What colours go with navy?
The figure wears navy chinos with the engine’s best partner for navy, a light blue shirt. Shuffle and the navy stays; tap any piece to try another colour.
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This look
Light blue shirt, navy chinos and white sandals
Casual, right for 24 °C.
Why this works
- Light pieces for 24 °C, about as much as people typically wear at that temperature.StandardHavenith et al. (2012)
- White sandals with a light blue shirt: a relaxed twist on a smart look.Less sure · ConventionStylist convention
- The light blue shirt against the navy chinos gives a clear light-and-dark contrast, which people tend to like.ResearchSchloss & Palmer (2011)
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How this works: Method, 7 sources, Checked against 1 worked example,
How this works
Method
With no wardrobe it builds a look from colour schemes; with yours it picks from what you own, leaving out pieces archived, in the wash or worn recently. A pick must suit the occasion and the weather, then it is scored on colour harmony (the Ou–Luo model and scheme rules, in OKLab), light against dark, warmth (garment insulation summed as in ISO 9920, against the UTCI clothing model), formality and rotation. The same day and wardrobe give the same pick until you shuffle.
Sources
- Ou, L.-C. & Luo, M. R., "A colour harmony model for two-colour combinations", Color Research & Application 31(3) (2006)
- Schloss, K. B. & Palmer, S. E., "Aesthetic response to color combinations", Attention, Perception & Psychophysics 73(2) (2011)
- Ottosson, B., "A perceptual color space for image processing" (OKLab) (2020)
- ISO 9920, Ergonomics of the thermal environment: estimation of thermal insulation of a clothing ensemble
- ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy (garment insulation table)
- Havenith, G. et al., "The UTCI-clothing model", International Journal of Biometeorology 56(3) (2012)
- MET Norway, Locationforecast 2.0 (weather data, CC BY 4.0)
How it’s tested
One worked example for this page is checked by automated tests before every release: given the inputs, the tool must show the expected answer.
Changes
- Added 21 pages: what colours go with navy, black, grey, beige, olive, burgundy, brown, white, denim and pink (each table from the engine), and what to wear from 40 to 80 °F and 5 to 25 °C.
- First published.
How navy with light blue scores
The engine scores a pair of colours as a top and trousers, with the parts of its outfit score that depend only on colour. Navy has a lightness of 0.29 and a colourfulness (chroma) of 0.05; light blue has 0.82 and 0.06.
- Light against dark: the lightness gap is 0.53, which earns 1.00 of 1.
- Harmony: the Ou–Luo model gives 0.71; blended half and half with the all-neutral scheme’s credit of 0.95, that is 0.83.
- One statement piece: 1.00 of 1.
(0.22 × 0.83 + 0.08 × 1.00 + 0.07 × 1.00) ÷ 0.37 = 0.90
The weights are the ones the tool uses for these parts of every outfit. The harmony model was fitted to people’s ratings of flat colour patches on a screen, not clothes, so treat the score as a strong hint rather than a verdict.
The 8 best partners for navy
Ranked by the engine, best first. The evidence column says how sure each reason is: research, design theory or stylist convention.
| Colour | Why it works | Evidence | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| light blue | Two neutrals: navy and light blue go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.90 |
| light denim | Two neutrals: navy and light denim go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.90 |
| denim | Two neutrals: navy and denim go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.88 |
| white | Two neutrals: navy and white go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.88 |
| beige | Two neutrals: navy and beige go together easily, with a clear light-and-dark contrast. | Convention | 0.82 |
| yellow | Navy works like a neutral, so yellow can be the one bright colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.79 |
| sage | Navy works like a neutral, so sage can be the one colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.78 |
| blue | Navy works like a neutral, so blue can be the one bright colour in the outfit. | Convention | 0.78 |
Why navy is so easy
Navy cloth is a dark, quiet blue: about 0.29 on the 0 to 1 lightness scale and only 0.05 in colourfulness (OKLCH chroma). That low colourfulness is why it sits behind other colours instead of competing with them. Calling navy a neutral is a stylist convention rather than a lab finding, so the tool marks those reasons as convention.
Because navy is so dark, almost anything lighter gives the outfit a clear light-and-dark contrast, and contrast is one of the few things colour studies agree people like. That is why the light partners, white, ivory, light blue and beige, top the table.
Where to take a little care
The other very dark colours, black, charcoal, chocolate brown, forest green and plum, sit close to navy in lightness. They are not off limits; the outfit just reads as one dark block unless something lighter breaks it up, such as a white shirt, light sneakers or a pale bag.
We wrote a longer piece on this question, with the full ranking and what the studies do and don’t show: what colours go with navy, on the blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do navy and black go together?
Yes, as a deliberate dark-on-dark look. The two are close in lightness, so the outfit reads as one deep block; the tool calls that a tonal look and labels it convention. Add one light piece, such as white sneakers or a pale shirt, if you want the halves to separate.
What colour shoes go with navy trousers?
Brown or tan leather, white sneakers and black all work. Brown and tan add warmth against the cool blue, white repeats a light top and looks relaxed, and black is the most formal. For a business look, match the belt to the shoes.
Can I wear navy with brown?
Yes. Both act as neutrals, so they pair easily, and brown leather with navy cloth is a classic. A lighter brown such as tan or camel gives more contrast than dark chocolate, which sits close to navy in lightness.
Which accent colours work best with navy?
In the engine’s table the first accents are yellow, sage, blue. Navy behaves like a neutral, so one brighter piece stands out without fighting it. Keep it to one statement colour at a time.