in the most thorough way possible. 

Can You Wear A Blue Suit And Pink Tie To A Wedding? 

A blue suit and pink tie combination would be ideal for most traditional weddings. Consider a suit in a dark shade of blue such as navy, but feel free to go for a medium or light pink tie to reflect the celebratory nature of the event. 

Patterned pink ties work especially well. 

Consider diagonal stripes, polka dots, or even paisley and floral patterns. 

While you could choose a more casual suit fabric, in general, it’s best to choose a more conservative, traditional, and formal suit fabric such as worsted wool. 

It may be a celebratory occasion, but it’s still important to make it clear that you’ve made an effort to dress up. 

Can You Wear A Blue Suit, Grey Waistcoat, And Pink Tie? 

It’s entirely possible to wear a blue suit with a grey waistcoat and pink tie. The grey waistcoat is neutral enough to blend into the rest of the outfit with no risk of a color clash. 

3-piece suits are the perfect way to make it clear you’ve made an effort to dress up. 

It’s true that it’s more common to see waistcoats in exactly the same color and shade as the suit jacket and pants. They’re going to be made from the same roll of fabric. 

But wearing a waistcoat in a completely different color is a great way to add a touch of contrast to the rest of the suit. 

Conclusion 

A blue suit and pink is a great example of blending a “cool” color with a “warm” color to great effect. The balance achieved is easy to appreciate. 

Consider the shades of blue and pink, as well as your other items (eg. shoes and pocket square), whenever you wear the combination.

Enjoy.