Matching your date's outfit sounds simple until you are standing in a store comparing a tie to a phone photo. Colors shift on screens. Fabrics reflect light differently. And an exact match from head to toe can look more like a uniform than a couple.
One approach works for almost everyone, whatever your date is wearing. It applies whether your date is in a gown, a jumpsuit or a suit of their own.
Start with a neutral suit
The suit is the background, not the feature. Black, navy, charcoal and mid-gray go with nearly every dress color, which is why most people pick one of them.
- Black is the most formal and works with everything, especially bright or saturated colors.
- Navy is softer than black and flatters warm colors like red, coral, gold and blush.
- Charcoal and gray suit cool colors like lavender, silver, icy blue and pastel pink.
- Tan or light gray can work for a spring or outdoor prom with a light-colored dress.
If your date has picked a bold or very pale outfit, a neutral suit keeps the two of you from competing.
Let the accents carry the color
The link between you comes from small pieces, not the whole outfit. Pick one or two of these.
- The tie or bow tie. The most visible accent, and the most common choice.
- The pocket square. Cheap, easy, and good for a softer echo of the color.
- The vest or cummerbund. A stronger statement, best when you want the color to read clearly in photos.
- The boutonniere. Flowers can match the corsage and pick up the dress color without any fabric at all.
Using all four in the exact dress color is usually too much. A matching tie plus a boutonniere that echoes the corsage is plenty.
Match exactly, or coordinate
An exact match means the tie or vest is the same shade as the dress. It looks intentional and reads clearly in photos. It also has a higher bar. If the shade is slightly off, it looks like a mistake rather than a choice.
Coordinating means choosing a related color instead. A deeper shade of the dress color, a softer one, or a neutral metallic like silver or gold picked up from the dress's beading. This is more forgiving, and many people think it looks more modern. A champagne tie with a gold sequined dress. A navy tie with a light blue gown. A blush pocket square with a burgundy dress.
A good rule. If you can get a fabric sample, match exactly. If you are working from photos, coordinate.
Get a real sample of the color
Phone screens are unreliable. The same dress can look red in one photo and pink in another. Before buying or renting the accents, try to see the actual color.
- Ask the shop where the dress was bought. Some can tell you the designer's exact color name, which helps with rental companies' color charts.
- If the dress is being hemmed, ask whether the tailor can save a small scrap of the cut fabric.
- Ask the rental company for swatches. Generation Tux offers free fabric color swatches, and The Black Tux offers fabric swatches too.
- Compare in daylight. Store lighting makes many colors look warmer than they are.
Dark dresses and light dresses
Dark dresses, like navy, emerald, burgundy or black, look best with a matching or slightly lighter accent. A black suit with a burgundy tie and pocket square is a classic. With a black dress, almost anything works, so use the accent to bring in a color you both like, or keep it all black and white.
Light and pastel dresses are trickier. A pastel tie can look washed out against a black suit. A gray or navy suit softens the contrast, or you can choose a tie a shade deeper than the dress so the color still reads in photos. With white or ivory, a silver, gray or champagne accent usually beats trying to match the white exactly.
Patterned, multicolored or heavily beaded dresses are easiest of all. Pick one color from the pattern, preferably a less dominant one, and use it in a single accent.
When both dates wear suits
Two suits give you more options. You can wear the same color suit with different accents, or contrasting suits (one navy, one gray, say) linked by matching ties or pocket squares. Matching boutonnieres are a simple way to tie the look together. Avoid identical everything unless that is the joke you are going for.
What about the flowers
Flowers bridge the two outfits. The corsage usually picks up the dress color, and the boutonniere echoes it on a smaller scale. Tell the florist both outfit colors when you order. Our corsage and boutonniere guide covers styles and timing.
Use the color matcher
If you know the dress color, our suit and tie color matcher suggests suit, shirt, tie and pocket square combinations that work, plus the ones to avoid. For background on which dress colors are popular and why, see our page on prom dress colors.
If your date is still shopping, you can see dress colors in person at the prom shops listed on this site, many of which also rent tuxedos and suits.