Versatile touch-ups

You may have your own festive style, but gentlemen, nothing beats a classic shirt-and-tie combo. Turn heads with these neat pairing tips by 8th Lining.

White shirt: You can treat the plain white shirt as a blank canvas. Choose a solid block colour tie as a safe bet or feel free to experiment with stripes, dots or patterns in any colour. A white shirt is easy to style.

Blue shirt: A businessman staple, a blue shirt is a classic piece. It works well with darker, tonal shades of blue as well as richer shades of burgundy, burnt orange, mustard and green. A sky-blue shirt in particular is incredibly versatile.

Pink shirt: A pink shirt can be a statement in itself but can be toned down with a navy-blue tie. For a more contrasting look, one can try shades of green, burgundy, mauve or grey. If new to pink, then paler shades are a great first step.

Textured shirts: Shirts in textured fabrics like chambray, denim, flannel, linen and Oxford cloth are firmly in the smart-casual camp, therefore, it is important to retain a sense of balance with the tie.

Pro tip: Do not go with a silk tie you normally wear to the office. Instead, look to match this type of shirt with a similarly textured tie in wool, cashmere, denim or knitted/slub silk. Complementary or contrasting hues will both work here.

Striped shirt: A plain block-colour tie in a complementary or tonal colour is the best bet with a striped shirt, which is often eye-catching on its own.

Pro tip: When it comes to pattern matching, don't - it's a risky look that is difficult to pull off.

Checked shirt: Check shirts tend to lend themselves best to smart-casual wear but when teamed with a block-colour tie (in a tone that picks out one of the main colours in the shirt), it can be smartened for a more formal business approach. This look has proven to become a popular look in the last few years.

Pro tip: if you are combining a check shirt with a patterned tie - whether stripes, checks, dots or any other - it is advised that the tie's pattern is both bolder and larger in scale to ensure it doesn't get lost against the shirt.

Visit 8thlining.com for a selection of quality made to measure suits.