A Guide To Men’s Shirt & Tie Combinations

Shirt, Meet Tie

Some men have terrible taste in shirts and ties – a quick glance around your work place will confirm it.

For those unfortunate enough to be confined to suits for the majority of their working week, fashion has to take a back seat. Corporate suits can often be mind-numbingly dull and the sea of miserable faces trudging to work every morning is, to my mind, a mix of both work-based hatred and the realisation that they really don’t know how to match up their shirts and ties.

Getting creative with your shirt and tie combinations is one of the best ways to showcase your love of fashion and style within a formal environment, but they’re extremely easy to get wrong. After all, colours and patterns can be confusing individually, but when you start mixing them together, all hell can break loose.

With this in mind, today we bring you our basic guide to men’s shirt and tie pairings…

Colour Wheel Basics

The concept of colour matching continues to stump even the most stylish of men. But the problem you have with combining shirts and ties is that, unless you want your work wardrobe to be very, very dull, you will at some point have to tackle the issue of colour – getting to grips with it once and for all.

The best place to start is with the colour wheel:

The colour wheel above offers you a visual representation of every shade and, more importantly, the similar, complementary and contrasting colours of each. It’s all very simple really: the sections on either side of the colour in question are similar, directly opposite is complementary and contrasting hues are separated by three sections of the wheel.

For example, red is opposite green, making it a complementary colour; purple and orange are either side of red, making them similar colours; and both yellow and blue are three sections away from red, making them contrasting. Yet, even armed with this knowledge, combining colours is easier said than done.

When it comes to shirts and ties, it’s often easier to pair contrasting colours than it is complementary. For example, a mid-blue shirt, burgundy (red is a contrasting hue) tie and navy suit combination is one that every man can pull off.

Complementary colours are harder to match because wearing them full strength is sometimes too much for the human eye to bear. The key here is to vary the shades, such as a light blue shirt with a burnt orange tie. Of course, this will already be second-nature to you because your tie should always be a darker shade than your shirt, without exception.

Of course, the easiest and safest option is to just combine a bold coloured/patterned tie with a crisp white shirt – but where’s the fun in that? Experiment with colour mixing and you will quickly learn what works and what doesn’t, eventually creating some go-to combinations you can reach for on a daily basis.

Choosing Your Ties

Always buy nice ties. Nice doesn’t necessarily mean expensive, but it does mean tasteful. If you have terrible taste in ties then there is very little that we, or anyone else for that matter, can do for you.

As a personal preference, I avoid anything too shiny or smooth. Textured and matte finishes make ties much easier to wear and help deflect attention to your outfit as a whole.

Don’t know whether to opt for a standard or skinny width tie? As a general rule, your tie should be as close to the width of your suit lapel as possible.

Plain Shirts

These are your wardrobe workhorses and default option during the working week. Essential shirt colours that every man should own include white, sky blue and pink.

Important Note: throughout this guide we will be considering all shirt and tie combinations independently of your choice of suit. The majority of you will be confined to plain, neutral suits in navy, grey or charcoal during the working week anyway, which will help anchor any of the pairings advocated in the article.

As previously mentioned, white shirts offer you maximum versatility. No matter if you opt for a preppy stripe, tartan check or knitted navy version, you can combine almost any tie with a white shirt.

If you are going down the safe white shirt route, make sure your tie is full of character – whether that is provided by pattern, colour or an interesting texture.

White Shirt Lookbook

Blue/Pink Shirt Guidelines

Shirts in blue or pink are where you can show off your

The Commuter's Guide To Style

As summer holidays draw to an end and the first signs of autumn appear, you’ll immediately notice the city streets becoming busier. But that back-to-work feeling needn’t be all doom and gloom.

October is the perfect time to invest in new office attire to take on both the boardroom and your morning commute with confidence. Whether you’re hopping on a train or taking the healthier route and going by foot or bike, we’ve got your sartorial needs covered.

By Foot

Skipping a crowded bus and walking to work? We salute you, sir! Not only will this help burn off some of those weekend beers, but it’ll also save you a penny or two.

That said, autumn weather is unpredictable, meaning you could arrive at the office either drenched in rain or sweat.

Return Of The Mac

When those unavoidable autumn showers kick in, you’ll definitely need to wrap up in something water-resistant for your trek to work. We’d suggest a mac or trench coat as these will not only keep you dry, but they’re also lightweight enough to stop you sweating if you need to pick up the pace for that early morning all-hands.

Opt for a classic grey, navy or camel style and pair with your monochrome suiting for a traditional approach, or consider a slightly more contemporary colour such as burgundy or cobalt blue if you’d rather stand out amongst your fellow commuters.

• Mackintosh Corduroy-trimmed Cotton Raincoat
• Bonded Cotton Mac

How To Dress Like Mariano Di Vaio ? Part 1

We chose the BEST of Mariano Di Vaio's Style , only for you 

This can help you to learn from his style and build your own style .

Hope you like them 

Easy Ways To Personalise Your Look

In the street style wars, simply pulling on your suit is never enough. Standing out comes courtesy of the tweaks and flourishes that turn by-numbers outfits into stand-out getups.

Here, we’ve equipped you with five easy steps to personalise your looks, which will take you from background character to leading man.

Bling Is In

You know it’s best to shun pinky rings or diamond studs, unless you’re knocking in goals in front of the Kop, but there are some tasteful options in the male jewellery box. A plain white tee is the perfect foil to a fine chain or pendant necklace, ideally in a reassuringly masculine gunmetal finish.

Or try contrasting your watch with a leather or canvas bracelet, for a subtle high-low juxtaposition that strips your wrist candy of any city boy connotations.

Key Pieces

• A.p.c. Clint Necklace

The 5 Best Men's Short Back And Sides Hairstyles

Staying kempt can be a full-time job. From mastering tie knots to keeping your toenails in check, the modern man’s checklist for looking good seems to grow longer by the day.

So why not do yourself a favour with an instant fix? Like an impeccably tailored suit (only less expensive), opting for a classic short back and sides hairstyle is a simple and effective way of sharpening your appearance.

Here are the key styles to consider if you want to smarten up:

The French Crop

Requiring minimal maintenance, the French crop is a fuss-free cut that’s still flexible enough to be tweaked to taste.

Ask your stylist or barber to take the hair tight (i.e. very short) through the back and sides, while leaving the hair on top slightly longer (a couple of inches at most) – the ‘crop’ part of this style’s name comes from the top section’s choppy, textured finish.

As for the front hairline, you can either ask to have your fringe cut short and neat or keep some length for styling forward across the forehead.

Classically masculine, the French crop suits guys of any age and face shape, provided your stylist or barber makes subtle alterations to suit. Round faces, for example, will benefit from especially short, sharp sides and plenty of texture through the top section to add some height; meanwhile, it’s better to frame longer faces with longer sides (which will add width to balance) and a slightly flatter top section.

How To Style

To style the French crop, always remember to apply product

6 Ways To Wear Autumn/Winter 2015's Big Colour Trend: Military Green

Seasonally-appropriate and surprisingly versatile, this masculine shade will make a welcome addition to any cold-weather wardrobe. Here, we show you six foolproof ways you can introduce military green to your looks this season, along with the key pieces you should be considering picking up in the hue.

1. The Flight Jacket

There’s no surprise that the flight jacket works so well in military green, considering the outerwear style was originally designed for pilots in the US Air Force.

Today, the silhouette’s timeless appeal and strong heritage remains, looking as rich and masculine as ever in the earthy tone.

If, like most of us, you’re not an actual pilot, you can still work this piece into your daily rotation with ease – throw it on with jeans and a T-shirt for an effortlessly cool off-duty look, or dress it up with an Oxford shirt, slim-cut chinos and leather Derby boots for a superb high-low combination.

Keep an eye out for styles with shearling collars to nail two key AW15 trends in one.

Image: David Beckham For Belstaff 2015

Get The Look

Belstaff Flight Detachable Collar Jacket, available at Selfridges, priced £595.

2. The Lightweight Parka

Another outerwear style with a strong military heritage