What Colour to Wear to an Interview

The rest of the outfit

Resolved largest area first, with each choice constraining the next — so these work with each other as well as with the suit.

1. Shirt: Grey #808080

   Stays behind the anchor

   Hue

   A near-neutral, so there is no hue relationship to get wrong — the pairing is decided by depth and finish alone, which is why neutrals are the reliable answer beside a strong navy blue.

   Lightness

   far lighter than Navy Blue — a gap of about 41 lightness steps, which is enough to stay legible in a photograph and at a distance.

   Saturation

   Chroma 0 — effectively a neutral. Across a modest area that is the point: it holds the outfit together without asking for attention.

   Temperature

   Temperature-neutral, so it will not argue with Navy Blue whichever way Navy Blue leans.

   Formality

   Sits comfortably at smart casual, neither dressing the outfit up nor down.

   Fabric

   Whatever fabric this ends up in will shift the colour: a pile or a nap reads deeper, a satin or a silk reads lighter along the highlight. Match sheen before you match shade.

   Season

   Season and climate change what this colour looks like more than most people expect — direct summer sun saturates, flat winter light does the opposite.

   Where you will be

   Expect mixed indoor and daylight and stage or screen at a interview.

   In photographs

   Photographs predictably — nothing here is likely to surprise you in the pictures.

   How it goes wrong

   Matching the shirt too closely to the jacket, which removes the contrast the outfit's structure depends on. The strategy-level risk is choosing something so quiet it reads as unfinished rather than restrained.

   Do not own grey? These keep the same lightness

   • slate grey — Slate Grey sits at essentially the same lightness as Grey, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as a little more saturated, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
   • rose gold — Rose Gold sits at essentially the same lightness as Grey, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as considerably more saturated and in the red family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
   • indian red — Indian Red sits at essentially the same lightness as Grey, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as considerably more saturated, warmer in undertone and in the red family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
2. Shoes: Black #000000

   Grounds the outfit

   Hue

   A near-neutral, so there is no hue relationship to get wrong — the pairing is decided by depth and finish alone, which is why neutrals are the reliable answer beside a strong navy blue.

   Lightness

   moderately deeper than Navy Blue — a gap of about 13 lightness steps, which is enough to read as separate up close, though it will compress under a flash.

   Saturation

   Chroma 0 — effectively a neutral. Across a modest area that is the point: it holds the outfit together without asking for attention.

   Temperature

   Temperature-neutral, so it will not argue with Navy Blue whichever way Navy Blue leans.

   Formality

   Very deep colours read dressier than this occasion needs. That is not a problem — being slightly over is more comfortable than being under — but it is worth knowing which direction you are erring in.

   Fabric

   Whatever fabric this ends up in will shift the colour: a pile or a nap reads deeper, a satin or a silk reads lighter along the highlight. Match sheen before you match shade.

   Season

   Season and climate change what this colour looks like more than most people expect — direct summer sun saturates, flat winter light does the opposite.

   Where you will be

   Expect mixed indoor and daylight and stage or screen at a interview.

   In photographs

   Very deep colours lose all shape detail against a dark background — the outline survives, the garment does not.

   How it goes wrong

   Shoes lighter than the trousers, which draws attention downward and shortens the line — occasionally the intention, usually not. The strategy-level risk is landing in the near-miss band — close enough to the anchor to look like an attempted match, far enough to fail it.

   Do not own black? These keep the same lightness

   • midnight blue — Midnight Blue sits at essentially the same lightness as Black, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as slightly lighter, considerably more saturated, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
   • prussian blue — Prussian Blue sits at essentially the same lightness as Black, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as noticeably lighter, considerably more saturated, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
   • gunmetal — Gunmetal sits at essentially the same lightness as Black, so it occupies the same place in the scheme's light-to-dark structure and nothing else has to be rebalanced around it. Expect it to read as noticeably lighter, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the neutral one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how light it is.
3. Tie: Peach #ffe5b4

   Carries the accent

   Hue

   About 140° from Navy Blue, far enough apart to be clearly two colours and close enough that neither is fighting the other.

   Lightness

   far lighter than Navy Blue — a gap of about 79 lightness steps, which is enough to stay legible in a photograph and at a distance.

   Saturation

   Chroma 27, a muted colour. Over a small area it registers as a colour without becoming the subject, which is what a balanced outfit wants.

   Temperature

   Warm against a cool navy blue — a deliberate temperature contrast. It works, but it commits: the metals and the shoes then have to pick a side.

   Formality

   Sits comfortably at smart casual, neither dressing the outfit up nor down.

   Fabric

   Whatever fabric this ends up in will shift the colour: a pile or a nap reads deeper, a satin or a silk reads lighter along the highlight. Match sheen before you match shade.

   Season

   Season and climate change what this colour looks like more than most people expect — direct summer sun saturates, flat winter light does the opposite.

   Where you will be

   Expect mixed indoor and daylight and stage or screen at a interview.

   In photographs

   Near-whites are the first thing a camera clips. Under a direct flash the detail in this will go before anything else in the frame.

   How it goes wrong

   Matching the tie to the shirt. The tie's whole job is to be distinguishable from what is behind it. The strategy-level risk is adding a second punctuation elsewhere in the outfit, at which point neither is the accent.

   Do not own peach? These keep the same chroma

   • periwinkle — Periwinkle is held at the same level of saturation as Peach, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as slightly deeper, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the orange one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.
   • ecru — Ecru is held at the same level of saturation as Peach, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as noticeably deeper and in the yellow family rather than the orange one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.
   • sky blue — Sky Blue is held at the same level of saturation as Peach, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as slightly deeper, cooler in undertone and in the cyan family rather than the orange one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.
4. Pocket square: Dusty Rose #c08081

   Carries the accent

   Hue

   About 75° from Navy Blue, far enough apart to be clearly two colours and close enough that neither is fighting the other.

   Lightness

   far lighter than Navy Blue — a gap of about 47 lightness steps, which is enough to stay legible in a photograph and at a distance.

   Saturation

   Chroma 27, a muted colour. Over a small area it registers as a colour without becoming the subject, which is what a balanced outfit wants.

   Temperature

   Temperature-neutral, so it will not argue with Navy Blue whichever way Navy Blue leans.

   Formality

   Sits comfortably at smart casual, neither dressing the outfit up nor down.

   Fabric

   Whatever fabric this ends up in will shift the colour: a pile or a nap reads deeper, a satin or a silk reads lighter along the highlight. Match sheen before you match shade.

   Season

   Season and climate change what this colour looks like more than most people expect — direct summer sun saturates, flat winter light does the opposite.

   Where you will be

   Expect mixed indoor and daylight and stage or screen at a interview.

   In photographs

   Photographs predictably — nothing here is likely to surprise you in the pictures.

   How it goes wrong

   Matching it exactly to the tie, which is the one thing convention has settled against — it should relate, not repeat. The strategy-level risk is adding a second punctuation elsewhere in the outfit, at which point neither is the accent.

   Do not own dusty rose? These keep the same chroma

   • periwinkle — Periwinkle is held at the same level of saturation as Dusty Rose, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as noticeably lighter, cooler in undertone and in the blue family rather than the red one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.
   • ecru — Ecru is held at the same level of saturation as Dusty Rose, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as slightly lighter, warmer in undertone and in the yellow family rather than the red one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.
   • sky blue — Sky Blue is held at the same level of saturation as Dusty Rose, so it draws the same amount of attention and keeps the scheme's overall intensity unchanged. Expect it to read as noticeably lighter, cooler in undertone and in the cyan family rather than the red one. That is the trade being made in order to keep how saturated it is.