What Color Tie Goes With A Green Shirt (Pics)

This is one of the harder shirt colors to match with ties, simply because the result can often look more casual than you might want it to be. 

So, what color tie can you actually wear with a green shirt? 

A green shirt can be worn with a forest green or hunter green tie for a monochromatic aesthetic. It can also be worn with a neutral-colored tie such as stone grey or with another “cool” color such as navy blue to produce a touch of contrast. 

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

After going through the main “rules” and principles to consider whenever you color match green shirts and ties, I’ll go through some great examples as well. 

Let’s get to it. 

Matching Green Shirts With Ties – Key Principles

Thinking of these as “principles” and not “rules” is often helpful, simply because they should be considered a guide to help you make decisions. 

Technically, there’s no “right” and “wrong” way of doing things. But sticking to these principles should help you get the best result each time. 

1. Keep The Tie Darker Than The Green Shirt

Keeping the tie darker than the green shirt will always have a more formal look to it than the other way round. 

The easiest way to do this would be to choose a shirt in a shade of green that’s light. 

This will give you a wider range of options when it comes to the tie because it’s simply more likely that the tie will be darker than the shirt. 

2. Always Consider The Formality 

Consider the formality whenever you’re pairing a shirt with a tie. In general, the more contrast you’ve got between the shirt and the tie, the more casual it’ll look. 

As you’ll see from the combination examples below, the monochromatic/neutral color schemes have a more formal look to them than the ones with more contrast. 

When you’re dressing for a formal or business-professional setting, it’s generally better to go for less contrast. 

This is also why you’ll want to go for a neutral-colored suit (if you’re wearing one). Stick to grey, blue, and black suits as it’ll reduce the risk of a color conflict between the suit, green shirt, and tie. 

But when you’re looking to make more of a statement (usually in a more casual setting), having more contrast between the green shirt and the tie is the way to go. 

3. Know The Color Wheel  

The color wheel is useful for visualizing the relationship between colors. When matching green shirts with ties, knowing the color wheel will allow you to make good decisions without having to guess. 

• It allows you to group together clothes of similar hues (close together on the color wheel) for less contrast and different hues (far apart on the color wheel) for more contrast. 
• It can be split into two halves – “warm” and “cool” colors. 
  • Warm colors (eg. reds, yellows, oranges) are vibrant and bold. 
  • Cool colors (eg. blues, purples, greens) are calm and soothing. 

That’s really the only info people need to make color-matching decisions using the color wheel. It’ll come in useful when going through the combinations below. 

5 Green Shirt And Tie Combinations

As we list off the combination examples, you’ll notice how they start to look less and less formal. 

The reason for this is that as we go down, there’s more and more contrast between the green shirt and the tie. 

Remember, the more contrast you’ve got, the more casual it’ll look. 

Monochromatic Green Shirt And Tie

Example: Light Green Shirt With Forest Green Tie

A monochromatic green shirt and tie color scheme will usually be the most formal option, simply because you’ve got very little contrast between the two items. 

However, in order to make this work, you’ll want to make sure the two items are in different shades of green. 

Choosing both items in the same shade of green will look awkward – it’ll be tough to distinguish them from each other. 

Going back to the “principles” we listed earlier, try to choose a tie in a darker color than the shirt. 

In the example above you can see a light green shirt with a forest green tie. The forest green is clearly darker than the light green shirt and the result looks pretty formal as a result. 

Note that a green shirt won’t ever look as formal as a traditional white or pale blue dress shirt. 

But going for a monochromatic color scheme such as this should make it look more formal than it would otherwise. 

Green Shirt + Neutral Tie

Example: Green Shirt With Stone Grey Tie 

“Neutral” colors are blacks, whites, and greys. 

They fit seamlessly into any color scheme you can think of due to how muted and understated they are. 

There’s no risk of a color clash no matter what you pair them with. 

That’s why they’re so useful when it comes to trying to color match ties with shirt colors such as green. The decision is so straightforward because you know it’ll work. 

You don’t need to think about the color wheel, color temperatures, etc. 

Just pop on a neutral-colored shirt and you’re good to go. 

The example above is of a green shirt with a stone grey tie. 

Once again, choosing a tie that’s in a darker color than the shirt is a good way to go. It’ll always have a more formal edge to it than having things the other way around. 

Green Shirt + Cool-Colored Tie

Example: Green Shirt With Navy Blue Tie 

Here is where we start to use the color wheel to come up with more interesting combinations. 

It’s also where we steer away from the easy and safe monochromatic/neutral color options and produce more daring combinations with more contrast. 

As a result, you’ll find that this combination, as well as the following two, looks more casual than the previous two. 

Consider the formality of the setting you’re attending. If it’s on the more formal end of the spectrum, go for one of the first two options instead. 

If you feel as though the setting is more casual (eg. business-casual or smart-casual), these options would be a great way to stand out a little. 

Based on the color wheel, green is a “cool” color. It’s calm, soothing, and understated. 

Pairing it with a different cool color that lies pretty close to it on the color wheel is a good way to produce some contrast without being over the top. 

The main options are blues and purples. Once again, choosing a dark shade of these colors would always look more formal than a lighter/brighter shade would. 

The example above is a pretty safe navy blue. It’s dark and muted, but still different enough from the green shirt to stand out. 

Green Shirt + Warm-Colored Tie

Example: Green Shirt With Orange Tie

This is where we definitely get pretty casual. Pairing a cool-colored green shirt with a warm color (eg. red, orange, yellow) is definitely a bold and striking look. 

It produces a lot of contrast, so much so that it wouldn’t be suitable for formal or even business-casual settings. 

But it may be a good option if you’re dressing for a casual or smart-casual setting and you want the combination to catch the eye and stand out. 

It won’t be for everyone and does take a pretty fashion-forward personality to pull it off. But if you feel as though the earlier options were a little too “safe”, it may be one worth considering. 

The example above is of a green shirt with an orange tie. It’s in-your-face and hard to miss. 

As you can see, green and orange are pretty far apart on the color but not so far apart that they’re directly opposite (as per the next example). 

The main reason they stand out from each other is that one is clearly a “cool” color (green) while the other is clearly a “warm” one (orange). 

Once again, if you don’t want this combination to look too over the top, go for a darker shade of orange on the background of a light green shirt. 

Green Shirt + Complimentary Tie

Example: Green Shirt With Burgundy Red Tie

Green and red lie opposite each other on the color wheel. As a result, they’re considered “complementary” colors and produce the maximum amount of contrast possible. 

As you’d expect, this produces a very casual aesthetic.

Much like the previous example, this combination won’t be for everyone – it’s attention-grabbing and bold. However, it can be a great way to make a statement if this is what you’re going for. 

It won’t be suitable for formal or business-casual settings but would be fine for a smart-casual one. 

In this example, I’ve gone for a burgundy red tie that’s much darker than the green shirt that lies behind it. 

The burgundy is dark enough for the combination to not stand out too much. In general, this is a more stylish option than choosing a lighter/brighter shade of red tie. 

Conclusion 

5 green shirt and tie combinations, each with its own vibe and feel to it. Consider the dress code and the formality of the setting you’re attending before choosing. 

Enjoy.