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Knitted Neckties: Guide to Wearing Knitted Ties

Style Tips for Knitted Ties

knitted-mens-ties
Just a few weeks ago I wrote an article on “Ties for Fall/Winter 2012“, and the knitted wool tie was among the three featured must have styles. Knitted ties have gained a huge amount of popularity over the past few months. GQ and Esquire have both been featuring men wearing knitted ties on their cover, and by now most designer labels offer a few knit ties in their current collection. When worn correctly, they are excellent accessories – not just for the Fall and Winter, but also for the warmer months of the year. To keep you from committing major knit tie fashion Faux Pas, I wrote this Style Guide:

Finding the Right Size:
Typically knitted ties look best when slightly narrower in width (2 to 2.5 inches). Some designers do make wider knitted ties (about 3.25 inches) which are great for wearing double breasted suits, and jackets with wider peak lapels.

Knit Tie Colors
The color depends on the season. Darker, muted shades suit the colder months of the year while brighter, more vivid shades should be reserved for the warmer days in spring and summer. For the Winter in 2012/12 knitted ties in charcoal, maroon, and dark navy are great choices.

Popular Patterns
Solids and horizontal stripes are most popular. Personally I like the simplicity of the dark solid knits for the Winter. In my opinion the knitted fabric texture adds enough contrast as is. Another favorite of mine are knitted ties with small polka dots (see images below). Looking for something different? Then you may fancy knitted ties featuring a different colored tip.

Tying a Knitted Tie
Four-in-Hand-Tie-a-Tie
To compliment the more casual looking fabric texture of the knitted tie, slightly asymmetric tie knots are best. The best (also the easiest knot) here is the so-called Four in Hand (see instructions above).

Some Matching Inspiration
A did a little bit of searching for examples of well matched knitted ties. Here are some of my favorites. For more inspiration, please check out this Board on Pinterest.

navy-knit-mens-necktie
Great combination: Solid navy knit tie with blue gingham shirt. Pair this combination with gray tweed sports coat and a pair of well fitted blue denims.

polka-dot-knit-tie
Sartorialist Will Boehlke (Asuitablewardrobe.com) shows us the sophisticated side of the knit tie. Note how he compliments the coarse fabric of the knit tie with the tweed jacket. Also note that Will chose to pin the tie to the shirt.

navy-knit-necktie-collar-bar
Accessorizing a knitted tie: While tie bars and tie clips usually don’t compliment, collar bars are a great way to add elegance and a more personal note when wearing a knit tie.

red-knitted-necktie-matching
Layering: Note the navy cardigan sweater layered under the Harris tweed jacket. Also worth pointing out is the slightly more casual looking button down collar shirt as well as contrasting textured silk pocket square.

knitted-summer-necktie
Summer Pairings: The cream colored stripes on the knitted tie give this piece a summer look. Perfectly paired with a cotton suit (note the double breasted style). finely striped blue shirt, and vivid colored silk hanky.

Thanks for visiting my blog at Tie-a-Tie.net

27 thoughts on “Knitted Neckties: Guide to Wearing Knitted Ties”

  1. Klaas says:

    Great guide! I am huge fan of knitted neckwear. I actually found a few vintage pieces my grandpa used to wear in the 50s. I get tons of compliments on these. Personally I only like horizontal stripes (different sized stripes are the best) as well as solids for these knitted pieces. Dots or strange argyles are a bit too much for me.

  2. Robert in VanCity says:

    Great page. I love your examples and matching. I bought my first knitted ties only a week ago. I’ll be adding more. Glad to see vintage accessories coming back in style.

    1. hendrik says:

      Hi Robert, thanks for leaving a note. Yes, vintage patterns and fabrics are on the rise again. Five years ago it was the skinny tie coming back in style, then two years ago knitted ties became popular, and now (since last Winter) we are seeing certain vintage patterns coming back such as glen-checks and houndstooth check (mostly paired with a wool fabric)

      1. Robert in VanCity says:

        Thanks hendrik.

        I now proudly own 4 Knit Ties, and use them frequently with my bow ties and standard neck ties.

        I definitely get a lot of complements on them!

  3. maditane trevor says:

    Want to buy those ties and I am staying in south Africa , how do I go about ordering them

    1. hendrik says:

      Hello, unfortunately I am not familiar with the menswear retail business in south Africa. You can always order one online and have it shipped to your country.

  4. Sebastian says:

    I have a question. I will have a job interview and so far only a dark blue suit. Now I’m thinking about what to match. I first thought about some classical combinations, but currently I’m thinking to buy a knitted tie: a black knitted tie and a white shirt. What do you think about that? Would that be too risky?

    1. hendrik says:

      HI Sebastian, thanks for this great question. First off it is great you are taking your dress seriously. It can only help you land your dream job! Knitted ties are definitely more fashion forward and trendy. That being said, they would indeed be great if you are applying for job that is not too conservative. But why choose a black knitted tie? You can have some fun with color without being too flashy. A cherry red, light blue, or dark orange knit tie would be excellent.

    2. Robert in VanCity says:

      If I may respectfully disagree with hendrik – I think it’s great that you like the Knitted Ties (as I love them too)….but for a job interview — NO!

      You need to dress conservative and professional for a job interview. This may translate into boring for some. But you do not want to attract any attention away from you face — and flashy shirts, ties, cufflinks, lapel pins, etc etc — will distract the interviewer.

      My advice — get the job first. Then dazzle the office with your fashion sense.

      What you should wear for the interview is this:

      Navy Blue or Grey Suit (single breast)
      Crisp Clean White Dress Shirt
      Black polished shoes and matching belt
      conservative standard necktie (floral, gingham, paisley)

      do not use a Bow Tie, Skinny Tie, Solid Color Tie, or anything remotely flashy.

      Just my opinion. But I’ve been in the business world for 17 years.

      Good luck with the job interview!

      1. hendrik says:

        Thanks Robert for the input. Certainly it would be safer not to wear a knitted tie to an interview. But it always depends on the job and the profession you are interviewing for.

        1. Robert in VanCity says:

          You are correct. I’m in the accounting profession…so it’s definitely a no-no at my end. That being said…I am wearing bow-ties and knit ties now.

    3. Sebastian says:

      By the way, I took the risk and wore a knitted tie at the job interview. And I got the job in the end.
      But actually my interview-partners of the company didn’t really have a sense for fashion. They came without suits or ties, just wearing casual shirts (they were technical people in the textile machine industry).

      1. Robert in VanCity says:

        I’m glad you got the job! Congrats!
        But since they don’t have a sense of fashion — you could have got this job wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

        Nonetheless — wear what you like now!

  5. tebogo says:

    where can i get knitted ties

    1. hendrik says:

      Lots of places, but check out Bows-N-Ties.com for a nice selection of solid silk knit ties for under $20. Most other knitted ties in this price range are made from synthetics.

  6. TieGuy says:

    Is it okay to wear a knitted tie to a wedding?

    1. hendrik says:

      Of course! Go for it!

  7. Ruben says:

    Hey Guys, what type of shirt and knitted tie would you wear with a black suit?

    1. hendrik says:

      Hi Ruben, the black suit is one of the easiest pieces to find matching shirts and ties for. Let the season of the year, the occasion, and time of the day guide you. For spring and summer you can pick brighter and more fun tie colors such as bright pinks, orange, yellow, lime green, light blue etc. Best are white and light blue shirts. Also excellent for knitted ties are shirts with certain patterns such as gingham checks and other smaller plaids. These type of shirts are a bit more casual compared to a solid white shirt and therefore nicely compliment the more casual nature of the knitted necktie.

  8. Jeremy says:

    Hey guys, what color/pattern knit tie should I have to match a solid black cardigan?

    1. hendrik says:

      Hi Jeremy, I assume you plan on wearing this combo pretty soon, meaning during the summer months. That being said, pick a lighter and fresher color on the necktie. How about this one here for instance: http://www.bows-n-ties.com/Skinny-Knit-Tie-in-Orange-with-Blue-Stripes.html (please copy/paste into your address bar)

  9. Sharron says:

    Hi, some of these ties look similar to one I found at a thrift store. It says its a Chanel Paris silk tie made in Italy but it is not pointed at the end. It is straight. Have you ever seen one of these and if so do you know what it’s called?

    1. hendrik says:

      Hi Sharon, is this a knit tie? It does sound like it. If it is then you found a true gem that is likely from the late 60s. Mind sending me a photo?

  10. Dani Zape says:

    where can i buy your knitted ties online. thanks.

    1. hendrik says:

      Hi Dani
      Copy and paste this URL in your address bar. There are close to a hundred of knit tie designs:
      http://www.bows-n-ties.com/knit-ties/

  11. AB says:

    Great blog post! Very informative read, what kind of collar goes best with a Knitted tie?

    1. admin says:

      Hi Alexander, you can wear all kinds of collars with knitted ties. Typically medium spread collars or button down collars look best. If you want to go for a very fashion-forward look, then extreme cutaway collars are fantastic with knit ties.

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