The Gentleman’s Guide to Wearing a Tie

Ties are what sets a man apart from a crowd full of suits. It may be referred to as the finishing touch or the cherry on top in an outfit. After you search for a custom tie to wear, you might feel your head swirling by simply the sheer number of choices that you have. This is the gentleman’s guide to ties so you can choose the perfect tie for every occasion.

Let us start with the Basics

A man’s physical build will dictate a lot of what he should be wearing. And the tie is no exception to this rule. A tie should perfectly match your body type as it will be a complement to how your clothes fit in your body. The first thing is that the tie should always be long enough to reach your belt buckle. This is probably the golden rule in tie-wearing and should be observed or otherwise you would not look like the gentleman that you want to seem. Next is the width should match how broad your shoulders are. For an average sized person, the width should at least be 3 inches(7.5 cms) up to 3.75 inches(9.5 cms).

Most of the time, extra accessories such as tie bars, lapels or pins are attached to custom ties. As part of the tie, you must make sure that they match in size and in color. And finally, the ties should also match the size of the coat, suit jacket or blazer that you are wearing over your shirt and tie.

Patterns and Colors

As with any form of wear, the bread and butter of mixing and matching is finding the right colors and patterns that go well with each other. The colors and patterns that you choose have to contribute to the overall look and feel that you intend to show. There are plenty of ways that you can go with when choosing which tie to wear over a certain shirt or coat and it all depends on how you intend to be seen.

If you are going to a formal dinner and intend to look sophisticated among your peers, opt for a lightly patterned tie. In this instance, a semi-solid tie would also do the trick. You should match this garment with a solid-colored shirt. At a party and you want to stand out from a crowd, you could opt for boldly colored tie that contrasts your shirt. This makes your tie stand out and, as a result, makes you stand out as well.

You have to be careful in choosing patterns on your ties. It can go great but it can, as easily, go the other direction as well. Ties with patterns have a danger of going against other patterns that may already feature in your outfit. When these patterns are clashing then you could end up posing a distractingly awful look.

Tie Knots

The pattern and color of the tie is half of how it affects your overall look, the other half is how you tie it. The kind of knot you should go for has to largely depend on what type of shirt collar you intend to wear with it. When you are wearing wide spread collars, a Full or Half Windsor Knot should do the trick. If you are choosing to wear point collars then you can choose to wear a Four in a Hand Knot.

You have to keep in mind that choosing knots that require more loops would mean that it would be using more tie. Thus, when making the knot, make sure that you do not compromise on the length of the tie. A bigger knot can shorten your tie so you have to be careful buying one and consider ahead the collars that you intend to match with it.

What occasion you intend to attend also dictates how you are going to choose your knot. As a tradition in style, formal events such as weddings and galas call for a Full or Half Windsor Knot. If the party is not so formal such as cocktail parties then you can probably get by with a Four in a Hand Knot.

Take care of the tie

A necktie is the embodiment of a man’s sense of style but it is also a reflection of how he takes care of his image. Wearing a tie that is wrinkled or stained could ruin your entire look and should be avoided at all costs. A tie that is not so flattering can speak a lot about the man wearing it and thus should be priority number one.

There are ways that you can make sure that your tie is always at its best form. You have wash them by hand, and dry them by hanging instead of using a dryer. It is after all a relatively small piece of clothing so washing it by hand may not take as much time. To avoid the wrinkles you can iron it but make sure that the fabric can take the heat that you are going to apply to it. Never iron it for too long or it could do damage to the tie. It is better to use a steamer instead as it is much safer to use.

Other thoughts

As ties are both front and center of your overall outfit, it might come as no surprise to you the fact that it is the first thing that they will notice about you when they see you. As such you should be able to gauge the importance of wearing the tie. This should go well with your overall attitude of wearing an outfit if you intend to make most out of little effort as a tie is relatively easier to maintain than any other form of outfit. Despite the hard lined tips pointed out here, there is no danger to experimenting such as trying on custom ties and the like.