How To Wear A White Shirt With A Blue Blazer (Outfits)

Wearing a white shirt with a blue blazer seems simple enough, but it’s no secret that there are definitely better ways of pulling it off than others. 

In fact, it’s actually surprisingly easy to mess up. 

After going through some great outfit examples you can try out for yourself, we’ll run through some essential tips for this classic combination in the most effective way possible. 

Let’s get to it. 

3 White Shirt And Blue Blazer Outfits

We’ll start with the dressiest way to do it and finish up with the most casual way. 

Enjoy. 

Dressy

Items: White Dress Shirt, Navy Blue Blazer, Charcoal Dress Pants, Black Monk Straps 

A combination such as this would be ideal for a business-casual setting.

A white button-up would be essential here, but consider one in a more “formal” fabric such as 100% cotton, broadcloth, or poplin. 

The blazer should be a dark shade of blue such as navy or midnight blue. The darker the shade of blue, the dressier the blazer is likely to come across. 

Round things up with a pair of pants in a dark and neutral color such as black or charcoal grey. 

When it comes to footwear, consider a pair of dress shoes in black or dark brown. We’ve gone for black monk straps here, but Derby shoes would be just as effective. 

More Casual

Items:  White Chambray Shirt, Teal Blue Blazer, Khaki Pants, Tan Brown Dress Shoes

Here, we’re dressing down a notch and swapping the white dress shirt for one made from a more casual fabric or weave. 

In this example, we’ve gone for a white chambray button-up shirt. 

The teal blazer worn over it is noticeably lighter and more casual-looking than the blazer from the previous example. 

The dress shoes are a lighter shade of brown (i.e tan). 

The khakis are clearly more casual than the charcoal dress pants, but would still make the outfit a reasonable choice for a business-casual setting on the more casual end of that spectrum. 

Overall, however, the outfit would be better suited to smart-casual events instead. 

Most Casual

Items: White T-Shirt, Light Blue Blazer, Dark Blue Jeans, All-White Leather Low-Tops 

This is, by far, the most casual outfit on this list. 

It goes to show that you’ve got a wide range of white shirt styles to choose from, with some undoubtedly looking more casual than others. 

Here, we’ve chosen a white T-shirt and worn it under a light blue blazer. 

As you can see, the combination looks many times more casual than the last two examples. 

This is simply because we’ve gone for a casual white shirt style and a blazer in a light shade of blue. 

To complete the outfit, consider a pair of jeans such as the dark blue ones in the image above.  You could swap these out for a pair of black or grey jeans if you wanted to, however. 

Finally, finish up by popping on a pair of all-white leather low-top sneakers. 

Casual enough to make it clear you’re dressing down, but still dressy enough to wear with a blue blazer and not look awkward. 

5 Tips For Wearing A White Shirt With A Blue Blazer

Here are some great tips for wearing this striking combo in the best way possible no matter what you may be dressing for.   

The Dress Code Is Key

A white shirt and blue blazer combination should never be worn in truly formal settings. Here, a 2-piece suit would be required at a minimum. 

An unmatched blue blazer and pants combination would almost always come across as underdressing in these environments. 

Instead, wear the combo in business-casual and smart-casual settings. 

As you’ve seen from the outfit examples above, there are some ways of wearing it that would be better suited to business-casual settings, while others are better for smart-casual ones. 

But no matter how “dressy” your blazer combination looks, it would never be formal enough for a truly formal event or occasion. 

Consider The Shade And Structure Of The Blue Blazer

The style of the blue blazer you choose to wear over your white shirt is crucial. Blazers can differ in terms of the fabric, fit, and color. 

Some will inevitably look more casual than others and it’s important you choose one that’s appropriate for the setting you’re dressing for. 

Once again, it’s worth splitting the settings into two main dress codes: business-casual and smart-casual. 

In business-casual settings, a dark blue blazer made from a relatively formal-looking fabric or weave would be more appropriate. 

Consider a worsted wool navy blazer. Its typical sheen and resistance to wrinkles makes it come across as quite dressy. 

In addition, consider one with a more structured appearance – heavy shoulder padding and canvassing, as well as a more tapered fit. 

In smart-casual settings, while you could easily go for a dark blue blazer if you want to, a blazer in a lighter shade of blue would usually also be appropriate. 

Remember, the lighter the shade of the blue blazer, the more casual it’ll look. 

In addition, consider a blazer with a more relaxed fit and a less structured appearance. Rough and rugged fabrics/weaves tend to work well – think serge, linen, tweed, flannel, and hopsack. 

All of these features make a blazer look more casual and laid-back. 

So, consider the dress code when deciding what style of blue blazer you want to wear over your white shirt. 

Consider The Style Of Your White Shirt

There are many different styles of white shirt you could potentially wear under a blue blazer. They range from pretty dressy to not so dressy at all. 

The dressier white shirt styles you could wear include button-up dress shirts made from 100% cotton, poplin, or broadcloth. 

Slightly less dressy white shirt styles to consider include ones made from chambray, Oxford cloth (i.e OCBDs), and linen. 

If you really wanted to dress down, you could go for a very casual shirt style such as a polo, Henley, or T-shirt. 

Any of these could potentially look great under a blue blazer. Which one you choose really does depend on how much you want to dress up or down. 

It’s worth trying to sync the “casualness” of the blazer and the shirt style. 

A formal-looking worsted wool navy blazer worn over a white T-shirt would usually lead to a bit of a formality mismatch. 

The blazer just looks too formal for the shirt. 

Swap that blazer for a more casual-looking light blue tweed one and it suddenly looks a lot better. 

The “casualness” of the blazer syncs well with that of the shirt style. 

Add More Or Less Contrast With The Pants

When choosing a pair of pants to wear with a white shirt and blue blazer, consider how much contrast you want between your top half and bottom half. 

A high-contrast combination would be one where you’ve gone for a dark-colored blue blazer and a light-colored pair of pants, or vice versa. 

For example, a navy blazer, white shirt, and beige pants combination. 

High-contrast combos tend to be more eye-catching and casual-looking. 

A low-contrast combination would be one where the brightness of the blazer and the pants are at similar levels. 

For example, a light blue blazer with beige pants, or a navy blue blazer with charcoal grey pants. 

Low-contrast combinations tend to look more subtle, understated, and dressy. 

When dressing for a business-casual setting, the most appropriate option would be going for a dark blue blazer and a dark, neutral pair of pants such as black or charcoal grey. 

Here are some great pants colors you could wear with a white shirt and blue blazer, together with the dress codes they’d be most suited for: 

Pants For A White Shirt And Blue Blazer

Blue Pants	Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual
Grey Pants	Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual
Khaki Pants	Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual
Beige Pants	Smart-Casual
Black Pants	Business-Casual Or Smart-Casual
Cream Pants	Smart-Casual

The Shoes Should Suit The Setting

The shoes you wear with your white shirt/blue blazer pairing should suit the setting or dress code. 

When attending a business-casual environment, black or dark brown dress shoes would usually be the best options. 

In smart-casual settings, consider a pair of dress shoes in a lighter shade of brown (eg. tan or caramel). 

Suede shoes also work very well in smart-casual environments where there’s less of a risk of underdressing. 

You could even consider a pair in a dark and muted shade of a more vibrant color such as navy blue or burgundy when you’re dressing down a notch further. 

When you’re really looking to go casual, consider wearing a pair of sneakers with your white shirt and blue blazer outfit. 

All-white leather low-tops are arguably the dressiest style and color you could go for, even being suitable to wear with a relatively dressy-looking blue blazer. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s finish up by answering a couple of FAQs on the topic. 

Can You Wear A White Shirt With A Blue Blazer And Black Jeans?  

Black jeans can be worn with a white shirt and a blue blazer in casual and even some smart-casual settings. 

Try to choose a relatively dressy pair of black jeans with a tapered fit and minimal dressing. 

In addition, consider pairing them with a blue blazer with a more casual appearance – a relaxed fit, a rough/rugged texture (eg. tweed, linen, serge), and minimal shoulder padding. 

You could also consider a casual shirt style to really get in sync with the black jeans. Consider a white polo or a T-shirt. 

Can You Wear Chinos With A White Shirt And A Blue Blazer? 

Chinos can be worn with a white shirt and a blue blazer in business-casual and smart-casual settings. 

In business-casual settings, traditional and workplace-appropriate chino colors such as khaki, light taupe, and tan would be your best options. 

In more casual settings, you could go for a wide range of chino colors ranging from neutral (eg. light grey, navy) to non-neutral (eg. burgundy, olive green).