# Black tie with navy blazer?



## Bruce Wayne (Mar 10, 2008)

Is it acceptable to wear a black tie with a navy blazer or a navy suit? I don't know why but for some reason a black tie with a navy jacket doesn't seem as bad IMO as a navy tie with a black jacket.


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## Bruce Wayne (Mar 10, 2008)

How about with a navy blazer that has gold buttons?


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Perhaps something like a silk crochet if you accessorize it well. Otherwise, I wouldn't. There are better choices IMO.


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## signal (Dec 6, 2008)

I would avoid it, it looks monochromatic. Red, Blue, Gold, Green, etc all look so much better, just about anything really. The colors I would personally avoid are like navy, black, gray and dark brown but thats just my choices.


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## jackmccullough (May 10, 2006)

I wouldn't do it, either. Not only is it too monochromatic, you run the risk of looking like you tried to match and just missed. As they say on "What Not To Wear", the idea is that the things you wear don't need to match, they need to go.


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## Jim In Sunny So Calif (May 13, 2006)

I think navy and black are difficult to combine unless the black is shoes.


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## Buster Brown (Sep 28, 2008)

Any chance of posting a picture of what you have in mind?


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## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

A black tie works exceptionally well with navy, just avoid one with a "satin" texture.


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## whistle_blower71 (May 26, 2006)

A black knitted or grenadine tie is perfect for a navy blazer or suit.

*W_B*


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

whistle_blower71 said:


> A black knitted or grenadine tie is perfect for a navy blazer or suit.
> 
> *W_B*


+1. Very classic look. Well, at least on this side of the pond...


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## Benjamin NYC (Dec 28, 2006)

Navy jacket/suit with black tie: very sharp
Black jacket/suit with navy tie: neither here nor there
I suppose the reason for #1 being cool and #2 being questionable is of course a matter of taste, but a smaller accessory in black like a tie is always sharp. When one gets into wearing a whole jacket of black, a blue accessory seems like a bit of a letdown. I really do not think that either are taboo and of course the pattern and texture of the materials are key too. Black tie, navy jacket is an easy "yes" - black jacket, blue tie is yours to pull off.


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## whistle_blower71 (May 26, 2006)

Benjamin NYC said:


> Navy jacket/suit with black tie: very sharp
> Black jacket/suit with navy tie: neither here nor there
> I suppose the reason for #1 being cool and #2 being questionable is of course a matter of taste, but a smaller accessory in black like a tie is always sharp. When one gets into wearing a whole jacket of black, a blue accessory seems like a bit of a letdown. I really do not think that either are taboo and of course the pattern and texture of the materials are key too. Black tie, navy jacket is an easy "yes" - black jacket, blue tie is yours to pull off.


Totally agree...it is a bit like wearing a grey jacket with navy trousers...it just would not look right...but the reverse is a classic blazer look.

*W_B*


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## ToryBoy (Oct 13, 2008)

Agree with Ben


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

I don't recommend black and blue (shoes excepted). 

I have a decent black four-in-hand tie which I reserve for funeral wear.


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## David Reeves (Dec 19, 2008)

No way.

I think french navy looks good with a black tie though.


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## cosmotoast (Oct 11, 2008)

whistle_blower71 said:


> Totally agree...it is a bit like wearing a grey jacket with navy trousers...it just would not look right...but the reverse is a classic blazer look.
> 
> *W_B*


 Everyone here hates " Dreaded black trousers".If you cant wear navy or black What color would you wear with a grey jacket?
Cosmo:icon_scratch:


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

cosmotoast said:


> Everyone here hates " Dreaded black trousers".If you cant wear navy or black What color would you wear with a grey jacket?
> Cosmo:icon_scratch:


Charcoal.


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## Blueboy1938 (Aug 17, 2008)

It just seem too depressing to me to wear a black tie with a navy blazer; too funereal.


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## cosmotoast (Oct 11, 2008)

Same here. The only time I wear my black tie is at funerals.
Cosmo


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## BLFancher (Mar 18, 2007)

I'm pretty sure the combo will look bad. I can't imagine a black tie I've see that would look good with a blue blazer.


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## The Louche (Jan 30, 2008)

*Boateng*

I can easily see why many are hesitant to wear a black tie with a blazer. I've done it before and while it wasn't a disaster, it is certainly true that there are better options. Personally I think you can never go wrong with a repp when wearing a blazer.

That being said there was a picture in GQ eek about 5 years ago of Jude Law wearing a slim solid navy suit, pink shirt, black Chelsea boots, and... a black tie. It looked awsome. I wear this outfit myself these days sometimes and have recieved favorable comments from many a young lady. The key is in a lighter shade of navy or dark blue. Midnight may not work.


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## Bespoke Trout (Jun 1, 2008)

I think with grey slacks, it could work. The tie and slacks would be in the same color set, creating some balance. In the original novels, James Bond's uniform was a navy blue suit with a black, knit silk tie.

BT


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## Tim Correll (Jul 18, 2005)

Jim In Sunny So Calif said:


> I think navy and black are difficult to combine unless the black is shoes.


Not just shoes, but also a belt, bottom ends on suspenders and all leather suspenders. All of these things in black leather are fairly easy to combine with midnight blue, charcoal blue and navy.


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## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

IMO, a black tie looks better with a real (lighter, bluer) navy than it does with the darker "ink" navy that seems so popular these days.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

cosmotoast said:


> Everyone here hates " Dreaded black trousers".If you cant wear navy or black What color would you wear with a grey jacket?


If you are talking about a solid grey jacket like a blazer, personally I'm not wild about that with anything; but black pants would probably be my choice.

On the other hand if you are talking about a grey patterned or textured jacket such as a tweed herringbone, I think just about any contrasting grey or black pants would look good. These are what I wear with my grey jackets. Of course I don't fear black pants, or shirts, like many here do. :icon_smile:

Cruiser


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

A solid black tie with a navy blazer?

Isn't that what congressional pages are required to wear? 

It's not exactly "wrong," but it's incredibly ho-hum. There are so many other ties that would look so much better.


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## Bruce Wayne (Mar 10, 2008)

I didn't just mean solid black ties. I also meant ties that have black backgrounds with patterns or stripes containing some blue. Does that make any difference? Also my blazer is not _that_ dark of a navy. By that I mean I've seen (and owned) darker colored navy blazers than my current one.


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

I don't see anything wrong with the combination (with a white shirt), but it wouldn't be my first choice (actually, I don't even own a black tie). The skinny black tie with a navy or gray blazer was a classic in the early sixties, so it ought to appeal to Thom Brown and the men who love him ... :crazy:


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## Bruce Wayne (Mar 10, 2008)

In the words of Rod Serling, "submitted for your approval..."


Can you see the image? It's my fist time uploading a pic.


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## theoldguard (Mar 13, 2006)

I have a black tie with a gold Army crest that I wear with my navy blazer and grey trousers.


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## Pipps (Dec 20, 2005)

I personally really cannot approve of the black tie in any context.

A black tie will always prove to be inferior to any number of other options with the same ensemble.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Some strong opinions here. Curious what your thoughts are on this...



(It is a black knitted silk tie.)


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## ChicagoMediaMan-27 (Feb 23, 2008)

Jovan said:


> Some strong opinions here. Curious what your thoughts are on this...
> 
> (It is a black knitted silk tie.)


I don't think it looks horrible, especially with a white shirt. I guess there are just other color ties that I would rather wear with navy than black.

What's with the spiderman in the background man? :icon_smile:


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## Bruce Wayne (Mar 10, 2008)

Is anyone able to see the pic I posted?


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Jovan said:


> Some strong opinions here. Curious what your thoughts are on this...
> 
> (It is a black knitted silk tie.)


I think this is one of those things that sounds worse than it actually is, or at least can be when done well. I think yours looks quite nice.

Cruiser


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## Pipps (Dec 20, 2005)

Nice pose!

If that is indeed a black tie that you're wearing, may I say that you'd look even more sophisticated in a midnight-blue tie.

The difference between midnight-blue and black is a country mile!


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## cosmotoast (Oct 11, 2008)

Jovan said:


> Some strong opinions here. Curious what your thoughts are on this...
> 
> (It is a black knitted silk tie.)


 Hell, I guess Im the only color blind one here. That jacket looks black to me, and it looks good. If it looked navy, then it wouldnt look as good.
Cosmo:biggrin2:


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

The suit is navy. Thanks, guys! It's worth noting there's even more of a contrast in real life.

(The Spider-Man was just there hanging out with us. It was a superhero party I got invited to last minute, so I went as "James Bond." Unfortunately, no martinis, so I had to settle for zinfandel. )


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## Bespoke Trout (Jun 1, 2008)

Bruce Wayne said:


> Is anyone able to see the pic I posted?


Nope.


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## Bespoke Trout (Jun 1, 2008)

Jovan said:


> The suit is navy. Thanks, guys! It's worth noting there's even more of a contrast in real life.
> 
> (The Spider-Man was just there hanging out with us. It was a superhero party I got invited to last minute, so I went as "James Bond." Unfortunately, no martinis, so I had to settle for zinfandel. )


You are indeed wearing the literary James Bond's uniform: navy suit, black knit tie.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

That's what I was generally going for. I should have taken it a step further and tried to make an Elmer's glue scar on my face, but ah well.


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