Pairing blazers with blue shirts can be incredibly effective when done properly. However, color coordination between the two items can make or break an outfit. Get it wrong and you risk underdressing.
Here are some great blazer colors you can wear with a blue shirt:
- Black
- Grey
- Navy
- Brown
- Green
- Pink
- Cream
But the problem is that there’s a good chance that one or two of those blazer colors would be the best options for your specific circumstances.
First, we’ll go through a couple of factors to consider when making your choice. Then, we’ll run through each of those color combinations in more detail (with pictures).
Let’s get to it.
How To Color Coordinate Blue Shirts With Blazers
Consider both of these factors before making your decision.
1. The Dress Code Matters
A blue shirt and blazer combination should only be worn in smart-casual or business-casual settings. It shouldn’t be worn in truly formal or business-professional settings where a 2-piece suit would be the minimum required.
An unmatched blazer and pants combination of any variety would risk underdressing.
When wearing a blue shirt and a blazer to a business-casual setting or one of the dressier smart-casual settings, go for a light blue shirt + a dark and neutral blazer.
For example, a light blue shirt with a black, charcoal grey, or navy blazer.
In the more relaxed and casual of smart-casual settings, you’ve got more options to experiment with.
You could go for a dark blue shirt and pair it with a light and neutral blazer color such as light grey, khaki, or cream.
Alternatively, you could go for a non-neutral blazer color such as pink, red, or green.
However, when going for a more vivid and vibrant blazer color, try to stick to shirts in light shades of blue to keep things subtle.
Here’s a summary:
- Business-Casual Or Dressy Smart-Casual:
- Light Blue Shirt + Dark/Neutral Blazer
- Smart-Casual:
- Light Blue Shirt + Non-Neutral Blazer Color
- Dark Blue Shirt + Light/Neutral Blazer color
2. Consider Your Pants Color
It’s also worth considering the color of your pants when deciding what blazer color would be best to wear with your blue shirt.
Consider how much contrast you want between your pants and blazer.
You could either go for a high-contrast combination or a low-contrast one.
If you’ve gone for a dark-colored pair of pants in charcoal, black, or navy, going for a light-colored blazer (eg. cream or light grey) would lead to a high level of contrast between the two items.
High-contrast combos are effective but are generally more eye-catching and bold.
If you’d prefer a more subtle aesthetic, consider wearing a dark-colored blazer with a dark-colored pair of pants instead.
An alternative but similarly low-contrast combination would be a light-colored blazer (eg. light grey, cream) with a light-colored pair of pants (eg. khaki, tan, light taupe).
There’s no “correct” answer here – it would just lead to two different aesthetics. One subtle/understated and the other striking/eye-catching.
7 Blue Shirt And Blazer Combinations
Here are those blazer and blue shirt combinations described in more detail. Notice how the dark and neutral blazers look dressier, while the light/neutral and non-neutral ones look more casual.
Also, notice how the dark blue shirt looks significantly more casual than the more “professional” looking light blue shirt.
Once again, the dress code is crucial.
Blue Shirt With A Black Blazer
A blue shirt can be worn with a black blazer in business-casual or smart-casual settings. The lighter the shade of the blue shirt, the dressier the combination will look overall.
A black blazer is incredibly versatile and an easy way to dress up even the most casual of outfits.
Layering one over any blue shirt is going to be very effective no matter what shade of blue shirt you choose.
But a black blazer layered over a dark blue shirt (eg. navy) is always going to look a whole lot more casual.
A light blue shirt and black blazer combination has a more formal and professional look and feel to it.
When it comes to the color of your pants, consider how much contrast you want.
A black blazer is as dark as you can get. Coupling it with a pair of light-colored pants (eg. light grey) will lead to more contrast and a more eye-catching look.
Combining it with a pair of dark-colored pants (eg. charcoal or navy) will look more formal.
Avoid wearing a black blazer with black pants wherever possible. Doing so often risks coming across as though you’re wearing a poorly matched 2-piece suit.
You want to make it clear that you’re wearing a separate blazer and pants combination by choosing a color that’s noticeably different.
Blue Shirt With A Grey Blazer
A blue shirt can be worn with a grey blazer in business-casual and smart-casual settings. Dark grey blazers and light blue shirts are more appropriate in the dressier and more professional of these environments.
The darker the shade of the grey blazer, the dressier it’ll look. When attending a business-casual setting, this is often the best option.
It’s dark, it’s neutral, and it’s formal.
Light grey blazers are versatile and can look very sophisticated, but will always look more casual than darker shades.
This is especially true when a light grey blazer is combined with a dark blue shirt.
As you can see, a “grey blazer and blue shirt” combination can look very different depending on the shades of each of the two items.
Blue Shirt With A Navy Blazer
Blue shirts can be worn with navy blazers in business-casual or smart-casual settings, but it’s important that the two items are of noticeably different shades. Ideally, the shirt should be a light shade of blue.
Wearing a navy blazer with a shirt in a different shade of blue often produces a very effective monochromatic combination.
It’ll always work.
The dressier and more formal the setting (eg. business-casual), the more likely it is that a light blue shirt would be more appropriate.
While navy isn’t technically neutral, it’s so dark and muted that it’s often considered as such in men’s style.
It would usually be considered appropriate to wear in business-casual settings, as long as you go for a light blue shirt.
To really ensure you don’t underdress in these environments, go for a similarly dark and neutral pants color (eg. charcoal or black).
In more casual settings, you could go for more contrast and choose a light-colored pair of pants instead (eg. light grey, beige, khaki).
Blue Shirt With A Brown Blazer
Brown blazers can be worn with blue shirts in smart-casual settings. A dark brown blazer coupled with a light blue shirt may even be appropriate in the more relaxed of business-casual environments.
As you can see, a brown blazer combined with a blue shirt does look more casual than the darker and more neutral blazer colors in the previous examples.
But given that brown is near-neutral or a “menswear neutral”, it still coordinates very effectively.
In addition, the “warm” undertones of the brown blazer produce a nice sense of balance with the “cool” undertones of the blue shirt.
Brown blazers look great during the fall and winter months due to their natural and earthy tones.
This is especially true when the brown blazer is constructed from a rough and rugged fabric or weave such as tweed, herringbone, or serge.
While this color combination would be most appropriate to wear in smart-casual settings, dark brown blazers can sometimes work well in business-casual settings when a light blue dress shirt is worn.
Blue Shirt With A Green Blazer
A green blazer can be worn with a blue shirt in smart-casual settings, with dark and muted shades of green such as olive and sage working especially well.
Here, you’re combining a “cool” color (green) with another “cool” color (blue). Doing so often produces a nice and laid-back aesthetic, but it’s important to choose the right shades.
This combination generally works best when you go for a light blue shirt and a dark and muted green blazer.
Going for a blazer in a more vivid shade of green (eg. mint) would usually come across as too much color when wearing a light blue shirt to boot.
Instead, keep things subtle, sophisticated, and muted whenever possible.
A dark and muted green blazer in olive, sage, forest, or hunter green can make for a great addition to any winter/fall wardrobe.
Going for a more eye-catching blazer color such as this is a great way to stand out from a crowd, but it’s important to ensure the setting is casual enough to allow for it.
If you feel as though there’s a risk of underdressing, it may be best to go for a more dark and neutral blazer color instead.
Blue Shirt With A Pink Blazer
Pink blazers look great with blue shirts in smart-casual settings. The “cool” undertones of the blue shirt harmonize well with the energetic and “warm” undertones of the pink blazer.
Pink and blue lie in opposite halves of the color wheel and produce a high level of contrast when combined.
But their combination is often very aesthetically pleasing when done properly.
When wearing a blue shirt with a pink blazer, go for a light blue shirt and a muted pink blazer.
What you want is for these two colors to combine in a subtle and sophisticated way.
A pink blazer can be pretty in-your-face, especially when you go for a light, bright, and bold shade of pink. It’ll draw too much attention.
In contrast, darker and more muted shades of pink (eg. salmon) have a dressier and more elegant look to them when combined with a blue shirt.
Blue Shirt With A Cream Blazer
A cream blazer can be worn with a blue shirt in smart-casual settings. The combination works especially well during the warmer months of the year.
You can choose to wear the cream blazer with a light blue shirt if you’d prefer less contrast.
A shirt in a darker shade of blue would look great with a cream blazer but would lead to a more high-contrast and striking combination.
Blazers in cream tones and light shades of brown work well during the summer. Similar alternatives would include beige, off-white, khaki, and light tan/taupe.
All of these blazer colors would look very effective with shirts in both light and dark shades of blue. It all comes down to how much contrast you want between the two items.
These smart-casual and summer-friendly blazer, shirt, and pants combinations look great with similarly laid-back dress shoe options.
So, consider rounding things up with a pair of penny or tassel loafers.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.
