What to wear with checked shirts (2024)

FAQs

What to wear with checked shirts? ›

Perhaps the most classic way to style your plaid or checked shirt is with denim. It's simple and it's one of the easiest looks for any guy to pull off. Wear your shirt outside your jeans rather than tucked in, and pair with slim, light or dark denim jeans.

A check shirt is the perfect item to wear with chinos to create an easy smart-casual look – simply add a pair of Chelsea boots or brogues and you're good to go. A flannel shirt worn with tailored pants can also be taken from day to night very easily. Just add a smarter jacket, a scarf and a pair of smart shoes.

Checkered Shirt With A Jacket

A jacket with a checkered shirt gives a smart look. If you want to get the checkered shirt worn with your suit, then it is best to put on a dark blue or black denim jacket that fits well into the outfit.

Fashion experts across the board agree: when wearing a checked shirt, it's best to wear neutrally-toned pants and simple shoes and to keep the accessories to a minimum. Otherwise, you risk looking busy. Choose bottoms that are a solid color, like black, white, khaki, forest green, or gray, or stick with classic denim.

The check shirt – last seen hanging around the coffee machine in the sixth-form common room or shopping for drill bits in B&Q – is having a fashion moment. Kate Moss made only one catwalk appearance last year, and she wore a check shirt.

Guidelines for Tucking in a Shirt

As a general rule, if a shirt has a straight hem, for example, a polo shirt, it is designed to be left untucked. However, if a shirt has a curved hem, for example, a business shirt, it is designed to be tucked in.

It's most often sold in checked or striped patterns, and is a popular choice for patterned men's business casual shirts. Pair it with a solid colored jacket in a complementary tone for a bold, stylish, stand-out look in the office.

Layering a blazer with your checked shirt is a stylish look that keeps you warm in cold seasons. You could also throw a scarf as an accessory if it gets too cold. A blazer also instantly dresses up your look, and therefore, this look is more appropriate for formal occasions.

Whereas, a blue shirt can be paired up with grey, black, khaki, or cream pants.

Blue Jeans With Checked Shirt - Checked shirts are anything but boring and when combined with a good pair of blue jeans, you can pull it off on any day of the week.

What tie patterns go with a checkered shirt? ›

Striped ties are a perfectly acceptable choice to combine with check shirts. Choose a tie with a large, bold stripe so that it can easily stand out against the pattern of the shirt. Polka dots and paisleys can also work well providing the same principle is followed.

They recommend throw-blankets, accent pillows, or even lamp shades. Another way to keep it simple is to go for checkered patterns in muted colors as opposed to bold and bright colors. Taupe, off-white, or power blue make excellent, understated options.

It's OK to mix patterns: checks with stripes, stripes with stripes, etc., but it increases the degree of difficulty of getting dressed.

One of the trends that will rule in 2023 is plaid and all its variations. From traditional red and black to gingham, buffalo check and houndstooth, try different styles to see what suits you best. If you want to incorporate the plaid print into your wardrobe but you need to know how, I've got you covered.

Plaid (pattern) is also used as a synonym for tartan or, in the USA, any checked cloth pattern.

Style Notes: Thanks to Bottega Veneta and Ottolinger, plaid prints—the sort that dominated my angsty teen wardrobe—are back for 2023. The easiest way to wear it is via a flannel shirt, akin to Kate Moss, but designers also showcased the motif in the form of floaty skirts and fitted dresses.

Checkered shirts come in many styles, from small intricate checks to large window-pane checks. As a general rule, smaller checks are more suited to formal occasions.

As a rule of thumb, dress shirts are always meant to be dressed tucked in, while casual and short-sleeved shirts are okay to stay untucked. If unsure, remember to check your hem.

Here are a few guidelines: Shirts that are made with a flat bottom hem are meant to be worn untucked. But if the shirt has visible “tails” — that is to say, the hem varies in length, rather than being even all the way around — it should always be tucked in. Wearing a shirt with tails untucked is not a forbidden look.

Perhaps the most classic way to style your plaid or checked shirt is with denim. It's simple and it's one of the easiest looks for any guy to pull off. Wear your shirt outside your jeans rather than tucked in, and pair with slim, light or dark denim jeans.

What not to wear for business casual dress code? ›

Here are several things you should avoid wearing in a business casual environment: Well-worn athletic sneakers or tennis shoes. Flip-flops. Stained or wrinkled clothing.

The ever classic look, plaid shirt with denim jeans is one of the simple yet elegant looks anyone can easily go for. Keep your check shirt untucked on the slim fit dark denim. Dark denim and dark plaid shirts are amazing combinations to create a stylish monochromatic look.

They're back again, the winter classics, and the most famous of them all has finally made its reappearance: checks! It's that little extra “touch” to your outfit that gives it a timeless look, but never feels like its' old-fashioned.

A check suit is a classic menswear piece that will never go out of style.

Just as navy suits pair well with brown shoes, paler blues work better, in turn, with paler shades of brown. Whether your suit is a Royal blue or a summery pastel shade, opt for tan leather or suede opposed to darker hues to complement your blue suit and perfect the smart-casual aesthetic at every suitable occasion.

Checked Shirts

Just remember that your tie must have a bigger pattern than the checked pattern on your shirt (with the exception of window pane check, as it's very similar to stripe). It's fine to wear a striped tie to a checked shirt, just make sure to choose a tie with big bold stripes.

Blue Shirt Guidelines

The colors complement each other well and, as you know by now, the tie should always be a shade darker than your shirt. Remember to look at the color chart - Green is a similar color to blue, so you can pair your blue shirt with a dark green tie.

Recommended Colours: White, black, grey, pastel shades, primary hues, camel.

Absolutely! Contrast a dark blue jeans with a very faded light blue shirt and voila! Alternately, a light blue jeans with an ink colored shirt will do beautifully as well. Note that this look banks on contrast, so try not to have the same color jeans and shirt.

The short answer is yes, you can wear navy blue with black. While some may say they should never go together, here at Men's Health we believe that this color duo is the perfect combo to amp up your wardrobe, perhaps because so many in the office can't seem to stray from wearing these two colors together.

Can you wear polka dot tie with checkered shirt? ›

Polka Dot Ties: These contrast extremely well with a solid, striped or checkered shirt , especially if the polka dots are widely spaced apart and the underlying shirt pattern is not.

PATTERNS & PATTERNS

Do: Pair a patterned shirt with a patterned tie as long as the patterns are not the same or similar sizes – i.e. a small check on the shirt with a large stripe or check on the tie or a small stripe on the shirt with a large stripe or check on the tie.

A general rule when it comes to picking out the perfect tie is that your tie should be darker than your shirt. This way, it will stand out against your chest, and draw attention to the fact that you've made that extra effort.

The best print to mix with checker is floral as the rounded edges featured in floral print designs are a nice contrast to the rigid checkerboard lines. Additionally, if you're going for that classic black and white checkerboard print, adding in a floral print is a great way to bring in pops of color.

They allow a cowboy to easily grab an item from their shirt pocket without having to fiddle with buttons and are easy to take off if they get tangled on something. In addition, snap shirts often have stylish Western details like yokes and pearl snaps.

Your long sleeve shirt can have a checkered or striped pattern, but avoid overly flashy or loud designs. Don't wear t-shirts or collarless shirts as they can come across as too casual. Look sharp but easy-going with chinos, khakis, and corduroys. Be sure your pants are clean, pressed and fit correctly.

Something that is checked has a pattern of small squares, usually of two colours.

Wear checks of varying scale and subtlety. So, a full check suit works well in tonal colours paired with a smaller scale check shirt and if needs be for formality, a plain tie or a check pocket square (work in descending scale to match the size of the garment).