The Tie

So now that you have a great suit, let’s talk ties. The tie allows you creativity in your wardrobe as you can combine a wide array of colours and patterns with your dress shirt and suit.

The first thing which must be said, is do not wear novelty ties or clip on ties. Novelty ties probably shouldn’t even be worn at the office Christmas or Hallowe’en party, and clip on ties just look bad no matter what. These will make you look like you don’t know how to dress or that you don’t care about the person you are meeting or the event you are attending. Other than clip on ties, there are special ties which go around the collar and have the knot tied for you using a zipper to allow you to tighten it. These sometimes achieve a good look, and are better than a clip on, but the best option is to tie your own necktie.

The best fabric for a necktie is 100% silk. There are other fabrics and blends, but full silk looks the best and is the easiest to tie making the best knot.

The knot can seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature to you. You can learn to tie one knot and stick with it, or master different knots for different occasions and shirts. There are many different knots which you can wear, though the most known and prominent today are the four-in-hand, the half Windsor and the full Windsor knot. Personally, this author prefers the full Windsor knot, as it does not look asymmetrical or crooked, as with the others, and though some will say it makes a very large knot, if you are using silk and know how to make this knot properly, it only looks too large when paired with a narrow shirt collar. Both the four-in-hand and the half Windsor knot can look professional with a suit, when tied correctly, but often they look casual and sometimes even as though the man dressed in a hurry. Even the full Windsor knot can appear this way if it is a loose knot, so no matter what your choice of knot, make sure it is tight. Some men say they don’t like to wear ties because they are too tight around the neck. Just because the knot is tight doesn’t mean the loop around your neck should be so tight as to cut off your air and choke you. These men probably are not wearing the correct size collar for their necks and it is that, not the tie, which is making them uncomfortable. When you tie any knot, make sure you don’t have a hangnail or any rough spots on you hands, as you do not want them to snag on a silk tie, pulling threads which will essentially ruin it. Always button the top button to your shirt and flip up the collar when making your knot, and when knotted, the bottom should reach to the middle of your belt. There are many resources, online and otherwise, to teach you how to tie your necktie. No matter if you read how or have someone show you, make sure to practice your knot so that you achieve a sharp look. Getting the proper length for your body will also take practice, and if you are a tall man, about 6’3” or taller, you may need to have extra long ties. Many shops do not have these in abundance, though there are many places online with wide varieties of colours and fabrics for the tall gentleman.

If you have mastered the perfect knot, you will want colours which complement you and your suit and shirt. If choosing colours is difficult for you, you can always use a colour wheel to help. Find the dominant colour of the suit and a tie which matches this colour; alternatively, find a less dominant colour in the suit and match that with your tie. The colours can be almost the same as the shirt or suit, or contrast to make the tie pop. Always harmonize tones and colours, but never clash. Solid coloured ties are great with patterned shirts and vice versa. If you want to wear both the shirt and tie patterned, make sure the sizes of the patterns are different. For example, if you wear a striped shirt, wear a dot or box patterned tie. If you want to wear both shirt and tie striped, wear a tie with its stripes twice as large as the shirt. The purpose of the tie is to complement or offset the colours you are wearing, not to distract people from your face. Even if you are trying to make your tie pop, it should still not make people focus on it so that they remember your tie rather than you. Bold colours can be seen as confidence, but choose carefully. Chances are if you think the tie may be too loud for the occasion, it probably is. It will be easier for you to decide which colours are appropriate for which events once you are comfortable in your suits, and if they become daily wear, you will want to be able to express yourself even if you work in a conservative environment. Remember, black ties are formal, and white ties are the height of formality.

To keep your ties always looking good, it is obviously best to never stain them, but in the real world, spills are bound to happen. It is extremely difficult to get stains out of ties, so any method you use to try and clean them should be executed carefully or when you are ready to throw the stained tie away. Before anything happens to it, you can spray it with a stain resistant spray, though these will not be completely effective in keeping all stains off. The best time to keep a stain from setting is when it first occurs. It would be handy to keep clothing wipes or stain remover pens in your pocket just in case. Always blot and don’t wipe as this will simply spread the mess around making it even more difficult to clean. Never iron a tie or throw it in the wash as the lining inside will become warped and it will no longer be able to be tied properly. Washing makes the lining and the outside fabric shrink and stretch differently from each other. Using a white cotton cloth and some rubbing alcohol might work for stains, and if all else fails, take it to the dry-cleaner. You might wonder why you shouldn’t have taken it to the dry-cleaner in the first place. They often use harsh chemicals and cleaning methods which will ruin your ties. There are some dry-cleaners which will take special care of your ties and not ruin them, but ask them about it before assuming your ties will come back to you as if they were new. Avoid wrinkles and creases by untying your tie after each wear and hanging them up or rolling them with the face side out. You likely spent a lot of money on them, so don’t just throw them around to settle anywhere when you get home. Ties should be taken care of, just like your good suits.

A great accessory for the necktie is the tie clip. This will hold your tie in place keeping it from flapping in your face or from wandering around in front of your shirt. A tie clip matching your cufflinks and belt buckle looks crisp and neat, and is great for office, party or meeting.

Like any item of clothing, neckties come in a variety of qualities. You don’t have to buy the most expensive to look good, but cheap ties can make you appear cheap. Again, like any item of clothing, you can find good quality ties for better prices by looking for bargains and sales, and just because something isn’t a name brand doesn’t mean it is cheap.

Neckties are a great investment since they do not wear out like other parts of your wardrobe, and if you like to follow trends, you can keep those out of fashion ties as they will probably come back in fashion later. Basically, it is just a good idea to have many styles and colours for your own individuality and creativity.

The Suit

Even if you are not a fashion connoisseur, you can likely tell the difference between a professional and a pauper just by the clothes being worn. Sharp bespoke clothing makes a man look professional, successful, self-confident, knowledgeable, fashionable and sexy; and that’s why the ladies love a well dressed man. The first thing potential employers, clients, customers and women will see of you is how you are dressed, and even if you have a great personality or are perfect for the job, that first impression will set you apart from the rest.

The suit has distinguished the gentleman for more than a hundred years, and though trends may change, a classic suit with your own personal flare will give you the edge. Looking too casual can make you seem unprofessional, unprepared and not serious about your career or clients, and even if you are not at the office, a too casual appearance will send the same message. So what should you look for to be that sharply dressed man?

The first thing to consider when buying a suit is the fabric. There are different types, but most people agree the best fabric for a suit is wool. Wool is durable, it breathes well, and it gives a classy look. The different types of wool to choose from are tweed, flannel tropical and worsted.
Tweed is the heaviest of the wools, and is likely too heavy for normal everyday use at the office. It is not ideal for heavier men as it will make you look bulky. Tweed will give a very mature look and tends to be associated with old professors or long evenings in the foggy English countryside.
Flannel is the heaviest wool after tweed, so it is also most likely too heavy for everyday use in the office. It is corded wool making it durable but it will be awfully hot in the summer.
Tropical is a wool crepe and is quite lightweight so it is good for the summer, but because of this, it is easily wrinkled. If you are a busy man, you probably don’t want to be running back and forth to the dry-cleaners because of a constantly wrinkly suit.
Worsted is the best and most ideal. It is durable without the heavy weight of tweed and flannel, and not so easy to wrinkle as tropical; and it can usually be worn all year round.
Some of the other types of fabrics suits are made out of are silk, cotton, linen and polyester. These are not necessarily bad fabrics for suits, but they are inferior to worsted wool. They are lighter materials which would be good for summer wear, but make sure they are of good quality or they could crease and wrinkle making them not good candidates for traveling. Polyester is durable and cheap, but it often looks it. So be careful when choosing these fabrics. And of course all of these materials including the wools have different blends and qualities.
It is a good idea to have at least three suits so that even when one is being cleaned, there are still two to wear in your rotation, though if suits are a staple of your wardrobe, and they ought to be, you may wish to have more than that in some different materials to choose from for various seasons and occasions.

The second thing to consider when buying a suit is the colour. The main colours for suits are navy or business blue, charcoal and various tones of grey and brown. These colours are all good choices and can also be worn in pinstripe. You can’t go wrong with them, though the brown tones tend to be better for more casual wear. Black suits are more formal as they tend to be for weddings and funerals, but they also give a sense of authority, so if you are the boss, you may like what a tapered black suit says about you. You can also wear not so classic colours to show your own personality, but be careful as they may make you look less professional, and therefore, are more casual. For instance, if you want to wear a purple suit, go ahead, but be prepared for comments about the Joker if you do.

All the best fabrics and colours won’t mean anything, however, if you look sloppy or as if you have borrowed someone else’s suit. Knowing your measurements will help give you a proper tailored look, and even if you are looking for a casual suit, it should still fit you correctly. The measurements to know are neck, shoulders, sleeves, chest, waist and inseam. You can measure yourself or have a friend help you, but any reputable shop will be able to measure you. As you try on suits from off the peg or are being fitted, make sure you are comfortable, being able to stretch, bend, move your arms, sit down and of course stand with ease. Most peg suits adhere to the six inch drop size, which means that the waist size of the trousers is six inches smaller than the chest size of the jacket. Since most men do not personify this model; however, it would be most ideal to have a suit tailor made. Of course most people cannot afford this so there are two options after buying a peg suit: have either the trousers or jacket adjusted to fit you properly, or to mix and match. For the man on a budget, this is a good option because you can still look good without the high prices. Also, since you are buying the pieces separately, you can buy two pairs of trousers to go with one jacket and alternate between the pants so that all pieces wear evenly. This means that your suit will last longer, and so that you do not have to attempt to find the same style, size and colour later. But make sure your mixing and matching doesn’t leave you looking like you are wearing the jacket from one suit and the trousers from an entirely different one as this will appear sloppy.

So let’s move on to the individual pieces of the suit. The trousers should fit being able to fit two fingers into the waist for comfort. Braces or suspenders will not ruin the flow of the trousers, but since most men will prefer a belt, make sure it will not cinch the fabric making an awkward flow. The length of the leg is better a bit too long than too short, though it should be a little beyond the ankle resting on the tops of the shoes and not trailing on the floor or under the shoes as this will quickly ruin them and look sloppy. The style of trousers is up to the individual, though pleats tend to better cover the stomach. So if you have a flat stomach, flat trousers are well suited. Cuffs on trousers tend to be better for taller men with long legs.

And now the focus of the suit, the jacket. It should fit easily across the stomach and you should have no trouble buttoning it. As stated previously, you should be able to move your arms with comfort, though don’t make the mistake of buying a jacket too long in the sleeves. The jacket sleeves should just reach to the base of the thumb to reveal a half inch to an inch of the shirt cuff when your arms are by your sides. It is unnecessary to have padded shoulders in a proper fitting suit, unless your shoulders are particularly small, as the padding often looks 80’s dated and silly, but sometimes a soft and light padding can be used to simply square out the shoulders. The main styles of the suit jacket are single and double breasted. They both have two buttons, but can have as many as four, and they can have wide, thin, long and short lapels. If you are tall and thin, long and thin lapels might make you look gangly, but if you are large, these same lapels might make the suit appear too small for you. Most jackets will be in between regarding the lapel length and size which works for most people. The normal length of the jacket should reach to just before the tips of your fingers when standing. The single breasted jacket has the buttons in a straight line at the centre, and this is the most common and easiest to find off the peg. The double breasted jacket has two sets of buttons and fastens farther across the front of the jacket. Some argue this will make them less suitable for the heavier gentleman, and some argue it will make him look mighty. If you opt for the handkerchief in the front pocket, this should be classic white or match the colour of your tie.

One style of suit this author would like to see make a true and full come back is the three piece suit complete with cufflinks, pocket watch and fedora. This suit is often associated with prohibition era gangsters because of the movies, but let’s face it, gangsters or not, those men looked good, stylish, and sharp. And gangsters weren’t the only men wearing them. So were the detectives, bankers, doctors and lawyers to name a few. Some people would only wear this style of suit for Hallowe’en, but they wouldn’t make sure such a costume were proper fitting and of good quality. The full three piece suit when worn correctly is sure to raise eyebrows, but it doesn’t have to be old-fashioned, nor does it require those certain mentioned accessories.

Which fabric, colour and style you choose is up to you, but consider the purpose each suit will be used for. Try them on and look at yourself in front of a mirror to decide which is best for you. The suit is the staple of the sharply dressed man, so don’t ruin it with an unsightly shirt and tie, scuffed shoes, or a bad hair cut. Consider all these aspects of your wardrobe to make sure you give a great first impression.