Skip to Content

How To Wear A Grey Blazer With Navy Pants (Outfits, Tips)

December 22, 2022
How To Wear A Grey Blazer With Navy Pants (Outfits, Tips)

Given how neutral it is, a grey blazer gives you plenty of options when it comes to color coordinating. But can you wear a grey blazer with navy pants? 

A grey blazer can easily be worn with a grey blazer and navy pants in smart-casual and business-casual settings. Light grey blazers would be more appropriate in more casual environments, while blazers in darker shades of grey would be better options when dressing up. 

While that is the answer in a nutshell, there’s way more to it. 

After going through some great outfit ideas for this combination, we’ll run through several essential tips for getting it right. 

Let’s get to it. 

grey blazer navy pants and maroon shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

3 Grey Blazer And Navy Pants Outfits

We’re going from dressy to not-so-dressy. Consider the setting you’re dressing for and which of these would be most appropriate. 

Remember, a grey blazer and navy pants combo shouldn’t be worn in truly formal settings where a 2-piece suit would be required. 

Dressy

Images From Deposit Photos

Items – Dark Grey Blazer, Navy Dress Pants, White Dress Shirt, White Or Blue Pocket Square, Dark Brown Derby Shoes

The darker the shade of the grey blazer, the more dressy the combination will look. 

There are a couple of reasons for this. 

One is that darker colors are generally more formal-looking than lighter colors. Grey is no exception. 

In fact, dark shades of grey (eg. charcoal) are so dark that you could quite easily confuse it for the most formal color out there – black. 

Another reason for a dark grey blazer looking dressier here is that it produces less contrast with navy pants. 

Navy is a very dark and muted shade of blue. To produce a subtle, low-contrast, and dressy combo, go for a blazer in a similarly dark shade of grey. 

To polish up this combo further, wear a white dress shirt and don a pair of dress shoes. While you could go for black Oxfords, this may be a little excessive. 

A pair of dark brown Derby shoes would be ideal. Dressy, but not so dressy that it looks over the top for the outfit. 

More Casual

Grey blazer + light blue OCBD + navy chinos + brown suede shoes
Images From Deposit Photos

Items – Grey Blazer, Navy Blue Chinos, Light Blue OCBD Shirt, Suede Derby Shoes 

Here, we’re dressing a little more casually. We’re still going for a button-up shirt, but an Oxford cloth (OCBD), linen, or broadcloth shirt would be fine. 

You don’t need to go for a dress shirt. 

In fact, in colder weather, a turtleneck sweater would look great worn under the grey blazer. 

When it comes to the navy pants, a pair of chinos would be a great smart-casual alternative to dress pants. 

As you’re dressing down a little, while you could go for a dark grey blazer, a light or medium grey blazer may be a better option. 

Most Casual

Images From Deposit Photos

Items – Light Grey Blazer, Navy Blue Jeans, White T-Shirt, White Sneakers

A light grey blazer would be perfect in smart-casual settings where you aren’t too worried about underdressing. 

The blazer over T-shirt look is incredibly effective. 

In fact, wearing a grey blazer over a simple tee is a great way to make even the most casual of outfits look a tad more sophisticated. 

While you could go for a T-shirt in a bolder color, a white tee will always be the easiest option. 

As we’re dressing down, a pair of navy chinos or even jeans would look great here. 

Finish up with a pair of smart white leather low-top sneakers. They’re casual but minimalist and low-key enough to make sense with a blazer. 

5 Tips For Wearing A Grey Blazer And Navy Pants

Here are some tips for making sure you wear this combo in the best way possible no matter what the dress code or setting may be. 

1. Make Sure It’s Appropriate For The Dress Code

A grey blazer and navy pants combination should only ever be worn in smart-casual and business-casual settings. Avoid it in formal settings where a full 2-piece suit would be required. 

At the end of the day, a blazer and pair of pants shouldn’t ever be considered a true alternative to a suit. 

grey blazer and navy pants
Image From Deposit Photos

An unmatched jacket and pants pairing will always be too casual to wear for formal events. 

But for most settings more casual than this (of which there are many), there’s a very high chance a grey blazer and navy pants combo would be a great option. 

The range of settings it could be appropriate for is very wide. It ranges from dressy business-casual to very laid-back smart-casual. 

The setting will determine what shade and style of grey blazer/navy pants you choose, as well as what other items you choose to wear with these two items.

2. Choose The Right Shade Of Grey Blazer

Light grey blazers work best with navy pants in more casual settings, while dark grey blazers look great with navy pants in dressy or business-casual settings. 

Ultimately, it comes down to contrast. 

The more contrast you’ve got between your grey blazer and navy pants, the more casual and attention-grabbing it’ll look. 

The lighter the shade of the grey blazer, the more contrast you’ll achieve given how dark navy is as a shade. 

So, if you feel as though there’s a risk of underdressing or you simply want to dress up (i.e for a business-casual event), go for a blazer in a darker shade of grey. 

As mentioned earlier, darker colors are also considered dressier in general. 

3. The Fabrics Matter

A grey blazer and navy pants combination can look very different depending on what style of items you choose. 

For example, a grey linen blazer worn with a pair of navy chinos will look much more casual than a grey worsted wool blazer worn with navy dress pants. 

In general, the more rugged and rough a fabric is, the more casual it’ll look. 

Ever noticed how dressy and formal suits are often made from fabrics with a noticeable sheen? They’re also pretty resistant to wrinkles. 

On the other hand, more casual-looking suits tend to have less sheen and look more rugged. They’re also often more wrinkly. 

The same goes for blazers and pretty much any other item you can think of. 

So, when you’re looking to dress down, consider a blazer in more casual fabric or weave such as tweed, linen, serge, flannel, or even chino cloth. 

In addition, a pair of navy dress pants would be a good option when dressing up. They’ll often have a bit of a sheen to them and will probably be quite wrinkle-resistant. 

In contrast, a pair of navy chinos or jeans would be more casual-looking alternatives. 

However, cargo pants would usually be a step too casual and would often look too casual to be worn with a blazer of any sort.

4. Go For A White Or Light Blue Shirt

If you were wearing a grey blazer and navy pants to a business-casual setting, go for a white or light blue shirt.

When dressing down for a more casual or smart-casual event, however, feel free to go for a shirt in brighter, bolder, and less neutral colors. 

Ultimately, grey and navy are neutral or near-neutral colors. They’ll coordinate seamlessly with pretty much any color you can think of. 

If you want to keep things subtle, do go for a shirt in a relatively neutral color. But if you want to add a splash of color to the outfit, the color of your shirt would be a good way to do it. 

For example, you could wear a casual grey linen blazer and a pair of navy chinos with a maroon or pink T-shirt. 

There are plenty of potential shirt styles you could wear under your grey blazer. They include: 

  • Dress shirts
  • OCBD shirts
  • Linen Shirts
  • Henley Shirts
  • T-Shirts

5. Brown Or Black Shoes Work Well

A grey blazer and navy pants combination would look fantastic with both brown and black dress shoes. 

These would be ideal in both business-casual and smart-casual settings, although black will generally be more appropriate for dressier events. 

Brown is a more casual alternative. 

Having said this, you’ve got the option of going for more exciting shoe colors in the more casual of environments if you want to. 

If you were really dressing down, for example, consider a pair of all-white leather sneakers as you saw in the image earlier on. 

White sneakers would look great here, especially if you were wearing a T-shirt under your grey blazer to really dress the combination down. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s finish up by going through the answers to a couple of FAQs on this classic pairing. 

Can You Wear A Grey Blazer And Navy Pants To A Wedding?

Navy pants and a grey blazer can be worn to weddings where there’s a clearly stated smart-casual dress code. If you feel as though this isn’t the case, wear a full 2-piece suit instead. 

While the dress code may not be specifically referred to as “smart-casual” (as wedding dress codes are notoriously difficult to interpret), you should usually have an idea of what’s expected. 

If the dress code is “traditional” or “formal”, you should definitely go for a 2-piece suit instead of a blazer and pants combination. 

Can You Wear A Grey Blazer And Navy Pants To An Interview?

A grey blazer and navy pants combination may be appropriate for interviews at workplaces with a business-casual dress code. 

If a full suit would be required if you were to start working there, definitely wear a suit to the interview. 

In fact, wear the sharpest and most professional-looking suit you’ve got. 

Ultimately, you’ll want to make it clear to the interviewer that you’ve made an effort for the occasion. 

Conclusion 

It’s a classic combination that’s hard to go wrong with. 

You’ve now seen how a grey blazer and navy pants pairing can look very different depending on the style of the two items, as well as what other items you choose to wear them with. 

Enjoy.