Olive green items are popular because of how muted and easy to coordinate they are. But it’s no secret that certain colors just tend to work better with them.
So, here are some great shirt colors you can wear with olive green pants:
- Black
- Blue
- Navy
- Grey
- Green
- Pink
- Maroon
But there’s more.
A list of colors just isn’t enough.
First, we’ll go through a few factors to consider when choosing the perfect shirt color for your specific circumstances.
Then, we’ll run through pics of the combinations listed above to really finish up in style.
How To Color Match Olive Pants With Shirts
Certain shirt colors are so easy to combine that they require very little thought. Others can look great but need to be considered a little more carefully.
1. The Dress Code Matters
Olive green pants can be worn in business-casual, smart-casual, and casual settings.
In general, it’s best to avoid them in truly formal settings where a more traditional color such as black, navy, or grey would be more appropriate.
But as you can see, you’ve got plenty of events and occasions where olive green pants would potentially be appropriate.
The dress code and the setting itself should influence the shirt color you choose to wear with the olive pants.
- Light and neutral shirt colors such as white, beige, and light grey are great in business-casual settings.
- Dark and neutral shirt colors such as navy, charcoal, and black are more appropriate for dressy smart-casual settings, but shouldn’t be worn in business-casual settings.
- Brighter and non-neutral colors such as pink, green, and light blue would be more appropriate in the more casual of smart-casual settings.
Ultimately, olive green is muted enough for a wide range of shirt colors to coordinate well. The decision should mainly be based on the dress code.
2. Neutrals Are Always Easier
If you’re ever in doubt or simply don’t want to think too much about color coordination, a neutral shirt would always be an easier option when wearing olive pants.
While the true neutrals are white, grey, and black, there are other colors that are considered neutral-adjacent.
They aren’t technically neutral but are so muted that they’re often considered neutral. They’re just as easy to combine with other items as truly neutral colors are.
Here’s a brief list of colors you could consider “neutral” and are generally effortless to combine with olive green pants:
- White
- Grey
- Black
- Navy
- Khaki
- Light Blue
If you did want to consider a bolder and more exciting non-neutral shirt color to wear with olive pants, read on.
3. Consider The Color Wheel
The color shows how many different colors relate to each other. You’ll notice how neutrals don’t appear on it, however.
Instead, it’s split into two halves – “warm” and “cool” colors.
“Warm” colors include reds, yellows, and oranges, while “cool” colors include blues, purples, and greens.
Olive green should be considered a “cool” color, although it’s so muted that some may consider it neutral-adjacent.
Ultimately, if you wanted a shirt that was more colorful than a neutral one but still easy to pair with olive green, go for a similarly “cool” color such as blue or purple.
If you wanted a more high contrast combination (bold, eye-catching, casual) – consider an olive green shirt paired with a “warm” colored shirt (eg. burgundy or pink).
6 Olive Pants And Shirt Combinations
Here are some great olive green pants and shirt combinations you can try out for yourself.
Olive Pants With A Black Shirt
A black shirt and olive green pants pair with each other effortlessly and elegantly. The combination is perfect for smart-casual events.
Black is neutral – very neutral.
It’ll combine with anything and olive green is no exception.
Of course, the style of black shirt and olive green pants you choose will also help determine its suitability for a specific dress code.
For example, a black dress shirt or OCBD + olive dress pants/chinos would be perfectly fine in smart-casual settings.
A black Henley + olive green cargo/twill pants, on the other hand, would be better suited to casual events.
Olive Pants With A Blue Shirt
Olive green pants pair very well with shirts in both light and dark shades of blue.
While a light blue shirt can be worn with olive pants in business-casual settings, it’s best to reserve dark shades of blue (eg. navy or midnight blue) for smart-casual events only.
Ultimately, what you’re doing here is combining two “cool” colors – blue and green.
When it comes to combining non-neutral colors, blue and green are about as easy as it gets.
It often produces a very laid-back and relaxed aesthetic, perfect for the fall and winter months.
A navy blue shirt makes for a more exciting alternative to a black shirt when wearing olive pants in smart-casual settings.
Olive Pants With A White Shirt
Olive pants can be worn with a white shirt in many different settings ranging from business casual to casual.
It’s about as easy as it gets – a white shirt is one of the most versatile items you can own in your wardrobe.
No matter what the dress code, event, or season is, a white shirt will always serve you well.
White and olive green combine effortlessly. It’s incredibly hard to go wrong with.
It also gives you the opportunity to add splashes of color elsewhere without the risk of a clash.
Consider a white shirt, olive pants, and a vibrant blazer in a color such as dark red (eg. maroon or burgundy).
Olive Pants With A Grey Shirt
Grey shirts are easy to wear with olive pants given how neutral grey is. The color combination has a subtle and understated look to it.
It generally won’t look quite as dressy as a white, black, or navy shirt would, but is still perfectly appropriate for even the dressier smart-casual settings.
Consider how much contrast you want.
Ultimately, a light grey shirt will look very different from a dark grey one.
A light grey shirt tends to have a more professional look to it – ideal for business-casual settings.
A dark grey shirt (eg. charcoal), on the other hand, tends to look more social and would be better worn in smart-casual settings in the same way you would a black or navy shirt.
Olive Pants With A Green Shirt
Olive green pants can be worn with a green shirt to produce an effective monochromatic combination. It’s important to choose a shirt in a shade of green that’s noticeably different from the olive green pants, however.
While monochromatic combinations do involve items of the same color, it works best when there’s still some contrast between the items.
Try to choose items in different shades of the same color.
If you’re wearing olive green pants, consider a forest or hunter green shirt.
If you’d prefer a lighter alternative, consider mint green.
Ultimately, the shades of the green shirt and pants should be very easily distinguished from each other for the outfit to work as a whole.
Get it right though, and it can look fantastic.
Olive Pants With A Pink Shirt
Olive green pants can be worn with a pink shirt for casual or smart-casual events. The combination is high-contrast and eye-catching.
Here, you’re mixing a bold and vibrant “warm” color (pink) with a muted and relaxed “cool” color (olive green).
Both light shades of pink (eg. blush/dusty pink) and dark shades of pink (eg. salmon) can work well with olive green pants, with the cool and warm undertones producing an interesting sense of harmony.
But as you can see from the image above, the contrast is pretty striking and as a result, the combination will always look more casual than a more neutral one (eg. white, black, or grey).
Conclusion
Muted colors such as olive green pants give you the benefit of choice, but having a list of go-to shirt colors to combine with them is often handy.
Hopefully, you now have a much better idea of what shirt color would best suit your specific circumstances.
Enjoy.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.
