How to Match Stripes with Shirts and Ties

When coordinating stripes in your shirts and ties, there are a few rules you need to follow so the patterns and colors in your clothes don't end up clashing. The following are some basic rules to match stripes with shirts and ties.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find the dominate color. To find the dominate color, step back from the shirt or tie and see which color stands out the most. So, for example, if you have a shirt with light blue and dark blue stripes and the dark blue stands out the most, choose a tie with a predominately dark blue color scheme.

2. Know how to work with pattern sizes. This is a basic shirt and tie matching rule and it's very easy to remember: If the shirt has large, thick stripes, the tie needs to have small, thin stripes. The opposite is true as well: If the shirt has small thin stripes, the tie needs to have large thick stripes.

3. Opt for solid colors. The easiest way to match stripes in a shirt or tie is going with solid colors. If you have a shirt with various shades of gray stripes, choose a gray tie, or if you have a tie with various shades of light green stripes, choose a light green shirt.

4. Choose colors from the same color family. The colors in your shirt and tie don't have to match exactly, they just have to go together. If you have a shirt with stripes in various shades of light and dark purple, choose a tie in light or dark gray or if you have a pale yellow shirt, choose a tie with pale green in its design.

Tips & Warnings

• Always balance out colors and patterns. If you have a bold colored or patterned shirt, pair it with a tie with subtle patterns and colors.
• Avoid pairing bold patterned ties with bold patterned shirts. The patterns will clash and the result will look terrible.