Help me with matching shirts, ties and suits

In My Humble Opinion
1

Long story on how I got all of it, but I’ve got plenty of new suits, shirts, ties and shoes. Good times.

I am, however, at a bit of a loss at what to wear with what, and could use some suggestions.

Basic details: I’m brave but not too brave-- I’m not metro by any stretch, but I don’t like boring. My job isn’t at all trendy, tends toward conservative, but I have freedom to wear anything that could pass in a creative industry (but not fashion!). Washington D.C. trendy (I know, oxymoron;-), not NYC and L.A. trendy.

Physical particulars: I’m not a small man-- husky to be charitable, just under six feet, with brown but might as well call it gray/silver hair at a waaay too early age.

So folks, here’s your menu. Mix and match accordingly!

Suits: (I’ve added links for closest approximations)

  1. Dark navy subtle pinstripe
  2. Charcoal gray suit
  3. Dark brown suit
  4. Black suit subtle stripe

Shirts:
A. White
B. White with light thin blue stripes
C. White with medium blue stripes white collar white cuffs
D. Light blue with white collar white cuffs
E. Medium blue
F. Royal blue
G. Royal blue with white stripes
H. Pink
I. Ecru
J. Harvest gold (best approximation)
K. Light gray
L. Medium gray
M. Lavender/mauve

Ties:
a. Red solid
b. Red with blue thread pattern (pseudo paisley)
c. Silver satin solid
d. Silver with purple thread (pseudo paisley)
e. Medium purple tie (pseudo paisley)
f. Dark purple tie with small blacks squares and silver accents
g. Blue and green diagonal stripe (medium, just shy of wide)
h. Yellow with blue diamonds
i. Dark blue
j. Dark blue with green and light blue diamonds
h. Dark orange with tight black criss-cross
i. Pink tie with yellow and red pattern

Shoes, all lace-up:
Black
Medium brown
Dark brown
Burgundy

Alright, I know that’s a lot there, but advice is welcome.

My biggest worry: what the hell to do with all the purple and pink stuff? It’s all very nice, and I’d love to pull it off, but I don’t want to come off like a rube. What shirt/suit combos can I get away with there?

Also: obviously, I’m okay with buying more stuff I don’t have to better match this stuff, but if possible, I’d like to work with what I have here.

Thanks much!

2

In the third and fourth picture of suits that you posted, I just want to point out that the men are not wearing ties with their suits. It’s very fashionable to wear the shirts just like that, and it makes a man look younger as well as more relaxed.

If you’re not comfortable with the purple and pink stuff, just don’t wear it, period.

Others will give you better advice, I’m sure, I just wanted to point out that detail re shirts/ties.

3

Could be a regional thing. I very rarely see any man wearing a suit who isn’t also wearing a tie. But then this is L.A., where you hardly ever see anyone wearing a suit anyway, except some lawyers with court dates (and their clients). I’m all over the casual myself, but when it comes to any shirt with a collar I’ve never been comfortable wearing a sport or suit jacket over it without the tie, because I just can’t get the collar to sit right. I still miss the five or so shirts with mandarin collars that I possessed about ten years ago.

FWIW Bill Maher did the suit-and-no-tie look for a few seasons of Real Time, but lately he’s gone back to wearing a tie (or started wearing one). I only mention him because most other male talk show hosts stick to the traditional look.

4

Heh, thanks. Guess I should have mentioned that ties aren’t optional in my line of work except during happy hours. So, gotta match ties.

And it’s not that I’m not comfortable wearing pink/purple, it’s that I’m not experienced wearing pink/purple. The stuff is pretty nice, and it looks snazzy with my skin color. Just need good pairings for them both.

5

Not wearing a tie with your suit can look fine in the right social setting, but in a professional setting it looks like you’ve just been arrested for defrauding investors and the police have taken away your belt and tie so you can`t kill yourself. At least, that’s what it evokes for me. A sportcoat of a blazer is completely different.

6

Years ago I used to have to call in, once in a while, the “techo” from a proprietary software company that was providing us with a pre-internet business solution. The guy they always sent was young and impossibly good looking.

He would arrive at our offices wearing a beautiful suit, with shirt and tie, walk over to us and say hello and then take off his suit coat and hang it up. His sleeves were always already rolled up. We would explain the problem we were having and he would nod knowingly and strip off his tie, hang it with his coat and get to work coding.

Every woman within sight would watch him, every moment. It was like office porn yet he was a really shy guy totally unaware of the effect he was having.

Not sure how it relates to the topic but I just loved the way that this guy turned up in expensive suits with his sleeves rolled-up ready for work.