Men's Ties Fashion Faux Pas

Nine Things You Can Do Wrong with Your Necktie (and Shouldn't)

Picture it in black and white: a man stands on a streetcorner, sticks his arm out for a cab; turns to a beautiful woman. She grabs his necktie and pulls him down into her warm embrace. Fade to black.

The power of a good necktie? Maybe it takes a little more than that, but a neatly-arranged tie certainly brings a man's appearance together in a way that nothing else can quite manage. It's Bogey, Brando, and Bond -- confidence, control, and charisma draped neatly down the front of the shirt. And front and center on your body, it's also one of the most important pieces of clothing to get right.

This is the guide to getting your necktie wrong: all the ways you can do it, why they're bad, and how to avoid them. Stay clear of these basic mistakes and you'll be ready to wear your tie with all the confidence of a silent movie star.

Mistake #1: Not Caring About Ties
If you're approaching your necktie as a chore that you'd just as soon get out of, you're doing it wrong. The idea that ties are uncomfortable and awkward-looking is just flat-out wrong. If you take the time to understand the role of the necktie and the best ways to wear it you'll be able to pick out a tie that's as comfortable and as flattering as any other well-chosen piece of clothing.

It all starts in the head. If you're thinking about your tie as an irritating necessity of dressier situations you're unlikely to take the time to find one that's comfortable and flattering. That's a good way to wind up settling for whatever's convenient -- which often looks boring at best.

Don't resign yourself to making do with the ties your kids gave you for Father's Day. Think of your necktie as what it really is: the most visible gesture of personal style the basic business standard includes for a man. Being in control of your tie is being in control of your outfit. For more information on tie care please read our tutorial titled How to Store Your Ties

Mistake #2: Wearing a Low - Quality Tie
If you're willing to take your tie seriously, start by throwing out all the freebies, presents, and novelty ties. Those don't have any places on the front of a serious man's body. You want something well-made, whether it's bold and attention-grabbing or restrained and dignified.

The material of the tie is critical. It's very easy to mass-produce ties in synthetics that hold colors and resist stains well, so expect to see a lot of these on store shelves. The problem is usually textural -- most synthetic ties are light-weight and have a plastic-like smoothness to them, making it hard for them to hold a well-defined knot. They can also look reflective and shiny under bright lights, which looks a bit tacky.

Silk and wool both make good, high-quality neckties. Silk is smooth and lustrous, holds colors well, and has a full body that gives it more weight than artificial alternatives. Most well-made ties with patterns or designs dyed on them are made with silk. Wool is used in thicker "knit" ties, often monochrome with a pattern woven in rather than printed on the surface. These are heavy and make a large, well-defined knot.

The effect of high-quality materials is subtle but powerful. Avoiding the tacky shimmer of plastic-like synthetics makes a tie seem like a more natural part of your outfit and keeps it from drawing too much attention. A good, solid knot with a body of its own gives your tie definition and presence. And the construction of a tie made from quality materials is likely to be better as well -- you'll get a studier, longer-lasting wardrobe item for your money. Quality ties don't have to cost an arm and a leg either. We at Bows-n-Ties.com carry handmade silk ties starting at only $18.90.

Mistake #3: Wearing the Wrong Color
A badly-chosen tie sticks out like a sore thumb. It's right there on your chest, drawing attention to it the whole day. Don't throw just any tie on, and especially don't throw on one that's going to clash. Understand colors and the role of an accessory before you choose a necktie. A well-matched color will go a long way to making your necktie the accent of a dapper gentleman.

Small accessories like ties are meant to add variety to outfits. That means that you want a certain amount of contrast between the necktie and the rest of your clothing. Look for a color that stands out against the shirt below it and is also distinctly different from any suit jacket or trouser colors.

If you wear other accessories such as pocket squares, it's often effective to select them all from the same general color "family." Your accents shouldn't match, but similar colors give an impression of careful choice, and keep the contrast consistent throughout the outfit. Too many different contrasting colors start to look cluttered and clashing.

A bit of boldness is all right in a necktie. Don't be afraid to wear a color that stands out, so long as it isn't so bright that it looks garish. The best color combinations will make use of relations like complementary colors -- opposites on the color wheel that go well together naturally like red and green or blue and orange (browns and other earth-tones can also read as orange, for purposes of pairing shirts and ties).

Mistake #4: Wearing the Wrong Pattern
A badly-chosen pattern has the same effect as a mismatched color. The viewer's eye goes automatically toward the spot that stands out, and they wind up staring at your chest instead of following the tie naturally upward toward your face.

Contrast is just as important in patterns as it is in color. A good necktie should have a pattern that's distinct and different from everything else in the outfit. If you're wearing a shirt with narrow stripes, avoid a necktie with the same. A solid color or a printed figure pattern with a large scale will look better. It's important to make sure all the patterns in your outfit are different in scale -- if one pattern is small and detailed, don't wear it with something else small and detailed. Find something bold and simple instead to give the needed contrast.

There's rarely a good reason for a man to wear a tie with a single printed image rather than a repeating pattern. You're going to have a very hard time not looking like the guy in the Mickey Mouse tie. Avoid the novelty look, and take a pass on any ties with big printed graphics, no matter how much you like them.

Mistake #5: The Wrong Size of Tie
Neckties are a balancing factor. They define the chest area, draw the eye to it, and guide it on upward to the face. You don't want a tie that's making your chest and torso seem oddly-proportioned, so find a tie that lies neatly down the middle of your body.

The tie should always be long enough to reach past the waistband or belt of your trousers. A gap of bare shirt between the tip of the tie and the belt makes you look divided in half -- and draws the eye straight to your midsection, which most men would just as soon avoid.

Extremes in width come and go with fashion but should generally be avoided; you're better-off with a tie that leaves a few comfortable inches on either side between the edge of the tie and the lapels of any jacket you might wear. If you're not wearing a jacket, a slightly wider tie becomes more manageable, and may even help to look you more evenly-proportioned if you have a broad chest.

Mistake #6: A Poorly-Tied Knot
Your head rests directly above the knot of your tie. If the knot is off-center or askew, your head winds up looking crooked as well. Make sure you're taking your time and "dressing" the knot at every stage as you tie it -- smoothing the tie flat and adjusting the places where it crosses itself to make sure there's no bunching or folding.

A "measure once, cut twice" approach helps with neckties. With a little practice you'll come to know how much length the knot itself takes up -- how much lower the broad end needs to hang when you first drape the tie around your neck. About a hand's length is a good estimate, but pay attention to how much difference that leaves between the ends and adjust as needed in the future.

Some tie knots are more symmetrical than others. The most commonly-taught (and easiest) method of tying a necktie is the four-in-hand knot, which actually produces a slightly uneven knot. One side of the triangle is longer than the other in a completed four-in-hand, which may be more or less noticeable depending on the thickness and weight of the tie itself. A full Windsor knot or a Pratt-Selby knot takes a bit more mastering, but creates a better-looking knot for very crisp ties. For information on proper ways to tie a necktie please see our tutorial on How to Tie a Tie

Mistake #7: Mismatching Knot and Collar Styles
By the same token, not all knots go with every shirt. A tiny knot in the middle of a broad, spread collar looks undersized, and makes your head look too large in comparison. A large knot tied in a bulky tie makes a lump of cloth that sits awkwardly on the front of your body. Keep the collar of your shirt in mind before you start tying the necktie in the morning -- make sure you have the right styles paired up.

Four-in-hand knots, as mentioned above, are slightly asymmetrical but still very functional knots. They're also easy to tie (so easy they could be tied one-handed by grooms holding the reins of several horses, hence "four-in-hand"). It's a small knot that looks best with a narrow collar, where the points are reasonably close together and vertically-oriented. It's a good knot if your tie is a bit on the short side, since it uses up less length than the more complex and symmetrical styles.

Full Windsors are the dressier "staple" knot that most men are familiar with. It creates a big, triangular knot. You want a collar with a wide enough spread to leave some room on either side of the knot, and you don't want to try wearing a very thick tie in a full Windsor. Tied in a high-quality tie with a good, firm body the full Windsor will be almost perfectly equilateral, making the most balanced shape.

Pratt knots, also called Selby knots and sometimes Pratt-Selby knots (the origin of the knot is something of a complicated story) create a similarly equilateral shape but in a much more compact form. They look good with a smaller collar spread. They also use much less tie than a Windsor, making them a good alternative when your tie is running short.

Half Windsors have a narrower triangular shape than their larger cousins and use less fabric. The knot is a bit on the flat side, lacking the full Windsor's body. It's a good alternative for knit ties, which tend to be too thick for a full Windsor and have enough body of their own to make a good, solid-looking knot.

Mistake #8: Paying Too Much
You don't want a low-quality necktie, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't find affordable ones. Higher-end menswear stores have a habit of marking smaller accessories like neckties up quite a bit more than necessary. The prices have more to do with keeping the store exclusive-seeming than any actual costs of manufacturing.

Keep an eye out for bargains on good ties made from real silk or wool. Many brands and manufacturers are online these days, with direct retail sales as well as wholesale. The shipping charges are often quite a bit less than the mark-up at brick-and-mortar stores. Bargain shoppers can also have good luck at second-hand shops in well-to-do towns -- men with enough ties to be giving them away to charity often wind up with at least a few good ones in the mix.

Mistake #9: Neglecting the Details
If you've gone to the trouble of selecting a good tie and making sure it goes with your shirt, do yourself the favor of finishing the details off right. Dress the knot up as neatly and evenly as possible, and then look just beneath it. The knot pulls the sides of the tie inward, making it wrinkle, and a well-dressed man always takes the time to adjust that wrinkle into a neatly-centered "dimple." Use the tip of a finger to press the dimple into place if you need to.

Some ties will look best with accessories of their own. A tie pin or clip is always a nice way to add a bit of flash to a restrained tie without violating business etiquette. There are also shirt collars specifically designed to be pinned in place, using a thin metal bar that lifts the knot slightly upward and out. The unusual style will surely be noticed, so use it sparingly -- but confidently!

Conclusion: Respect Your Necktie!
The necktie is more than a necessary gesture to be endured begrudgingly. Chosen and tied with care it gives your outfit the finished look of a well-dressed man. The "manly" role-models of each generation have been tie-wearers -- men who knew their way around a necktie and never feared wearing one when the situation called for it.

Take the time to avoid these nine basic mistakes, and wear your tie with the same confidence.

Your Bows-n-Ties.com Team