What Color Tie Goes With A Purple Shirt? (Pics)

It’s bold and eye-catching but can be notoriously difficult to pair with ties. So, what tie colors work well with a purple shirt? 

A purple shirt can be worn with a tie in a darker shade of purple for a monochromatic combination. A neutral-colored tie (eg. grey or black) would be a simple alternative. For more contrast, consider a “cool” colored (eg. forest green or navy) or a “warm” colored tie (eg. burgundy). 

Here’s a table summarizing it all:

Color Scheme	Shirt And Tie Combination
Monochromatic	Light Purple Shirt With Dark Purple Tie
Neutral	Purple Shirt With Charcoal Grey Tie
Cool + Warm	Purple Shirt With Forest Green Tie
Cool + Cool	Purple Shirt With Burgundy Red Tie
Complementary	Purple Shirt With Yellow Tie

That’s the gist, but as always, there’s a whole lot more to it. 

After going through a few guidelines or “rules” to consider whenever you color-match purple shirts with ties, I’ll go through some great examples you can try out yourself. 

Let’s get to it. 

Matching Purple Shirts With Ties – Key Guidelines

Consider all of these guidelines before selecting your tie. 

Keep The Tie Darker Than The Shirt

Wherever possible, wear a light purple shirt. Doing so will make it so much easier to pair with ties. 

This is because it’s generally good practice to keep the tie darker than the shirt. It looks subtle, more sophisticated, and often more professional. 

Wearing a dark purple shirt will always look more casual than a light purple one. It’s also generally harder to pair a dark purple shirt with a tie. 

In order to pair a dark purple shirt with an even darker tie, you’re restricted to blacks and dark greys.

A light purple shirt gives you a wider range of options. The lighter the shade of purple, the better. 

Think About The Dress Code 

There are certain dress codes where a purple shirt simply wouldn’t be appropriate. These include truly formal settings and even the stricter business-professional settings. 

Purple shirts can work very well in smart-casual settings where there’s less of a risk of underdressing. 

However, even in these settings, it’s worth sticking to light purple shirts. 

Consider a monochromatic or neutral color scheme to “dress up” a purple shirt. Go for a tie in a darker shade of purple, or neutral colors such as grey or black. 

If you want a more casual and striking appearance, consider going for a tie that contrasts the purple tie. 

The more contrast you’ve got, the more casual and bold the combination will come across. 

Use The Color Wheel  

The color wheel is a great way to combine colors to produce more or less contrast. 

Here’s what you need to know about it: 

• It can be split into two halves – “warm” and “cool” colors. 
  • The warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows. 
  • The cool colors are blues, purples, and greens. 
• Combining colors that are close to each other on the color wheel (i.e cool + cool or warm + warm) will produce less contrast. Those that are further apart on the color wheel will produce more contrast. 

Purple should be considered a “cool” color and knowing this is useful. 

We’ll refer back to the color wheel now and again when going through the examples below. 

5 Purple Shirt And Tie Combinations

Here are some great tie colors you can wear with a purple shirt. The top two could be considered the most subtle and “formal”. 

The rest of them are higher-contrast, bolder combinations that may be more casual but can work very well in the right settings. 

Examples of tie colors that can be worn with a purple shirt: 

• Dark Purple
• Charcoal Grey
• Forest Green
• Burgundy Red
• Yellow

Monochromatic Purple Shirt And Tie

A light purple shirt can be worn with a dark purple tie for a great monochromatic combination. 

Example: Light Purple Shirt + Dark Purple Tie

What’s great about it is that it requires very little thought. You don’t need to worry about whether it coordinates well or not. 

It just works. 

It’s probably the “safest” shirt and tie combo on this list, although the neutral tie would be a close second. 

If you’re wearing a suit with it, dark and neutral colors tend to work best. Stick to black, charcoal grey, or navy blue suits. 

Purple Shirt + Neutral Tie

A purple shirt can be worn with ties in neutral colors such as grey and black. These combinations are subtle and relatively formal. 

Example: Purple Shirt + Dark Grey Tie

However, they would still work better in smart-casual settings as purple shirts may be too casual for the stricter business-professional settings. 

But the lighter the shade of the purple shirt, the more likely it is that you could get away with wearing it in the more professional settings. 

Choosing a neutral tie would help here. 

While the true neutrals are white, grey, and black, avoid wearing a white tie with a purple shirt. Stick the rule of thumb explained earlier on – keep the tie darker than the shirt. 

A grey or black tie would be a much better option. 

Purple Shirt + Cool-Colored Tie

A purple shirt can be worn with ties in “cool” colors such as blue and green. While the contrast would be noticeable, the similarly cool undertones blend well. The combination would work especially well in smart-casual winter and fall settings. 

Example: Purple Shirt + Forest Green Tie

Refer back to the color wheel and take a look at the “cool” half. You’ve got greens, purples, and blues. 

Here’s where knowing that purple is a “cool” color comes in useful. 

Pick a tie color that’s close to it on the color wheel – i.e another cool color. 

Blues and greens of any shade could technically work, as always, it’s best to keep the tie darker than the shade. 

Wear a light purple shirt, and choose a tie that’s in a dark and muted shade of blue or green. 

Examples would include navy, indigo, forest green, or hunter green ties. 

Purple Shirt + Warm-Colored Tie

A purple shirt can be worn with ties in “warm” colors such as red or orange. Pairing a “cool” color with a “warm” color like this will lead to a very casual and high-contrast combination. 

Example: Purple Shirt + Burgundy Red Tie

In general, it’s harder to pair a purple shirt with a warm-colored tie than it is to pair it with a cool-colored one. 

But it can definitely work. 

Once again, choosing a light purple shirt and pairing it with a dark, yet warm-colored tie would be the best way to go here. 

Consider going for a light purple shirt with a burgundy or maroon tie. The contrast would be noticeable, but still relatively subtle. 

It would really only be appropriate in smart-casual settings. Avoid it for formal and business-professional occasions. 

Purple Shirt + Complimentary Tie

A purple shirt can be worn with a yellow tie if you’re looking for a very high-contrast combination. The two colors are opposite each other on the color wheel and this leads to a striking appearance when they’re combined. 

Example: Purple Shirt + Yellow Tie

Be careful with this combination – it’s pretty bold. 

It’ll be eye-catching and striking. 

It’s why many sports teams actually choose purple and yellow as their team colors. 

But it’s important to note that it’ll usually draw a lot of attention, to the point where it can be distracting. 

It definitely won’t be suitable for formal or business-professional settings. 

However, if you were attending a casual or smart-casual event and wanted to make more of a statement, consider wearing a purple shirt with a yellow tie. 

The lighter the shade of the purple shirt, the better. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some FAQs on the subject to finish things up. 

What Tie Should You Wear With A Purple Checkered Shirt?

When wearing a purple checkered shirt, choose a solid-colored, unpatterned tie in either a neutral color or a similarly “cool” color. Grey, blue, and green ties work especially well. 

Purple checkered shirts can be pretty bold. They’re eye-catching and will always look more casual than a solid-colored purple shirt. 

To avoid the combination looking too distracting, try to wear a solid-colored tie instead of a patterned one.

In addition, go for a subtle, dark, and muted tie, as well as a light purple checkered shirt. 

What Color Tie Should You Wear With A Purple Shirt And Black Suit?

A purple shirt and black suit can be worn with a wide range of ties including grey, black, dark green, and burgundy red. 

Black suits are neutral enough to wear with any tie color you can think of. 

It’s the purple shirt that should be considered when color-matching the tie and not the black suit. 

The same principles outlined above will apply here. 

Consider a monochromatic or neutral-colored tie for a more “formal” look, or pair it with a cool-colored tie for a noticeable, low-contrast aesthetic. Greens and blues work well. 

If you want more contrast, consider a high-contrast “warm” colored tie. 

What Color Tie Should You Wear With A Dark Purple Shirt? 

A dark purple shirt can be worn with a charcoal grey or black tie. 

Dark purple shirts are tough to combine with ties, simply because it’s good practice to keep the tie darker than the shirt. 

Given how dark the shirt is likely to be, you aren’t left with many options. 

However, charcoal grey and black are almost always dark enough to pair with a dark purple shirt quite easily. 

Just remember that the darker the shade of purple, the more casual it’s likely to look no matter what tie color you choose to wear with it. 

Conclusion 

Purple shirts aren’t easy to pair with ties but can look great when it’s done correctly. You’ve got a range of colors to choose from but go for a tie in a darker shade of purple, grey, or black if you want a more subtle appearance. 

Enjoy.