I have no problem with either blue shirts or white shirts for summer but I tend to drop bright ties on them. I do also like vivid colored shirts sometimes in bolder patterns and darker shirts for summer with slightly lighter/brighter ties on top.

Exs. A Wedgwood blue shirt with a bright orange tie on top or a bright red butcher stripe shirt with a yellow tie or a red tie on top.

A lot of this is more about the similarity of tones rather than colors. Thus it isnt so much red tie on blue shirt for winter, so much as icy blue shirt with burgundy tie for winter and medium blue shirt with bright red tie for summer.

^ Yes, that's what I'm doing, though I didn't realize it until this topic came up and I started thinking about it. Very interesting question, and I also would like to hear more members' thoughts on this...

It really depends on the tie and the shirt. No two navy ties with red designs will be the same nor will white shirts. It's somewhat hard for a beginner to force into visualization sweeping rules for what ties go on what shirts. Some of it depends on where you are and what you're doing thus time, place and manner always have influence. Another factor could be one's coloring; no point in wearing a yellow shirt if it picks up something negative in your complexion.

Sometimes a white shirt competes with a busy tie and sometimes it compliments it. Sometimes a combination of colors is nice but you still dont like it.

I tend to favor strong contrasts and crisp or jewel tone colors vs. earth tones or muted colors.

I am not worried about people noticing my tie or my shirt, that's going to happen anyway because I have a knack with combinations and I wear better quality gear more carefully selected than most men.

Youre right, im talking about what I do. I will probably never identity with people that worry over charts or fitting in with the season. I am no longer a slave to my clothing or other people's opinions and it works very well for me. If you just want to fit in with your surroundings, just copy what people around you are wearing.

It's not that I chart out my clothes or plan for the seasons, but I do find myself unconsciously making decisions that may be affected by what's going on outside.

I'm not conscious of the season influencing my choice of shirt colour. Pale or mid solid blues are my staple through the year, with the odd blue or red stripe ones. I have these in different weights of cloth, I can't comfortably wear Oxford cloth in the summer. But certain suits just seem to demand a white shirt.

My tie choice is definitely affected by the season with bright Madras patterns and silk knits coming out for summer. More muted colours for autumn and winter.

Clothes made from lighter material for warm weather wear are usually made in lighter colours anyway so, for off the peg stuff, the choice is to some extent made for you.

I do have a Brooks suit in a light tropical wool that is a formal looking dark charcoal pin stripe. Despite the suit being extremely light and comfortable the colour never seems quite right for summer and it needs an orange paisley tie or something equally jarring to lift it.