Ties for a Grey Suit

Grey is the most accommodating suit in a wardrobe, which is the reason the tie question comes up so often. Nearly everything works, so the useful question is not what is allowed but what is worth owning.

Navy and burgundy are the two to start with. Both give enough contrast against any shade of grey to define the tie without taking the outfit over, and both move between an office, a wedding and an evening without adjustment. Black and charcoal pull the outfit tonal and more formal, and suit a mid to dark grey better than a pale one. Forest green, brown and burnt orange introduce colour while staying inside the same restrained register.

The shade of the suit narrows it further. Light grey takes the widest range, because a pale suit leaves room for a darker tie. Charcoal is happier with deeper, more subdued tones.

Texture matters as much as colour here. A grenadine tie has a visibly different surface from smooth worsted, which is what keeps a tonal grey combination from looking flat.

The full argument, shade by shade, is in What Colour Tie Goes With a Grey Suit.

The same question asked of other suits: ties for a navy blue suit and ties for a brown suit.