A navy blue blazer is a versatile piece of clothing that can be worn with almost anything in your closet. It can be mistaken for a suit jacket, but it is a standalone jacket that is excellent to pair with other clothes and accessories.
What to wear with a navy blue blazer? Figuring out what matches best with your blue blazer can be a lot of fun. There are certain things you can do to make sure you’re looking your best when wearing your blazer.
Let’s look at the clothes that go best with navy blue blazers.
Clothes to Wear With a Navy Blue Blazer
Shirts
Navy blue blazers look good with a limited range of shirts. Let’s look at the options.
Dress Shirts
When you pair a dress shirt and a blazer, you get a classic and handsome look for any man.
For the best results, choose a light blue or white dress shirt to compliment the navy blue color. Avoid stripes or very vibrant patterns.
Polo Shirts
If you’re looking for a shirt that goes well with a blazer in a more casual setting, you can only go right with a polo shirt.
Again, stick with light colors so that you don’t ruin the subtle sophistication of your navy blue blazer.
Just make sure that your polo shirt’s collar isn’t flimsy, as that looks sloppy and that’s not the image you want to have when you’re wearing a blazer.
Button-Down Shirts
In general, button-down shirts work the best with a blazer. They look good and can be paired with a tie to make a great impression.
Keep the color of your shirt light. White is the most suggested color to go with here.
Long Sleeve Sweaters and Cardigans
For colder weather, long sleeve sweaters or cardigans go very well with a navy blue blazer. They’re also great if you’re looking to spice up your look a bit.
This can be a little tougher to pull off, but it will prove your impeccable sense of style.
If you ensure that your sweater is lightly knit, it will not create an unattractive bulky look. In contrast to polo and dress shirts, you should wear a darker-colored sweater.
However, it shouldn’t be too dark, so gray is the most ideal color when wearing a sweater with a navy blue blazer.
If you can help it, don’t wear a turtleneck with your blazer; it does not look very nice.
Pants
One of the really great things about navy blue blazers is that they go well with a variety of pants.
Blue Jeans
You will find that blue jeans look a lot nicer when they’re a lighter color than your blazer. That’s because, if the colors are too close to each other, it will look like a suit when you’re seen from a distance.
Classic Chinos
These pants offer a very nice contrast to a navy blue blazer. When paired with a light-colored dress shirt, you have an excellent outfit. Add nice shoes and a belt, and you have the perfect outfit for any occasion.
A classic chino combination is a navy blue blazer with a mid-gray chino as shown in the left picture above. Another outfit that will turn heads is navy blazer with a crisp white shirt, red tie, khaki chinos, brown belt, red patterned pocket square and a pair of light brown loafers.
Moleskin Trousers
With heavy cotton construction, moleskin trousers resemble the fur of a mole (as the name suggests). You can’t go wrong with a pair of moleskin trousers and a navy blue blazer.
Gray Flannel Trousers
If you’re looking for a classy match for your blazer, gray flannel trousers are just the thing for you. You can even experiment with different shades of gray for the look that you like most. Messing this combination up is very difficult.
Shoes
The shoes that you wear are more important than you’d think. Shoes can make or break your look when you’re wearing a navy blue blazer.
Chelsea Boots
These shoes do well in a casual situation and look great with a blazer. A pair of black Chelsea boots look exceptionally nice with gray flannel trousers and a blazer.
Monk Strap Shoes
You can pair monk strap shoes with a navy blue blazer to look very stylish. Brown shades are normally the best choice in color, and they will work with many styles of pants.
Derby Shoes
These are the ‘casual dress shoes’ of the shoe world, and they offer impressive versatility. They can be worn with just about anything, and they work very well with navy blue blazers and classic chinos.
Driving Moccasins
For a more adventurous look, pair your blazer with driving moccasins. It is a look that not many go for, and it will help you stand out. Go for a shade of brown for the best results.
The Most Complimenting Colors For A Navy Blue Blazer
When it comes to the shirt, regardless of its type, you’re going to want to work with darker colors. This is not to say avoid bright colors, but darker colors are far more complimentary of blue blazers. Some of the best options include cherry red, autumnal yellow, black, brown, metallic gold, etc. There are so many amazing options you can work with to make your outfit even better.
When it comes to pants, you want to stay neutral. Now, it’s not impossible to make blue jeans work, but more often than not, it becomes very distracting because the shades are so close together, and they’re not different enough to justify one’s existence. Going with something beige or grey is probably the best route. Black pants is the other great option for a navy blue blazer.
Accessories to Wear With a Navy Blue Blazer
Adding some accessories to your outfit will nicely round off your outfit. Here’s a look at your best options:
- Cufflinks
- Classic watch
- Pocket Square
- Necktie
- Blazer buttons
Some Tips On Wearing a Navy Blue Blazer
If you’re a confident gentleman, you can break away from the chinos in light colors and opt for a pair in red or rust color. This makes for an attention-grabbing and handsome look.
You can get a traditional look by pairing your navy blue blazer with a pair of white pants, but this can look very preppy. Save that kind of look for the country club or horse race events.
For the most part, a navy blue blazer looks best without a tie and instead with just a crisp button-down shirt. While white is a safe choice, you can break tradition and go with a light pink or lavender color. You will certainly stand out in such an outfit.
If you decide to wear light pink or lavender shirt with your navy blue blazer, make sure to choose khaki or beige chinos, brown belt and brown shoes or loafers to complete the outfit.
A thin V-neck sweater can keep you warm in colder weather while you still look stylish and dapper.
Formal shoes will always be your best bet for looking your best. Wearing sneakers is not at all recommended, and they won’t look good. When in doubt, err on the side of formal shoes. Should you feel like you just have to go with sneakers, wear a pair of canvas sneakers. At least they look less casual.
FAQs
Still have some questions? Well, here are the most frequently asked questions about what to wear with a navy blue blazer:
What are the best colors to match navy blue?
Navy blue is similar to black in the sense that it’s got so many options for what you’re able to mix and match with it. The best options for matching with a navy blue blazer are darker colors such as grey, black and brown. Don’t be afraid to be bold; just make sure it works.
What are the worst colors to match navy blue?
The color pairings need to be crisp and clear. Certain colors aren’t going to work with a navy blue blazer, like hunter green, maroon, dusty purple, and similar black-shaded hues. This isn’t to say it’s impossible to make them work, but the strong color of navy blue drowns out other colors like these and makes it difficult.
Which skin tone benefits the most from a navy blue blazer?
Light skins usually benefit from darker colors, while darker skins benefit from lighter colors. However, this doesn’t mean they both can’t do the opposite work. It goes down to how the outfits are styled and what color scheme is used throughout the rest of the look.
What season or seasons are beneficial for a navy blue blazer?
The best seasons to wear a navy blue blazer are in winter and summer. It makes sense that these would be the seasons that work best for this color. If you consider that navy blue is very ocean-like it’s the perfect choice for a summer party, work function, date, or just casual wearing out. These seasons are blue-heavy in their color schemes, with summer venturing into brighter colors and winter staying rather neutral.
Conclusion
A navy blue blazer is a versatile option that lets a gentleman look good whether he is in a formal or casual situation. So what to wear with a navy blue blazer? If you pair your blazer with the right shirt, pants, and shoes, you’ll look fantastic.
Samoel Ovanessian is the founder and creator of StylishAlpha.com – a website dedicated to men’s fashion. As a proud owner of more than 200 ties, he loves digging through new clothing combinations for everyday use, formal events and even just for fun. You can read more about Samoel here.