What Color Shirt Goes With Khaki Pants? (Outfit Ideas)

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Khaki, being a versatile neutral, provides numerous pairing options that can enrich your outfit. Khaki pants are a must in any men’s wardrobe due to the wide range of shades available. But what color shirt goes with khaki pants?

Khaki pants offer versatility, allowing you to achieve either a subtle or striking appearance based on your preference. Here are nine carefully selected shades that I believe complement khaki trousers beautifully.

What Color Shirt Goes With Khaki Pants?

The shirt colors that best complement khaki pants are blue, navy, white, black, burgundy, grey, green, brown, and beige.

While khaki comes in various shades that may impact the ideal shirt color, most colors complement the different shades of khaki quite well. Let’s delve into each shirt color individually to discover the best pairing with khaki pants.

Khaki Pants With Blue Shirt

A blue shirt pairs excellently with khaki pants, offering a balanced and classic look suitable for casual office meetings or relaxed gatherings with family and friends. Blue is a great choice if you have a pale, fair, or black skin tone.

When it comes to blue shirts with khaki pants, the shades are versatile and blend well together. Consider pairing light blue shirts with dark khaki slacks and dark blue shirts with light khaki trousers. Personally, I favor the combination of a light blue shirt with khaki green or light khaki pants, creating a fresh and nature-inspired look.

For the rest of the outfit, incorporating different shades of blue and green is an option, but I personally find that adding brown provides a more elegant touch to the ensemble. Opt for dark brown shoes, a matching belt, and a leather brown watch. If you’re not keen on a brown necktie, consider a khaki green one that complements the same shade as your pants.

Khaki Pants With Navy Shirt

Matching a navy shirt with khaki pants is a popular choice among men due to its versatility for various occasions, offering a balanced blend of casual yet refined style. Pairing a navy shirt with khaki pants for a casual business meeting exudes a relaxed yet professional vibe.

The neutral tones of khaki provide an excellent contrast with a navy shirt, whether opting for light khaki, khaki green, or darker shades. Personally, I’d recommend pairing a navy shirt with light khaki slacks as it’s my favorite choice, but khaki green pants would also make a great match.

Expanding beyond the classic brown ensemble, introducing navy tones can add depth to your outfit. Include a pair of navy loafers, a matching navy belt, and a sleek navy leather watch. To infuse a hint of color and sophistication, opt for a burgundy tie that beautifully complements both navy and brown hues.

Khaki Pants With White Shirt

You can pair a white shirt with all different shades of khaki, but personally, I find the darker khaki shade more appealing for its noticeable contrast. Khaki green also makes for a stylish combination. White shirts are great for brown and black skin tones.

For a summery casual appearance, combine your white shirt with khaki pants and white sneakers. If you’re aiming for a smart casual style, opt for brown loafers. Always pair the outfit with a brown belt to accentuate the contrast between the trousers and the belt.

Khaki Pants With Black Shirt

Even though a black shirt is typically associated with formality, when matched with khaki pants, it exudes a more casual yet refined style. This blend strikes a balance between casual and formal, making it an excellent pick for summer evening occasions.

I find the combination of a black shirt with light khaki pants particularly appealing. They complement each other nicely, creating a pleasing contrast. However, dark khaki trousers or khaki green slacks also look great; it’s just that the light khaki pants stand out a bit more in this pairing.

Although it’s uncommon to combine black and brown in men’s attire, dark brown shoes complement khaki pants splendidly. Pairing them with a dark brown belt will enhance the overall look. To tie it together, consider a burgundy necktie, serving as a bridge between the brown and black elements.

Khaki Pants With Burgundy Shirt

Opting for a burgundy shirt alongside khaki pants might be considered bold by some, but burgundy, being a brownish-red hue, harmonizes exceptionally well with khaki. This combination strikes a fine balance between neutral and vibrant tones. Moreover, a burgundy shirt complements various skin tones, including fair, medium, olive, or brown.

I find that pairing a dark burgundy shirt with khaki green slacks is a standout combination. Red and green naturally complement each other, and the shades of burgundy and khaki green harmonize beautifully. If you opt for a vivid burgundy shirt, I’d suggest pairing it with either light or dark khaki pants rather than khaki green.

You can opt for burgundy dress shoes, a corresponding belt, and a burgundy watch instead of brown. This combination pairs well with your khaki green slacks. While I typically prefer brown shoes with light or dark khaki, incorporating burgundy will also complement the look.

Khaki Pants With Grey Shirt

Like black, grey serves as a versatile color that pairs nicely with khaki pants. If your pants are light khaki, opt for a dark grey shirt, and vice versa — pair a light grey shirt with dark khaki slacks. Khaki green trousers can go well with both dark and light grey shirts.

With this ensemble, you have the freedom to blend shades of grey and brown. Consider accessorizing with a grey watch and necktie (a silver-toned one complements a dark grey shirt), along with dark brown shoes and a corresponding belt. Opt for burgundy shoes and a burgundy belt if you’re feeling more adventurous.

Khaki Pants With Green Shirt

If a blue shirt complements khaki pants well, a green shirt offers a similar appeal due to the analogous nature of both colors. However, not all shades of green pair equally well with khaki slacks. Opt for darker green, olive green, army green, or forest green for the most complementary look.

I find that pairing a dark or army green shirt with light khaki pants creates a pleasing contrast. For a monochromatic ensemble, I’d opt for a forest green shirt with khaki green slacks. If seeking a subtle yet stylish contrast, an olive green shirt pairs well with darker khaki trousers.

When considering footwear and belt options for this ensemble, dark brown is the ideal choice (green dress shoes are also okay). A brown watch complements this theme. As for the tie, options like silver, grey, or navy work well, adding a distinct color to the outfit while ensuring visibility, even if the tie has darker shades.

Khaki Pants With Brown Shirt

If you’re aiming for a fall/winter ensemble, consider matching your khaki pants with a brown shirt. This combination creates a harmonious, tonal appearance that complements various skin tones, especially pale and fair complexions.

A dark brown shirt pairs wonderfully with light khaki pants and stands out as my preferred choice due to the earthy elements in both colors that complement each other perfectly. When it comes to khaki green pants, a dark brown shirt works well, while for dark khaki slacks, I’d opt for a lighter or more vivid brown to create a complementary contrast.

To maintain the ensemble’s cohesion, opting for all-brown accessories like dark brown boots, a corresponding belt, and a brown watch is essential. Adding an olive green tie can be a stylish touch, especially if you’re sporting khaki green slacks, as it complements various khaki shades seamlessly.

Khaki Pants With Beige Shirt

Sticking to colors from the same family, like pairing beige with khaki, can elevate your appearance. However, it’s crucial with this combination to avoid creating a lackluster ensemble due to the similarity between the colors.

I’m not particularly keen on a completely monochromatic look with these colors. Instead, I’d suggest pairing a beige shirt with khaki green pants for a casual yet stylish appearance. Another option is matching your beige shirt with dark khaki trousers, but it’s important to ensure there’s a noticeable contrast between the two.

When it comes to your footwear, you have the choice of beige shoes that match your shirt or dark brown shoes. But for the belt, opting for a dark brown one creates a better contrast. Consider complementing the ensemble with a burgundy necktie, for a bold contrast.

How To Match A Shirt With Khaki Pants?

When selecting a shirt to pair with your khaki pants, it’s important to consider factors like color coordination, contrast, the use of patterns, how the shirt complements your skin tone, and dressing appropriately for the specific occasion.

Color

When deciding on the ideal shirt color to complement your khaki slacks, it’s helpful to consider the analogous colors of khaki, which are the colors adjacent to khaki on the color wheel and share similar undertones, creating a harmonious effect, making pink or green shirts great options in this context. Although not previously discussed, a pink shirt can be a great choice with khaki trousers. If you like it, go for it confidently.

Pastel blue is the complementary color of khaki, providing the highest level of contrast as they sit opposite each other on the color wheel. 

Contrast And Patterns

Many guys, myself included, often opt for contrast by matching khaki pants with a shirt of either light or dark color, choosing a dark color shirt for light khaki trousers and a light color shirt for dark khaki slacks to create a striking visual balance.

When opting for a patterned shirt with your khaki trousers, it’s important to pair it with plain pants, and vice versa, if you’re wearing patterned khaki slacks, opt for a non-patterned shirt to maintain a balanced ensemble. Also, if your khaki patterned pants include a shade like brown, a plain brown dress shirt would emphasize the color connection within your outfit.

Ski Tone

When selecting a shirt to pair with your khaki pants, it’s crucial to consider not only the best color combinations for your overall look but also how the chosen colors harmonize with your skin tone, as the right colors can accentuate your natural features and complement your undertone, ultimately enhancing your appearance.

No need to worry if your skin tone doesn’t precisely match the ones in the image. You can simply choose the skin tone that you feel is most compatible with yours and select the colors that you believe look best (ensure that those colors look good with your khaki pants).

Dress For The Occasion

Khaki is well-suited for casual, smart casual, or business casual settings. When choosing a shirt to pair with them, consider the formality of the event, whether it leans toward formal or casual.

Shirts in colors like black, navy, grey, or blue can make khaki slacks suitable for a cocktail party, but it’s best to avoid them for formal events.

Common Questions

What Color Shirt With Khaki Green Pants?

For khaki green pants, the top choices in shirt colors include light blue, burgundy, and beige. However, there are additional colors that complement them well, as demonstrated above.

What Color Shirt With Dark Khaki Pants?

Dark khaki pants are best matched with white shirts creating a harmonious contrast. You can also pair them with other shades like light blue, light grey, burgundy, or beige.

What Color Shirt With Light Khaki Pants?

When it comes to light khaki pants, navy, black, dark grey, dark green, and brown are the best choices. These colors create a pleasing contrast with light khaki pants, offering a refined look.