Ties

TIES AS FASHION ACCESSORIES

The tie is the king of men's neckwear, the number one fashion accessory for men. Ties represent class, style and elegance. While the suit and shirt are fundamental to a man's dressed-up attire, the necktie's versatility is perfect to tweak style and express personality. Suits and shirts are often neutral, a low-key backdrop that pushes ties and pocket squares into the spotlight – not unlike a painter's canvas. Bow ties are of a possible neckwear alternative, but mainly for festive occasions. In most circumstances, neckties still dominate the neckwear scene completely. And although most people consider ties quite formal, they can also express your personality. This multi-talented neck accessory is draped right at the centre of attention, in the middle of your torso, the spotlight position of a man's dressed-up look. You could even argue that your tie is your fashion storefront. So you have a lot to gain by putting a bit of effort into your necktie purchases and habits. For the most part, though, let your own taste guide you – the truly important rules are rather few.

NECKTIES ONLINE

Tieroom is Europe's prime destination for necktie shopping. We offer online access to a huge range of neckties, in a wide variety of fabrics, colours and patterns, all labelled Notch, our own brand. We only use high-quality fabrics as well as highly qualified manufacturers who have proven their expertise over time. Fast shipping and easy returns along with outstanding customer service means a smooth, seamless, no-hassle shopping experience. Convenient, easy-to-use filters allow for quick and easy selection, whether it's a particular product type, fabric, colour or pattern you wish to single out. Long experience and constant commitment means we continuously strive to improve everything in our products. The constant flow of positive customer feedback encourages us and strengthens our conviction that we're doing a lot right. But if there's room for improvement we want to know about it, which is why we also value when our customers convey suggestions and constructive criticism.

OUR TIE COLOURS AND TIE PATTERNS

If you're like most tie bearers, you start your tie selection process with a colour or a pattern. Convenient filters make your life as Tieroom customer easy. The most common ties overall are red ties and blue ones. Typical spring designs often include pink, yellow as well as lighter tints of blue. Energetic, orange ties don't really fall into a seasonal category, and the same goes for sophisticated beige or grey ties. White and black ties are a chapter of its own. In short, you'll find every colour imaginable, and all colour combos in between.

The same goes for patterns, whether you prefer solid ties, one carefully selected colour, or the striped tie, with roots in the military context. Dotted ties have a timeless aspect about them, and so do small-patterned tie designs – both can look almost solid from a distance if the dots/pattern is small-scale enough. The big-scale dot pattern polka dots is popular on festive occasions. Floral ties are tied to more casual and festive occasions, but there are stylised flower patterns, too that can be used in a semi-casual context. Paisley ties are also very festive in character,, but it has become one of the most viable patterns out there. If you enjoy when your tie is noticed or sparks up a conversation, we have quite a few alternative ties that might do the trick. Conversational ties can easy be too much, but we've gone through great lengths to keep the balance between inspirational and stylish.

LENGTH AND WIDTH

Length and width are essential. The length of our ties is determined to suit the majority. When tied, the tip could reach your belt buckle or just surpass it – there's not a whole lot of flexibility here. You can actually use the visible length of your necktie as a tool to manipulate people's perception of how tall you are, to some extent. Make your tie slightly shorter and you will be perceived as taller and vice versa. The principal method of adjusting the tie's visible length is to adjust the length tie tail, but the size of your tie knot also plays a part – the bigger the knot, the shorter the tie. Two widths are available in Tieroom's ties for grown-ups – classic width ties (8 cm at the widest point) and skinny ties (6 cm), the latter often referred to as slim ties. Wider could be called regular width, whereas the skinny or slim one is generally considered more youthful. Go for classic if you're uncertain. Please consult our size guide to find exact measurements of length and width of various product types and product models.

Many families and friends like to synchronise tie-wise, at weddings and other important occasions of celebration. That's why we stock our most popular tie designs in children's sizes (boy's ties) too.

TIEROOM'S FABRICS

Our neckties are crafted of the finest fabrics, Mulberry silk ties, quality wool ties, light, summery cotton and linen ties and even velvet. Whereas the lion's share of our ties are woven, we also have a selection of knitted ties, great travel garb, and a modern, casual, dressed-up look.

THE TIES' DRAPE / FALL AND INTERLINING

Tieroom's long experience and constant commitment means continuous tie evolution, in many respects. All our products are subject to constant evaluation and, if needed, improvement. The fall (or drape) of the tie refers to the way the tie drapes and behaves when held or attached around your neck. The tie's fall depends on the tie's thickness, weight and suppleness, which in turn depends on a number of factors: - the characteristics of the used textile - the thickness of the interlining, wool being the thickest. - the type of weave in the fabric – as an example, patterned ties with woven patterns require more textile than solid ones, hence thicker fabric and thicker tie

Tieroom started out with 100% wool interlining, which is the traditional recommendation within tie making. Through trial and error, we've now moved on to a 50–50% wool/polyester interlining. The result is a better balance between stability and flexibility, and consequently a more manageable product with a nicer fall. In other words, it generally makes your necktie life a heck of a lot easier trying to get those tie knots and dimples right.

TIE KNOTS

How do I tie a necktie? What tie knot should I use? These are two common questions when it comes to tying tie knots. As always, the answer isn't simple or straightforward. One aspect of it is to let the tie's thickness guide you. A tie with a thicker fabric (like wool, velvet, flannel or linen) naturally creates a bigger knot. If that's the case a smaller type of knot is preferred. Contrarily, a printed silk tie may be so thin it needs a bigger knot, like a half Windsor or full Windsor knot. A more taste based to go is to choose between symmetrical and asymmetrical knots. In any case, if learn the four-in-hand, the half-Windsor and the full Windsor knots, you're basically covered for all your tie knot needs. Having said that, there are hundreds of more or less useful tie knots to explore and have fun with on YouTube! Keep in mind, though, that the more elaborate tie knots are often not so practical and useful – many of them require so much of your tie's length that it will end up too short, and you'll have to wear a waistcoat to cover it up. Although three piece suits look great, it's not a dress code you should be forced into due to an overly elaborate knot.

A NECKTIE FOR EVERY OCCASION

We prefer personal taste to rigid rules when it comes to ties. So for the most part, let your own taste guide you! The strict dos and don'ts are few, obvious things like: "don't wear a tie without a shirt!", "don't choose a conspicuous tie for a job interview or a funeral!" or "don't wear ties with shorts". But sure, there are things worth considering, aside from the obvious. If used well, the tie can efficiently convey almost any effect you desire.

Signal professionalism at the office and respect with a sober, low-key tie and dark, formal suit, for example. If you're a lawyer, a navy blue tie may help you appear reliable and trustworthy, the darker the blue, the more conservative the effect. The red tie has become a power statement, which probably explains why red ties are so popular among politicians, business executives and other people of power. Red ties are frequent business wear in general, but usually darker shades. Dark red or burgundy ties are business classics and together with a charcoal grey business suit, you'll blend in at any workplace with a dress code. A suit and a solid tie in a discreet colour is almost always acceptable.

Weddings are usually semi-casual, a bit more upbeat than formal, but still ceremonial. A wedding opens up most parts of the colour spectrum. But people often agonise when dressing up for a wedding. Leaving the spotlight to the bride and groom is an established ground rule, but it's not always easy to know what's too much and what's too little. Unless a very confident dresser, guests tend to be prudent, discreet dressers, despite the joyous occasion. Champagne and subdued shades of pink and mint among the most popular colours for grooms are . Having said that, you'll probably attend weddings with all kinds of colour schemes. If you're a groom-to-be and wish to take it up a notch, you might want to opt for a cravat – yes, we have quite a few of those too. Such family occasions are also the main arena for tie matching within a group of people, which is why our huge inventory includes several ties for kids. Please visit our web page for wedding ties if this is your area of interest.

If the context is even more casual it opens up even more possibilities, a world of flair and creativity. The whole world of pattern, to start with. Tieroom's enormous supply covers the whole pattern range, from standard patterns like dots, stripes and small-patterned to more festive ones like paisley ties or more alternative tie designs with depicting motifs. Lighter and brighter colour along with more vivid patterns are fit for spring, summer, garden parties and a night out. With a knitted tie you get the best of two worlds, the semi-formal and casual fashion worlds. As individuality grows, so does the possibility to pursue your own fashion appetites.

But, even a generic outfit might turn out wrong in any given situation. Even seemingly casual, social contexts may have expectations and demands on your outfit. So no matter how much you know about dos and don'ts, always pay attention to dress codes, both implicit and clearly specified ones. Move slowly from basic to advance, building your fashion confidence step by step. Soon enough you're a fashionista – fashionistas can often violate many "fashion don'ts and still look awesome.

COMBINING YOUR NECKTIE WITH SUITS, SHIRTS AND ACCESSORIES

In general, aim for contrast, both when it comes to fabric, colour and pattern. Balance is key, and balance is most efficiently achieved using contrast. If you choose a more vivid suit or blazer it's better to keep the neckwear design more modest, and vice versa. If you want to use a striped tie on a striped shirt, make sure the stripe size differs between the two garments. If you go for a smooth silk tie, a wool pocket square might be a good idea. And so on.

Finding a pocket square that couples well with your tie is probably the best way to give your tie extra energy. Don't fall in the trap to use the same design for tie and pockerchief – there's so much that can be done with the pocket square: pattern matching, colour matching, fabric matching. Same same creates a bit of a uniform, static look. But if matching it's a conscious choice, all is good and well. Tie clips (tie bars) also add flavour to your tie, aside from its main purpose of keeping it out of your soup and the tie tail in check. And if you learn how to coordinate your tie with accessories like lapel pins, scarves and belts you might quickly become that modern, debonair man whose look is an object of envy for passersby. Who knows, you might even end up in one of those glossy fashion magazines. You can read more about matching and combining in our guide to tie matching.

Tieroom has a tie for everyone, whatever the occasion!