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How To Wear Grey Pants With A Black Shirt

December 22, 2022
How To Wear Grey Pants With A Black Shirt

Neutral color schemes are hard to go wrong with, but there are definitely better ways of pulling them off. So, can you wear grey pants with a black shirt? 

Grey pants can easily be worn with a black shirt to produce a minimalist and monochromatic aesthetic. The outfit works well when worn with a grey blazer, brown or black dress shoes, as well as a neutral-colored tie. 

Although that’s the short answer, there’s more to it. 

After going through some essential tips for wearing this combination in the most effective way possible, I’ll run through some FAQs to round things up. 

Let’s get to it. 

6 Tips For Wearing Grey Pants With A Black Shirt

Consider all of these tips before putting your outfit together. 

black shirt and dark grey pants
Image From Deposit Photos

1. Always Consider The Dress Code

The dress code/formality of the setting you’re dressing for should influence the style of black shirt and grey pants you choose to wear. 

“Black shirt” can refer to a variety of different styles, as does “grey pants”. 

Certain styles and combinations will definitely look more formal, while others will look more casual. 

It’s always helpful to break it down into dress codes when coming up with suitable shirt and pants combinations. 

Formal: 

  • Black dress shirt and grey dress pants (a.k.a slacks). 

Business-Casual: 

  • Black dress shirt and grey chinos.
  • Black Oxford shirt (OCBD) and grey chinos.

Smart-Casual: 

  • Black OCBD shirt and grey chinos
  • Black Henley shirt and grey chinos or jeans
  • Black polo shirt and grey chinos or jeans

Casual: 

  • Black T-shirt and grey jeans
  • Black T-shirt and grey cargo pants 

As you can see, a “grey pants and black shirt” combination can refer to a huge variety of different things depending on where you’re going and what you’re dressing for. 

We’ll focus on the more formal end of the spectrum for the rest of this post – long-sleeved, buttoned black shirts worn with grey slacks or chinos. 

2. Consider The Shade Of Grey Pants

If you’re going for a more subtle, understated, and formal appearance, go for a black shirt with dark grey pants. If you’d prefer an eye-catching contrast, go for a black shirt with light grey pants. 

The shade of grey pants you choose will determine how much contrast you’ve got with the black pants. 

black dress shirt and grey pants
Image From Deposit Photos

The lighter the grey pants, the more they’ll contrast with the dark black shirt. In general, the more contrast you’ve got the more casual it’ll look and the more striking/bold the appearance. 

However, given how neutral both grey and black are, even high-contrast combinations can still look pretty dressy. 

If you’re going for a more subtle, understated, and formal appearance, however, go for a black shirt with dark grey pants. 

black shirt with grey pants grey tie
Image From Deposit Photos

3. Consider A Grey Or Navy Blue Blazer

A grey or navy blue blazer worn with a black shirt and grey pants would work exceptionally well.

A grey blazer would be the top choice as it’ll nicely contrast the black shirt, while also coordinating well with the grey pants. 

However, try to choose a blazer in a shade of grey different from that of the pants. If the shades of grey are two similar it’ll look more like a 2-piece suit which is not the look you’re going for. 

If you’ve gone for light grey pants, consider a dark grey blazer. If you’ve gone for dark grey pants, consider a light grey blazer. 

A navy blue blazer would also work well – it’s relatively neutral and very easy to combine with grey and black. 

If you’re looking for a bolder and more striking outcome, however, consider a blazer in a dark, warm color such as maroon or even burgundy red. This will, of course, only be suitable for more casual and smart-casual settings. 

But the neutral nature of the grey and the black does give you plenty of options. 

However, avoid wearing a black blazer with a black shirt and grey pants. The black blazer will be too difficult to distinguish from the black shirt. 

4. Brown Or Black Dress Shoes

When wearing a black shirt and grey pants, go for brown or black dress shoes. 

While you could go for lighter and bolder colors, it’s extremely hard to go wrong with simply sticking to brown and black. 

But which one should you choose? 

Black would be the more formal option, regardless of the shoe style. 

However, dark brown can rival black even in more formal settings. It also has the benefit of being more versatile and producing a little more contrast with the grey and the black. 

Wearing dark brown shoes would break up the monochromatic appearance of black and grey which may appeal to some people. 

dark brown dress shoes
Image From Deposit Photos

If you’re dressing for a more casual or smart-casual setting, however, wearing brown shoes would actually be encouraged. 

Lighter shades of brown (eg. tan brown) work especially well because they pair easily with grey and black while also producing a nice, eye-catching contrast. 

light brown cap toe Oxford shoes
Image From Deposit Photos

If you’re going very casual (eg. a black polo and grey jeans combo), you’ve got plenty more options – anything goes. However, even then, keeping it simple with a pair of white sneakers would often be the best way to go. 

5. Go For A Neutral-Colored Tie

A neutral-colored tie would be the best option when wearing a black shirt and grey pants. Ties in a dark shade of grey (eg. charcoal) work especially well. 

Firstly, it’s important to point out that you don’t have to wear a tie at all. Going tieless with one or two buttons undone is completely fine – it’ll produce a nice and laid-back smart-casual aesthetic. 

The trick here is to make sure the tie is dark enough to not stand out too much from the black shirt. 

At the same time, you want to make sure it’s light enough to easily distinguish it from the black shirt. That’s why black ties and black shirts generally don’t look great. 

A tie in a dark shade of grey works well because of this. 

It’s dark enough to not stand out too much, but not so dark that it’s tough to easily separate from the black shirt. 

However, if you did want to add a splash of color with your tie, it’s easy to do so against the neutral backdrop. 

It’s still worth going for a dark-colored tie to prevent too much contrast with the black shirt. 

A burgundy red tie worn with a black shirt and grey pants would work very well. The shade of red is warm while being dark enough to sync well with the black shirt. 

6. Wear A Belt That Matches The Shoes

When wearing a black shirt with grey pants, wear a belt that matches the shoes. If you’re wearing black shoes, wear a black belt. If you’re wearing brown shoes, wear a brown belt. 

Sticking to this simple rule of style will always work in your favor.

A common mistake people make is to try and match their belt to their pants, shirt, or anything else. 

But wherever possible, you should try to match your belt to your shoes as closely as possible. Doing so really makes an outfit look well-coordinated and thought out. 

Frequently Asked Questions

To round things up, here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions on the topic. 

Can You Wear Grey Pants, A Black Shirt, And White Shoes?

White shoes should only be worn with grey pants and a black shirt in casual settings. White sneakers would be a reasonable option here. In more formal or even smart-casual settings, stick to brown or black dress shoes. 

Formality and dress codes play a huge role here. 

Trying to wear a black dress shirt, grey slacks, and white sneakers to a formal, business-casual, or even smart-casual setting would usually lead to a few awkward stares. 

What it does is lead to a formality mismatch. 

The casual nature of the white shoes would clash with the formal nature of the shirt and pants. 

So, when you’re looking to dress up, go for brown or black shoes. Keep it simple. 

Can You Wear Grey Pants, A Black Shirt, And A Grey Vest? 

Yes, wearing grey pants with a black shirt and grey vest can produce a great minimalist and monochromatic look. 

It’s great for smart-casual settings where you’re looking to stand out a little. 

Adding a grey vest is an easy way to make an otherwise simple and straightforward shirt and pants combination a little more interesting. 

Conclusion 

There you have it. Hopefully, that was everything you could ever want to know about this effortlessly elegant and sophisticated combo. 

Considering the dress code of the setting when choosing the style of the black shirt and grey pants will usually steer you in the right direction. 

After that, it’s just about adding the right items to really make it shine. 

Enjoy.