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What Shirt Colors Go With Beige, Tan, And Cream Pants?

December 22, 2022
What Shirt Colors Go With Beige, Tan, And Cream Pants?

Wearing light and neutral-colored pants does give you the benefit of choice when it comes to choosing a shirt color. But what shirt colors work best when wearing beige, tan, or cream pants? 

A wide range of shirt colors can be worn with beige, tan, and cream pants given how light and pale they all are. Dressier options include white, light blue, and light pink shirts, while black, navy and dark green shirts would be more casual options.

While that’s the gist, there’s more to it (as always). 

After going through two key tips for color-matching pants in these colors with shirts, we’ll go through examples for each of them (with pics). 

Let’s get to it. 

How To Match Beige, Tan, And Cream Pants With Shirts

Right from the outset, these are the colors we’re talking about: 

blue shirt with beige pants
A blue shirt with beige pants 

Image From Deposit Photos
  • Beige – A pale greyish yellow. It looks light and sandy. 
  • Tan – A pale tone of brown. 
  • Cream – Considered a “shade of white”, it has clear yellow undertones. 

They’re all pale and neutral. 

Bear all of this in mind as we go through the tips and examples. 

1. Consider The Dress Code

Pale and light-colored pants are usually more appropriate for business-casual and smart-casual settings. They’re generally considered inappropriate for formal and business-professional settings where darker colors are the norm. 

Don’t feel restricted, however, as there are plenty of events and occasions that would fall into the categories of smart-casual and business-casual. 

However, it is important to take the dress code into consideration when deciding what shirt color would work best for your beige, tan, or cream pants. 

If you’re wearing one of these light-colored pants (whether it’s dress pants, chinos, or denim jeans) to a smart-casual event, you’ve got plenty of shirt color options. 

You could go for a bold and vibrant shirt color if you wanted to make more of a statement. Alternatively, you could go for a dark or muted color to keep things more subtle. 

blue polo shirt and tan pants
A blue polo shirt with tan pants

Image From Deposit Photos

If you were dressing for a business-casual setting, on the other hand, it’s best to keep things neutral and muted when it comes to the shirt color. 

2. The Color Wheel Can Help

The color wheel is an image that shows how colors relate to each other. 

Color wheel
Image From Deposit Photos

Given how neutral cream, tan, and beige all are, you won’t find them on the color wheel. 

However, it can still be useful to refer to when choosing a shirt color. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

  • It can be split into two halves – warm and cool colors. 
  • Warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows. They’re bold, vibrant, and summer/spring-friendly. 
  • Cool colors are purples, greens, and blues. They’re laid-back, relaxed, and winter/fall-friendly. 

This is useful when choosing a shirt color, especially where you’ve got some freedom to experiment. 

During the warmer months, a burgundy or burnt orange shirt would be a great option with any of the pale and light-colored pants we’re working with. 

man in maroon shirt and tan pants
A burgundy shirt with tan pants

Image From Deposit Photos

On the other hand, during the winter and fall months, an olive green or plum purple shirt would usually look better. 

If you were dressing down, you could go for a brighter and less muted shade of any of these colors. 

Consider the dress code, as well as the season. Either way, the color wheel can help no matter what vibe you may be aiming for. 

man in navy blue shirt and cream pants
Image From Deposit Photos

Beige Pants And Shirt Combinations 

It’s worth mentioning that beige, cream, and tan pants are neutral enough for any of the shirt colors you see in this article to work. 

Here are some pictures of beige pants next to shirt colors you could definitely consider. 

Beige Pants With A Black Shirt

beige pants + black shirt + black polo shirt
Images From Deposit Photos

Beige pants can be worn with a black shirt for an attention-grabbing and high-contrast combination. 

Black is even more neutral than beige and as a result, the two colors will coordinate effortlessly. You really won’t even need to think about it. 

However, it’s important to note just how strong the contrast between the two items will be. 

Beige is a very pale and light shade of greyish yellow, while black is as dark as you can get. 

Combining a beige pair of pants with a black shirt is going to be eye-catching for this very reason. 

It’ll work well, especially in smart-casual settings. 

Brown shoes usually work best here, with suede penny loafers being a great option. 

Beige Pants With A Blue Shirt

beige pants + blue polo shirt + light blue shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Beige pants can easily be worn with blue shirts. Wear a light blue shirt if you’d prefer a dressier low-contrast combination, while dark blue shirts tend to work better in smart-casual settings. 

It’s very easy to coordinate blue shirts with beige pants.

Blue is a “cool” color, as you can see from the color wheel. While beige is very neutral, it does have warm yellowish undercurrents. 

As a result, you’re left with a subtle balance of cool undertones and warm undertones whenever you pair a blue shirt with a beige pair of pants. 

A light blue dress shirt worn with beige pants would make for a great business-casual outfit but would be perfectly acceptable in smart-casual settings as well. 

Dark blue shirts, on the other hand, tend to produce a more casual appearance when wearing beige pants due to the high contrast. 

Beige Pants With A White Shirt

beige pants + white shirt + white polo shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Beige pants can effortlessly be worn with white shirts in a wide range of settings.

It’s hard to deny just how versatile a simple white shirt can be. You can pair one with practically any pants color you can think of – beige is no exception. 

Beige is actually quite similar to white. It could even be considered a “shade of white” with subtle hints of grey and yellow. 

As a result, beige pants compliment white shirts while still being different enough to distinguish the two items from each other. 

Tan Pants And Shirt Combinations 

Tan pants are considerably darker than beige pants, but the range of shirt colors you can wear with them is just as broad. 

Remember, you can wear tan pants with any of the shirt colors above as well. 

Tan Pants With A Grey Shirt

tan pants + light grey shirt
Images From Deposit Photos

Tan pants work exceptionally well with grey shirts given how neutral both items come across. 

The combination can be worn in both business-casual and smart-casual settings. 

Tan chinos are especially popular and for good reason. Much like khakis, they’re a staple of business-casual attire. 

Consider topping off your tan pants and grey shirt combination with a grey blazer but try to contrast the shades of grey. 

For example, pair a dark grey shirt with a light grey blazer or vice versa. 

Tan Pants With A Light Blue Shirt

Tan pants with blue casual shirt
Images From Deposit Photos

A light blue shirt would often be the perfect accompaniment to a pair of tan pants. The “warm” brownish undercurrent of tan works well with the “cool” tones of light blue. 

The combination oozes that traditional business-casual aesthetic, but it can easily be worn in more casual settings as well. 

Once again, a brown belt and brown dress shoe combo would be the perfect way to round things off in style. 

If you’re dressing up a little, consider a pair of brown brogue Derby shoes. 

Tan Pants With A Pink Shirt

tan pants+ pink polo shirt + pink shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Tan pants can confidently be worn with a pink shirt in a number of settings, with the outfit working especially well during the warm spring and summer months. 

Pink is a warm color that’s bold and vibrant. The lighter the shade of pink, the more subtle and dressy the combination is likely to come across. 

If you’re wearing tan pants to a business-casual setting, consider a light and muted shade of pink. 

Alternatively, if you’re wearing tan pants to a smart-casual setting, a bolder and darker-colored pink shirt would also be an option. 

Cream Pants And Shirt Combinations 

Cream is the lightest and palest color of them all. It’s just as easy to pair them with a huge range of shirt colors. 

Remember, you can pair cream pants with any of the other shirt colors we’ve already talked about. But here are a few more you should be aware of. 

Cream Pants With Dark Green Shirt 

cream-colored pants + dark green shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Cream pants can be worn with dark green shirts for a smart-casual and laid-back aesthetic. The outfit works well during the cooler winter and fall months. 

Dark green shirts are underrated. They won’t ever look as dressy as a light and neutral-colored shirt, but they’re perfect for dressing down a pair of cream pants. 

Consider a dark green Oxford cloth or linen shirt, together with a pair of cream-colored chinos. 

The contrast between the dark green shirt and the very light/pale cream pants will be eye-catching. In casual settings, it’ll look great. 

Cream Pants With Navy Shirt

cream-colored pants + navy blue shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Navy shirts can be worn with cream pants in smart-casual settings. The combination is high-contrast and will definitely turn some heads. 

The color navy is a very dark shade of blue. While it’s technically a “cool” color, it’s often considered neutral in men’s style given how easy it is to combine with other items. 

Ultimately, what sets a cream pants and navy shirt combo apart from the rest is just how stark the contrast will be. 

It’ll be attention-grabbing but in a pretty subtle way given how neutral the two colors are at the end of the day. 

Cream Pants With Yellow Shirt

cream-colored pants + yellow shirt
Image From Deposit Photos

Cream pants often look great when worn with yellow shirts. The clear yellowish undercurrent of cream pants will compliment a more obvious yellow shirt. 

Yellow is a bold, vibrant, and warm color that often looks better during the warmer months of the year. 

Yellow shirts are pretty casual and would really only be suitable for casual and smart-casual settings. 

Conclusion 

Wearing such a light and pale pair of pants does give you plenty of options when it comes to the shirt color. 

Consider the dress code, the season, and your personal preferences whenever making your decision. 

Enjoy.