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3 Tips for Finding Your Perfect Tie

Three Tips for Choosing a Perfect Necktie

Men’s ties come in any imaginable color, design, fabric, and even cut. Because there are so many choices I noticed that even those who have been wearing ties for many years often find it difficult to make a decision when browsing tie racks. This is often a result of simply not knowing what to look for in a tie other than your personal likes and dislikes. While personal preference is of course important, there is quite a bit more that goes into choosing the right tie. So long as you have a solid idea as of what to look for when shopping for a tie, however, you’ll have a much higher chance of being confident about the order that you place. The following are three essential tips for choosing the perfect necktie, none of which should be overlooked.

Proportion (Length/Width)
The first, and perhaps most important thing you should consider when choosing a necktie is proportion; that is, the length and width of the tie, and how they relate to a person’s size/build. As a general rule, the right tie is one which is directly proportionate to the size of the individual who wears it. Men who fit into the “big and tall” category, for example, require a tie that is a little bit longer. For that reason many retailers carry Extra Long Ties. Not sure if you need an XL tie? Then have a look at my Tie Length Calculator

Next, let’s talk a little bit about tie width. Bigger men typically look best with regular width ties (3.25 to 3.75 inches) while shorter and/or thin men can add a trendy touch by wearing skinny ties (2 – 2.75 inches). Besides your built, the type of jacket you wear needs to complement your tie. As a good rule of thumb: The narrower a tie the narrower the lapels of the jacket should be. For more information please also have a look at my post from a few weeks back titled “Style Tips for Skinny Ties“.

Finally, let’s talk about tying your tie in the right proportion. First, the tie should be tied to end near the center of your belt buckle. Second, the size of the tie knot should fill the gap between your collar – making larger tie knots (such as the Windsor) more suited for spread (aka cutaway) collars.

Color
A lot of men seek to determine which color is perfect for them early on after becoming interested in wearing neckties. In such a case, it’s important to realize that there’s truly no such thing as a “one size fits all” color, as each ensemble and situation dictates the need for certain color palettes. For example, black tie events call for just that (black bow tie), with other tie colors being off limits. Semi-formal “suit and tie” scenarios, on the other hand, offer up a great deal of other possibilities. As far as the most popular colors for this scenario go, deep blues and reds find themselves towards the top of the list. These colors tend to connote professionalism and confidence, and are ideal for those who are trying to sway a crowd in their direction. If you’re looking to take a casual approach to wearing a tie, you can experiment with practically any color to see whether or not it is a good fit for your outfit. That said, strive to choose ties based upon seasonality; pastels and light colors in the spring/summer, rich earth tones in the fall/winter.

Pattern
Once you have a thorough understanding of which colors to choose and when, you should move onto choosing the right pattern for your tie. There are a variety of different schools of thought regarding how to properly pair a patterned tie with an ensemble, but perhaps the most important thing to understand is that the pattern of your tie should not otherwise be present in the rest of your outfit (otherwise, clashing will almost always occur). For example, a striped shirt will look great with a dotted tie, yet not with a striped tie. Stick to semi-patterned ties at first, which are far easier to pair than those with loud patterns; thin/wide stripes, dots and checks are all excellent options. Of course, the simplest pattern of all is that of the solid-colored tie, which also happens to be the most versatile. if you feel as if a pattern you’re considering might be too “loud,” it likely is, and you’ll do best by just moving on.

I hope you find this Tie-Guide helpful. Thanks for visiting my site!

Sincerely,

Hendrik