What Colours To Wear With Grey Pants: 8 Foolproof Shirt Options

Along with navy, grey pants will likely set the foundation of most of your day-to-day looks. Whether you’re in the office, on a date, or relaxing with friends, trousers in this classic hue always look smart and sophisticated, enabling them to adapt to every social engagement and business environment.

Yet while grey pants will set a solid base from which to build your outfits, what should you be wearing up top? Below we offer up eight go-to shirt colours to match with grey trousers, from time-tested neutrals to more head-turning options.

Grey pants with a blue shirt

The majority of men will have built a wardrobe full of neutrals: blue, black, grey and white. It makes sense – these are masculine, versatile colours that are suitable for every occasion and require very little thought when combining them together each morning.

And so it goes with two of the most popular colours for men: grey and blue. Whether it’s grey twill pants worn with a blue denim shirt for a rugged workwear aesthetic, stone chinos with a light blue Oxford shirt, or grey wool suit trousers with a smart chambray button up, this classic combo will never fail you.

Grey & navy separates with light blue shirt

Grey tailored pants and a navy blazer is a timeless separates pairing that will never let you down. And a sky blue dress shirt links both pieces together seamlessly, as proven here.

Wear it with or without a tie depending on the occasion and your office dress code.

Light grey pants with navy shirt

The bigger the contrast the better this colour combination works, in our opinion. See the above for proof: a well-cut pair of light trousers looks superb teamed with a dark navy shirt, meaning you don’t need any superfluous detailing to create a stand-out look.

Go for a pair of white leather sneakers, lose the belt and tuck your shirt in for a clean, minimal finish.

Dark grey pants with marine blue shirt

It’s time to think outside the sky and navy blue boxes. There are a wide spectrum of blue shades to choose from, and they will all work with dark pants, as shown here.

The charcoal dress pants set the perfect blank canvas for the vivid marine blue shirt to shine against, while the bright white tee layered underneath only increases its impact further.

Grey pants with a white shirt

Another go-to combination that all men will reach for weekly. Grey pants with a white shirt is a timeless pairing that works whether you’re combining a well-cut suit with a crisp dress shirt or washed denim jeans with a knitted polo.

However, this combination can often look a little, well, boring, so try to introduce some interest and texture with each piece. Think tactile flannel, wool or corduroy for your bottom half and pique cotton, chambray or linen for your top half.

You could even try a patterned shirt, if the occasion allows it.

Grey dress pants with white dress shirt

This is as smart and professional as it gets: perfectly tailored charcoal trousers, crisp white dress shirt and subtlety patterned navy tie. It looks stylish and not bland purely because every single element is fitted to perfection.

The rich brown monk straps are a nice sartorial touch that will set you apart from the black Derby shoe brigade in the office.

Grey flannel trousers with white shirt

This outfit is an excellent example of taking what could be considered quite a dull base – grey wool trousers and a plain white cotton shirt – and transforming it into something more interesting.

The chunky black cardigan layered over the top not only adds a new textural dimension, but brings interest and detail via its cable knitted detailing and shawl collar.

Likewise, opting for Chelsea boots over traditional dress shoes gives the entire fit a slightly more rugged edge.

Grey chinos with striped white shirt

Although typically considered a formal combination, grey pants and a white shirt can work at the weekend, as we see here.

By increasing the weight of the shirt and introducing a pattern, it removes any business connotations and allows it to be teamed with more relaxed charcoal chinos and a black tee for a slick, monochrome fit.

Grey pants with a black shirt

With charcoal and grey sitting next to black on the colour scale, it makes sense that these two hues would work harmoniously together. Usually we’d advise wearing the darker shade on your bottom half, but reversing it with a grey pants and black shirt combo looks extremely contemporary and will help you subtly stand out from the crowd.

It’s a pairing that can sometimes appear a little dark and moody, so use it primarily for evening occasions – whether that’s dressing for a club, a fancy restaurant date or formal event.

Grey dress pants with black shirt

This is as slick as it gets. A mid grey tailored pant combined with a tucked in fitted black shirt is as cool as it gets, particularly when combined with clean, minimal sneakers.

We could see this working for any Miami Beach bar. (Just lose the shades at night, please.)

Grey pants with black Cuban collar shirt

This simple look is one to add to your repertoire immediately. Charcoal chinos, a white tee and black overshirt works day or night for any casual event.

Note the the two chest pockets and Cuban collar detailing, which take what would otherwise be quite a pedestrian fit and elevates it to something that’s both stylish and of the moment.

Grey jeans with black overshirt

This is a look that would be perfect for a night out, being both practical and edgy.

Dark grey jeans matched with an open black overshirt will hide any spilt drinks and stray takeaways, while the boots bring the attitude and protect any clumsy drunken antics.

Grey pants with a green shirt

You may not have considered teaming grey with green before, but it’s a colour combo often found in the natural world and the military – two great references for your own looks.

When combining these two hues, you should look to create some contrast by keeping one colour noticeably lighter than the other, whether it’s a light green polo with charcoal wool trousers or a dark green flannel shirt with light grey denim.

The reason being, in darker tones these two colours can blend into each other and look quite drab and dreary, so you need to lift the palette to avoid that happening.

Grey chinos with green gingham shirt

For those that want to ease into this pairing, the above offers a great way of dipping a toe. By opting for a subtle green gingham shirt, it reduces the impact of your top half for those that are usually colour shy.

Teamed with a pair of grey chinos, this is an easy to pull off outfit that would be great for business casual offices.

Light grey pants with green polo shirt

As we said, contrast is key – and this outfit gets it perfect.

Light grey tailored pants set a smart foundation for the rich green polo shirt above, which is tucked in without a belt for a crisp, minimal aesthetic.

Dark grey chinos with green flannel shirt

Here the green flannel shirt is second fiddle to the dark grey chinos and slick black bomber jacket, but it’s still instrumental in making this outfit work.

It does this through its green, black and grey check, which picks out the top and bottom half and ties them together in a considered way. It’s an advanced-level menswear move that really proves you know how to dress.

Grey pants with a brown shirt

The same thing that makes grey pants work with a green shirt is the reason why they also look so great teamed with brown: nature. Earth tones are made to be worn together, naturally complementing each other with the added benefit of suiting the majority of skin tones.

As grey and brown is often found in the great outdoors, consider taking a similar approach with your clothing – think heritage pieces in wool, denim, flannel and corduroy.

Light grey pants with brown flannel overshirt

City meets country in this modern look, which sees light grey cropped trousers (with nice turn up detailing) matched with an off-white turtleneck and brown checked overshirt. The latter in particular brings some welcome texture and interest to stop the fit becoming too flat.

Also note how the turtleneck and sneakers provide a link between the top and bottom half of the outfit.

Grey dress pants with brown dress shirt

This is an excellent tonal fit that makes use of a foolproof Earthy palette.

Grey wool pants and light brown cotton dress shirt set a smart foundation, while the dark brown blazer and shoes create a welcome contrast to bookend the look.

Grey linen trousers with brown short-sleeved patterned shirt

In the warmer months of the year you often can’t wear more than a single layer, so you need to introduce as much visual interest as you can via fabric and pattern.

Here we do just that, combining textured grey linen pants with a patterned Cuban collar shirt in a nice caramel shade to create a summer-ready day look that’s cool in more ways than one.

Grey pants with a grey shirt

The great thing about grey is that it comes in a variety of shades, from dark charcoal through to light stone. And this breadth of choice makes it extremely easy to put together tonal looks that are stylish and understated.

Try charcoal dress pants with a light grey spread collar shirt, stone chinos with a knitted mid-grey polo, or mid-grey jeans with dark plaid flannel shirt – the options are endless.

As with any one-colour look, you’ll need to create contrast and definition between each piece using tone and texture, lest you look like a big block of cement. Get that right and you can’t go wrong.

Grey drawstring pants with light grey shirt

Although the shades aren’t too far apart on the colour spectrum here, there is still a clear divide between each piece due to the drawstring detailing on the trousers and the shirt being tucked in neatly to create a break point at midway.

Combined with smart black penny loafers, it’s a look that would be ideal for relaxed, warm-weather business lunches or evening vacation meals.

Charcoal wool pants with grey knitted polo shirt

There’s no bleeding of colours here, with the dark charcoal dress pants juxtaposing perfectly against the lighter grey polo shirt.

Texture also plays a bit part, with the soft nap of the wool trousers offering a point of difference to the ribbed knit detailing above them.

Charcoal chinos with grey checked flannel shirt

Again, this fit primarily consists of dark grey tones, but the check pattern on the shirt creates a clear visual distinction between the pieces.

Likewise, layering a white T-shirt underneath and wearing your shirt open adds further contrast and definition.

Grey pants with a pink shirt

Pink, white and light blue set the foundation of any good dress shirt rotation, with all three colours looking superb set against a grey suit. Therefore, although it may not be the first combination that pops into your head, transitioning this pink and grey partnership to the weekend should be second-nature for the majority of men.

Stick to light, dusty and washed-out shades of pink and you won’t go wrong. Teamed with lightweight chinos, this will quickly become a go-to pairing for vacations and warm-weather occasions.

Charcoal dress pants and pink striped shirt

A pink striped button-down is a classic preppy shirt that looks great paired with grey flannel pants to bring a touch of Ivy League sophistication to your work attire.

Reinforce the public school boy feel with a striped repp tie a pair of suede loafers.

Light grey chinos with pastel pink polo shirt

Pastel shades are ideal for summer, as this relaxed look proves.

Light stone chinos combined with a washed pink cotton polo brings a sophisticated yet relaxed feel t0 warm-weather attire, making it ideal for vacations and garden parties alike.

Wide leg grey chinos with pink canvas shirt

In the form of a thick canvas work shirt, like the above, pink can look rugged and masculine. Reinforce the workwear feel by combining it with grey twill chinos and a heavyweight T-shirt then finish with a pair of leather high-tops.

Grey pants with a yellow shirt

The most adventurous shade in our guide, yellow will brighten up any pair of grey trousers. Offering a less stark contrast than yellow and black, grey will set a neutral canvas on which yellow can shine.

Whether you opt for a bold primary shade, muted pastel hue or rich autumnal tone, grey pants will anchor them all.

It’s hard to mess up this combination, other than you need to wear it with confidence – any self doubt will be obvious to anyone you come into contact with. But as a general guide, these two colours tend to look their best when similar in tone – i.e. lighter greys with washed out yellows and darker charcoals with richer or more vivid shades.

Dark grey chinos with light yellow shirt

This is how you stand out in the office without trying too hard.

Grey tailored pants with a soft, pastel yellow dress shirt exudes confidence and demands attention, without blinding everyone you come into contact with.

Light grey carpenter pants with yellow popover shirt

Bring a masculine, workwear edge to your look by opting for a pair of grey carpenter pants. Coming in a loose fit and durable fabrics, they look their best when teamed with similarly relaxed pieces, such as this washed cotton popover shirt.

With the sleeves slightly rolled and finished with some canvas high-tops, it’s an effortless approach to off-duty dressing that’s comfortable yet stylish.

Dark grey jeans with yellow polo shirt

Dark grey denim is the ideal anchor for a more vivid yellow shirt, as this jeans and polo combination proves.

When the colours are this bright, there’s no need to overcomplicate things – finish with a pair of running shoes and go about your day.