Tip-of-the-Day: Tie/Lapel Ratio

I've received many comments and questions regarding my recent post about super-skinny ties, and the correct ratio/sizing. Here is a simple rule that can easily help with your proportions:

Your tie, at it's widest point, should be about the same width as your lapels (or slightly slimmer, but never wider).

This will give you a good balance. And as we all know, life is all about good balance.

Yours in style,
SB

Tip-of-the-Day: Lose the super skinny sh-t

A movement starts. Men start wearing their clothes more fitted, in part due to European influences.  More and more men shop for slim clothing, putting new found effort toward looking stylish. Time passes.

A trend starts. Trendsters get wind of this new "tailored" look and, in what seems like a natural progression, bring it to the next level. Slim turns to skinny, and stylish begins to look a whole lot like corny. A trend dies - some men go down with it.

Seriously, fellas, enough with the super skinny sh-t. In particular, ties.

There is nothing more "trying-too-hard-looking" than a tie that can be mistaken for your little niece's fat sneaker laces. At 1" (2.54 cm) wide, neckwear screams "look at me, I'm really cool!".

Your tie, like your clothing, should be slim, not skinny. The difference can be inches, or fractions of inches, but it is crucial.

When it comes to neckwear, try not to go any slimmer than 2.5" wide (2.75"is my ideal width...for now). Sooner or later tie widths are going to swing the other way, along with lapel widths and jacket lengths.

Oh yeah, and proportions are key! While I try to figure out a proper tie-width-to-waist-size ratio, lets just say that if you are a big guy, a skinny tie won't look any better on you than skinny jeans would.

Thanks for reading!

Yours in style,
SB

Tip-of-the-Day: Save the Pastels for the Summer

I kinda thought this was a little too "common sense" to blog about, but today I saw two different guys wearing easter-egg-colored shirts, under heavy (and oversized) black overcoats.

Fellas, lets save the pastel colored shirts and ties for the summer time. I can't really explain why, other than it just doesn't look right in 35 degree weather. I'm not saying you can't wear color in the winter, just that the hues should be muted. If you insist on wearing pinks and purples, keep them darker, stronger pinks and purples.

Most of the time I agree with GQ's fashion team...but I was surprised to see a couple of the colors in their new "Ultimate Winter Shirt-and-Tie Wardrobe" feature.

The bright pink shirt (2nd in the top row), and the teal/aqua shirt (3rd in the 3rd row) would be hard for alot of men to pull of in the summer, let alone the winter. Otherwise, mostly fail-safe options.

Thanks for reading!

Yours in style,
SB

Reader Question: Tiny Knot

Reader:

Hey SB,

I’m really into this slim tie thing, but I’m 6’2, and whenever I try to make a knot, no matter if it is a four-in-hand or a Windsor knot, whatever I get is a really tiny knot. As a result, people stare at the knot itself (or the near non-existence of it) not the tie. I know a small collar may help, but, do you have any specific technique to make a good knot in a skinny tie?

Thanks.

SB:

Hey, great question! I know exactly what you are talking about, and it can be frustrating.

Yes, a smaller collar would help balance out your smaller knot (and would look very "of the moment"), although I am not a big fan of the tiny collar thing that has taken over in high-fashion. The trick is to use a higher quality, thicker (not wider, but more "gerthy") tie made of multi-ply silk. Regardless of the width of the tie, this will help give your knot some heft. If you are not up for getting all new ties, try knotting your tie further down its body, making it longer so that you don't have to pull it so tight (the looser you tie it, the bigger your knot will be). 

Short of that, I wouldn't go too crazy trying to reinvent your skinny tie wardrobe...my prediction is it won't be very long before all the super-skinny stuff is "soooo yesterday".

Hope this helps. 

Thanks for reading,

SB

Reader Question(s)

Reader:

What's up man, 2 questions...

1. I'm feeling the whole tie bar look and just got a pretty sweet one off of amazon.com...The more I rock it, the more I am realizing that I could have gotten a much better one. Mine is a little lengthy and isn't the kind that snaps into place, thus sliding it over the tie is a little annoying. Can you link/recommend any better alternatives that wont break the bank?

2. When you get your suit pants/slacks altered do you have the leg taken in, and if so what width do you ask for, i.e. 8 inches, 9 inches?

SB:

Hey, thanks for reading!

1. There are thousands of tie bars out there, of all lengths and widths. Some have engravings, some are even "bejeweled". My advice is to keep it simple...as simple as possible. Go with a narrow silver tie bar, 2 inches long (ideally you want your bar to reach perfectly across the width of your tie, no shorter, no longer). The one I wear is by Tiffany & Co. It is 100% .925 silver which will last longer than I will, and will not go out of style any sooner. Find it here. J. Crew has a similar one which is a little cheaper. Some guys get it engraved with their last name or something inspirational, but in my opinion this looks tacky. If you feel the need to mark your territory do it on the underside where it is concealed but just as much "yours".

Photo via GQ.com

2. I usually try to buy pants that are already tapered down in the ankle, but if you find a pair that you really like and they are not slim enough through the leg, yes you can have them tapered by your tailor. Just make sure you go to a good tailor because it can be tricky to make the tapper look natural. I wear my pants slimmer than most American men at about 7-7.5" across the hem, I recommend to most guys to go with an 8" ankle to be "safe".

Hope this helps. Yours in style, SB.

The Return of the Bow Tie

Ladies and gentlemen, the bow tie is back! Welcome back little friend, we`ve missed you.

Bow ties are showing up on the streets more and more, so if you`ve been thinking about trying one out, do it asap...it still hasn`t gone quite mainstream, so you still have time before it becomes "played out".

If you`re a beginner in the bow tie game, the trick is to keep it dark, with a simple pattern, and, most importantly, keep it in proportion. For example, if you are 6 foot 9 like my main man Ben "Bid Watch" N. then a super slim bow tie by the likes of Thom Browne or Band of Outsiders might make your head look too big. On the other hand, if you are 5 foot 5 like my man Chris "Dimple Daddy" C. then an oversized neckpiece might make you look smaller than you`d like.

As a matter of fact, proportion is key in everything, not just bow ties...I`m working on a post on the importance of proportions...coming soon.

Lastly, stay away from clip-ons. Learn to tie one yourself, there are plenty of helpful links on the internet. And in case you are wondering, no, not all of my friends have nicknames :)

Yours in Style, Style Blogger.

Tip-of-the-Day: Compliment, Don't Match

There is virtually an unlimited number of options when choosing shirt/tie/pocket-square color combinations. In order to limit the options and make easier decisions, most men "match" the color(s) in their shirt to the color(s) in their tie, and do the same with their pocket square. Light blue striped shirt = light blue pindot tie. Solid pink shirt = pink striped tie. In my opinion, this is amateur dressing...it's the easy way and rarely makes for an interesting outfit. Furthermore, if your tie came with your shirt in a box-set as pictured below, you really need to rethink your wardrobe.

Few men really understand color, but those that do also know that complimentary colors can transform an outfit. Try a dark green tie with a pink striped shirt, or a purple tie with a light gray striped shirt. It's really a process of trial and error. Hold up several different ties to your shirt and see how it looks...soon enough you'll get the hang of it. You don't need to be safe and pick matching colors.

When in doubt, here is a fool proof recipe: light shirt, dark tie. Works everytime.

Yours in style, Style Blogger