TIES AS FASHION ACCESSORIES
The tie is the king of men's neckwear, the number one fashion accessory for a man. Ties represent class, style and elegance. While suits and shirts are fundamental to a man's dressed-up attire, the necktie's versatility is one of the best means to tweak style. Suits and shirts are often more neutral than the necktie, a low-key backdrop that pushes ties and pocket squares into the spotlight – not unlike a painter's canvas. A bow tie is a possible alternative to the tie, but mainly for festive occasions – in most circumstances, neckties still dominate in dressed-up men’s clothing. And although most people consider ties to be quite formal, they’re very expressive personality-wise. This multi-talented neck accessory is right at the centre of attention, in the middle of your torso. So make an effort when you buy ties – it pays off. 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 give you around-the-clock access to a huge selection 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, easy returns and outstanding customer service means a smooth, seamless, no-hassle shopping experience. Convenient, easy-to-use filters allow for quick and easy selection of fabrics, colours or patterns. Long experience and constant commitment means our products are constantly improving. The never-ceasing flow of positive customer feedback encourages us and strengthens our conviction that we're doing many things well. But if there's room for improvement we want to know about it, which is why we also value when customers contact us with suggestions and constructive criticism.
OUR TIE COLOURS AND TIE PATTERNS
The tie selection process typically starts with a colour or pattern. Convenient filters make your life as a Tieroom customer easy. The most common ties overall are blue ties and red ties. Typical spring ties often include pink, yellow as well as the lighter tints of blue. Energetic, orange ties don't really fall into a seasonal category, and the same goes for sophisticated beige and grey ties. White and black ties, now that’s a chapter of its own.
Solid ties (one carefully selected colour) is the most common tie pattern, or possibly 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 pattern is small-scale enough. Bigger dots give more of a casual impression, and are often called polka dots. Floral ties are especially common in spring and summer, and just like Paisley ties they are are more casual and festive. If you like your tie to be noticed or even spark up a conversation, we have quite a few conversational ties that might do the trick. Alternative ties can easily become too much, but we've made the effort 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 the height of 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 – a slightly wider tie (8 cm at the widest point) and a skinnier one (6 cm). The wider ones are often called regular or classic ties. The slimmer one is called skinny or slim tie and is generally considered more youthful. The truth is that what width is popular changes over time, and perceptions also differ between groups. Choose the classic width if 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 (boys 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 (which is a much thicker affair). Whereas the lion's share of our ties is woven, we also have a selection of knitted ties, which often attract attention due to a flat lower edge instead of a pointed one. A knitted tie is great travel garb – a modern, casual, dressed-up look. Our premium ties are made in Como, in Northern Italy. Our Notch Como tieshave printed patterns, instead of woven as our other ties.
THE TIE'S DRAPE / FALL AND INTERLINING
Tieroom's has a serious commitment to a continuous tie evolution. 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 hangs and behaves when held or attached around your neck, and depends on the 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, hence a more manageable product with a nicer drape. 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 way to go is to choose between symmetrical and asymmetrical knots. In any case, if you 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 the web! 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
When it comes to ties, letting personal taste guide is usually better than abiding by rigid style rules., for the most part! 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 help you 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 is why it’s so popular among politicians, business executives and other people of power. Red ties are frequent business wear in general, but usually in darker shades. Dark red or burgundy ties are business classics and combined with a charcoal grey business suit, you'll blend in at any workplace with a dress code. Wearing 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 not enough. Unless you’re a very confident dresser, guests tend to be prudent, discreet, despite the joyous occasion. Champagne and subdued shades of pink and mint are among the most popular colours for grooms. 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 create a fashion of your own.
But, inconspicuous outfits can also turn out wrong in any given situation. Even seemingly casual, social contexts may have expectations and demands on your outfit, but more between the lines. So no matter how much you know about dos and don'ts, always pay attention to both dress codes and contexts, implicit dress codes as well as clearly specified ones. Move slowly from basic to advanced styling, building your fashion confidence step by step. Once you can call yourself a fashionista, you can violate the "fashion don'ts" and still look awesome.
COMBINING YOUR TIE 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 into 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!