Mens Fashion Tips - How to Choose a Tie

Ties are an integral part of the corporate scene. With a wide range of shirts, trousers and jackets available for men now, how to choose a tie that will go well with most of your ensembles is an inevitable question. Furthermore ties are probably the only accessories men get to wear on a daily basis as they cannot really sport fancy chains or bracelets or handbags on their nine to five shifts.

How to Choose a Tie:

The standard length of a neck tie is 55 to 57 inches and 3.5 to 4 inches width at the widest point. Taller people would require lengthier ties while thinner men should wear slimmer ties. A tie is known to be perfect length when the bottom tip touches the buckle of your belt when knotted around your neck. However this would change with the kind of the pant too as a high waist pant would have the tip of the tie reaching the buckles. However at no time should the tie go below the buckle.

The colors of your jacket and tie should never clash. They should rather tone down the sharpness of each other, thus complimenting each other. For bright colored suits, wear dull ties and if your jacket is plain or regular color, wear a bright patterned tie to compliment the jacket. The same rule applies for shirts and ties too (when you are not wearing the jackets) Plain ties look best on striped or checked shirts while a patterned tie will compliment a light colored or plain shirt.

Men’s Fashion Tips for Ties:

Patterns of ties available are overwhelming, they are available in stripes, checks and even polka dots.

Purchase ties according to the event. Have a range of ties that not only suit your boardroom meetings but also perk up your office party or the informal business gathering. Ties with cartoon or comic characters and colorful logos can pep up your party wear but will look inappropriate when worn to the office.

Choose a tie that is thick enough to withstand daily tying and removing routine. While thin fabric may wear or tear off easily, thick fabric will make the knot look bulky and ugly. The best material would be cotton, polyester or wool. Silk ties would suit the more formal or eventful meeting such as an interview or a public or press meet. Your tie should never have, either when new or used snags, frays or loose threads.

Colors of ties are personal choices but the thumb rule is ties should be lighter than the jacket and darker than the shirt and should not actually match either of them. However a tricky question is which tie to wear o contrasting shirt and jacket like a white shirt and a black jacket. Any color like red, yellow or blue tie would look inappropriate and a black tie will make you resemble a FBI agent or worse, a maitre d’ or an undertaker In such circumstances a white tie with small prints should be just fine.

Apart from patterned ties, keep a stock of solid color ties as these never go out of style and will definitely suit one or the other ensemble in your closet.