A pink shirt is a great way to add a pop of color to an outfit. But given how warm and vibrant it is, it can sometimes be tricky to coordinate. The question is, can you wear a pink shirt with a blue blazer?
A pink shirt can be worn with a blue blazer in business-casual and smart-casual settings. In business-casual environments, dark blue blazers and light pink shirts often work best. In smart-casual settings, shirts in darker shades of pink (eg. salmon) can also be worn.
That’s the short answer, but there’s more to it.
After going through a few great outfit examples to try out yourself, we’ll run through some essential tips for getting the combo right every time.
Let’s get to it.
3 Pink Shirt And Blue Blazer Outfits
As always, we’ll go from the dressiest way to do it to the most casual way.
Enjoy.
Dressy
Items: Light Pink Dress Shirt, Navy Blue Blazer, Charcoal Dress Pants, Dark Brown Dress Shoes
The combo should only be worn in business-casual or smart-casual settings. However, it’s hard to deny that some of these settings will be “smarter” and others will be more “casual”.
It’s a spectrum.
The image above is an example of a combo you could wear to one of the dressier smart-casual settings as well as most business-casual settings.
We’ve gone for a pink dress shirt and coupled it with a navy blue blazer.
The darker the shade of the blue blazer, the dressier and more formal it’ll look.
The charcoal dress pants add a touch of sophistication, as most dark and neutral dress pant colors tend to do.
Finally, round things up with a pair of dress shoes in either black or dark brown and you’re good to go.
You’ll rarely ever be considered underdressed with a combination as dressy as this.
Now, onto the more casual ways to do it.
More Casual
Items: Salmon Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer, Khakis, Caramel Brown Dress Shoes
You’ll probably immediately note that this example looks more casual than the previous one. Overall, it would probably be too casual to wear to a business-casual setting, but absolutely fine for most smart-casual settings.
Let’s talk through exactly why it looks the way it looks.
Ultimately, it’s more casual than the previous example, but still pretty dressy.
We’ve swapped out the light pink shirt for a dark pink alternative. The darker the shade of pink, the more casual it’ll look.
Shirts in light pink or other “soft pastels” (eg. light blue) have a more professional look to them and tend to look dressier as a result.
Dark pink shirts have a more casual and social look and feel to them.
The blazer also looks more casual, simply because it’s a lighter shade of blue. The lighter the shade of the blue blazer, the more casual it’ll look.
We’ve also swapped the dark dress pants in the previous example for a pair of khakis.
Khakis are perfect in smart-casual settings but will always look more casual than dress pants.
Finally, dress shoes in a lighter shade of brown are a great way of dressing down – but not by too much.
They’re clearly more casual-looking than dark brown and black dress shoes, but not as casual as a pair of suede dress shoes or sneakers.
Most Casual
Items: Pink T-Shirt, Teal Blue Blazer, Grey Jeans, White Sneakers
This is, by far, the most casual option on this list.
The T-shirt-under-blazer look is incredibly effective but does need to be worn in appropriate settings.
At the end of the day, it would usually be suitable on the more “casual” end of the smart-casual spectrum.
A pink T-shirt looks great when worn under a blazer. Here, we’ve gone for one under a teal blue blazer with a relaxed structure.
The grey jeans are a nice touch. Keeping the pants color nice and neutral like this is a great way to anchor the colorful items you’re wearing up top.
Wearing sneakers with a blazer is always a little risky, simply due to the possibility of a formality mismatch between the two items.
However, going for a pair of all-white leather low-tops (a.k.a “dress sneakers”) is an easy way to reduce this risk.
5 Tips For Wearing A Pink Shirt With A Blue Blazer
Consider all of these tips before putting your outfit together.
Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual Only
A pink shirt and blue blazer combination should never be worn in truly formal settings where a 2-piece suit would be required at a minimum.
Instead, reserve it for business-casual and smart-casual settings.
It thrives in these environments.
However, as you saw in the outfit examples above, certain shades and styles tend to look dressier than others.
As a result, some ways of wearing are better suited to business-casual settings, while others would usually end up looking too casual.
We’ll be going through the nuances in more detail in the following tips.
The Shade Of The Pink Shirt Is Crucial
The darker the pink shirt, the more casual it’ll look under a blue blazer.
Light pink dress shirts are usually considered dressy enough to wear in business-casual environments and workplaces.
As mentioned earlier, it tends to have quite a professional look to it.
Blush pink and baby pink are two light shades of pink you could consider in these contexts.
Shirts in darker shades such as salmon and dusty pink will usually have a more casual aesthetic.
As a general rule of thumb, avoid dark pink shirts in business-casual settings and stick to lighter alternatives instead.
But it’s also important to consider the style of the pink shirt you’re wearing.
Some styles will always look more formal and dressy, while others look more casual.
In dressy settings, dress shirts in 100% cotton, broadcloth, and poplin are great options. They should be your go-to shirts in business-casual environments.
In smart-casual settings, you’ll usually have a whole bunch of options.
In the dressier smart-casual settings, consider wearing a pink OCBD, linen, or chambray button-up shirt.
In the more casual of smart-casual settings, you could even consider a pink polo, Henley, or T-shirt under the blue blazer.
Consider The Style And Color Of The Blue Blazer
The darker the shade of your blue blazer, the dressier it’ll look. Navy and midnight blue are great examples.
In business-casual settings, a light pink (eg. baby or blush pink) shirt under a navy blue blazer would be the safest way to wear the combination.
In smart-casual settings, you could usually go for a blazer in any shade of blue and get away with it.
A light blue blazer worn over a dark pink shirt is a very casual way to do it but is very effective in the right settings.
It’s also worth considering the style and fit of the blue blazer. Some blue blazers have a more formal appearance to them, simply because of their structure.
A “formal” looking blue blazer will generally have more structure, with heavier shoulder padding and a slimmer fit.
They’ll also often be made from shinier and more wrinkle-resistant fabrics.
These are ideal for business-casual settings where there’s more of a risk of underdressing.
A “casual” looking blue blazer will generally have less structure, with less padding, lighter canvassing, and a more relaxed fit.
They’ll also often be more from more rugged and wrinkly fabrics such as serge, flannel, linen, and hopsack.
Choose The Right Pants Color And Style
In dressier settings (eg. business-casual), going for dress pants would be best when wearing a pink shirt with a blue blazer. Dark and neutral pants colors tend to look more formal than light neutrals and non-neutrals.
Having said that, chinos are also considered very acceptable in business-casual settings, as long as you choose the right color.
Try to go for dark neutrals if you can, but given how “khakis” are traditionally considered the epitome of business-casual attire, they would usually be appropriate here too.
Other light neutrals and non-neutrals are best reserved for smart-casual settings.
Avoid wearing burgundy, olive, white, cream, and other bolder chino/dress pant colors in business-casual settings.
They’ll usually come across as too casual, especially when wearing a relatively eye-catching blue blazer and pink shirt combination up top.
Here’s a table summary of some pants colors you could consider, together with the dress code they’d be most suitable for:
| Grey Pants, Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer | Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual |
| White Pants, Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer | Smart-Casual |
| Khaki Pants, Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer | Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual |
| Black Pants, Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer | Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual |
| Burgundy Pants, Pink Shirt, Blue Blazer | Smart-Casual |
Be Cautious With Your Shoe Color
When wearing a pink shirt and blue blazer, black and dark brown dress shoes would be ideal in dressier smart-casual settings, as well as business-casual ones.
The darker the shoes, the dressier they’ll look.
Having said that, do be cautious with black dress shoes. Consider the style and make sure they don’t look too formal to wear with the blazer and shirt combo you’re wearing.
Ultimately, a pair of black Oxford shoes would usually look a little too formal to wear with a blue blazer and pink shirt.
They’re better suited to 2-piece suits.
Instead, consider a pair of dark brown/black monk straps or Derby shoes. They’re ideal because they carefully and subtly toe the line between formal and casual.
Perfect for an outfit such as this.
If you’re dressing down a touch but still want to keep things looking sophisticated, a pair of dress shoes in a lighter shade of brown (eg. tan) would be ideal.
If you want to dress down a notch further, consider suede dress shoes of any variety. Suede will always look more casual than shinier grains of leather, simply due to the napped texture.
Finally, when you’re really dressing down, consider a pair of sneakers – but choose the right pair.
As mentioned earlier, “dress sneakers” come in different forms, but the easiest pair to pull off when wearing a blazer would be all-white leather low-tops.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.
