Ties. What's nice and what's nasty?

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I have no idea. I know some people who are pretty up on fashion and they can point to one tie, say it's nice, then look at another identical tie and say it's awful.

I'd hate to be a tie wearing guy. Apparently there are different styles. I know of bow-ties and kipper-ties, but are ties cut differently in the same way as suits?

I'd like to be informed about ties. Please provide examples to back up your good tie/bad tie claims.

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

no 'wacky' ties. certainly any tie with a picture on it is unacceptable.

make sure it goes with your shirt, is the only other rule which should never be broken.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)

I'm all about paisley ties and liberty print ties (inherited a load from my dad - MAN, are they expensive to buy new) and skinny ties.

― Kate Classic (kate), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

old skool ties

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Are stripes fashionable? Must they be diagonal? Spots?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:10 (twenty years ago)

I've never worn a tie in my life. I have a bet with a friend of mine, who on her part has never danced the slow jams with anyone. If I ever happen to wear a tie, she gets to shave my beard. If she ever does a slow jam, I get to shave her hair.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:12 (twenty years ago)

Head hair is a bigger sacrifice than facial hair, is it not?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:19 (twenty years ago)

That's what she agreed to. I've had a beard for over 4 years though.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:23 (twenty years ago)

I see.

Would you be shaved if you wore a bow tie?

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

im partial to vineyard vines ties, but im a nerd and a prep.

― slow jamz and white guy indie acoustic shit (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

oh, www.vineyardvines.com

― slow jamz and white guy indie acoustic shit (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)

Skinny ties good. Skinny ties made of leather also good. Big kipper ties a bit hmm but you should probably own one as long as it has a pretty pattern on it (a mix of diagonal stripes good, spots bad, pictures bad). Old school ties bad. I stick to dark subtle colours: browns, blacks, grays, dark blues, dark reds but a certain type of person could pull off something more eyecatching and if you're that person I salute you.

Only if you're very dashing and skinny and 'electro' can you get away with the infamous synthtie look: ihttp://store.drumbum.com/media/piano-piano-tie.gif

I'm puzzled by bow ties. What do they *mean*?

― Affectian (Affectian), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

I second Lex (and may add, make sure it goes with your suit too !).
as for skinny ties, it depends. doesn't look too good with a "business" suit.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

I hate bow ties with a passion. I can't think of any social situation that actually calls for the wearing of a bow tie. I HATE them. They render anyone who dons them clownish.

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

Except M. White who always looks dapper.

― Kate Classic (kate), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

solid colours, silk

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

I once got called out after I told a friend of mine that I thought I probably had about a hundred ties. He made me count them and it turned out I only had seventy-two. But that was about a year and a half ago, so I'd imagine the total is somewhere in the mid-eighties now.

Skinny is definitely the way to go - I'd probably avoid anything wider than about two inches at its widest point. Colour-wise, it depends on the shirt obviously, although greys, blacks and blues are fairly safe. Pink silk also works with almost anything. Patterns - diagonal stripes work well. If you're going for dots, the dots have to be small.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Affectian OTM on everything except possibly skinny leather ties... Really not sure about that - anyone provide a pictoral example of it looking good? Oh, and actually, old school ties can be okay, but it depends on the motivation behind it. Wearing it in fond reminiscence is fine (I have one that my best friend gave me when he left the school - girls didn't wear them but boys had to), but to indicate a pally-pally networking thing is k-bad.

I favour brown ties (because, uh, I only wear brown clothes) - the best is diagonal stripes of brown/cream/orange.

Never seen spots looking good, I think it's something to do with the shape not fitting the design.

Oh oh oh, and speaking of shape - never, ever go for the flat-bottomed tie; even skinny ties should have a point.

― emil.y (emil.y), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

I'm wearing my great-grandfather's tie! It's red, skinny-ish and quite short with grubby white dots.

I was in Selfridge's the other day, and although I only expected to find maybe one or two nice thinner ties (I thought it was a given that they were cooler these days), you'd think that across all the designer brands there'd be at least some variation in width..... but no! The ties were universally fat jazzy salesman ties, without exception. Nasty!

The only way to be nice ties is vintage.

― Mestema (davidcorp), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

"be nice ties!"

― Mestema (davidcorp), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)

I can't think of any social situation that actually calls for the wearing of a bow tie.

Bow-ties = necessary for proper formal kilt-wearage.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:35 (twenty years ago)

I love some of Robert Talbott's more extravangant neckwear. If that makes me a fop, so be it.

― elmo (allocryptic), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

I think ties can be nice.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:45 (twenty years ago)

Selfridges has the most insane selection of ties in the world. I think they believe everyone is Jon Snow. Zara and Topman both tend to have thin ties. There was a shop in Camden which had a huge tub of skinny leather ties of all colours and styles and they were only £2 each. They've gone now and now the exact same ties are being sold in Absolute Vintage for something stupid like £20.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

There's a great bit in a Chandler book, I think it's The Big Sleep, when Philp Marlow is explaining what he's wearing when he goes to meet General Sternwood. I may get this wrong, since it's a while since I read it, but it goes something like this:

I was wearing my dark blue suit, my powder blue shirt and my red tie. My shoes were shined, I was clean shaven and sober, and I didn't care who knew.

The important point is that the tie contrasts with the shirt. The "fashion" for wearing ties that actually seem to be exactly the same as the shirt is apppalling and all people who do it should bemade to do something very unpleasant.

Also, ties should be silk (but that may just be an affectation).

Paisley and liberty print patterns are good. Spots are okay. I'm not keen on stripes but don't mind them. NEVER pictures and NEVER NEVER cartoon characters.

― andyjack (andyjack), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

i wonder if it's possible to make ties with cartoon characters on them trendy... it's a challenge !

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

It's so rare that anyone in my social circle (or at work, for that matter) wears a tie that as soon as I see somebody in one I go a bit wobbly at the knees. Silk is better than polyester, comedy ties are out, obviously, and I don't like the huge footballer's knot. Follow those simple rules and it'll be good for me. I'm a fan of the knitted tie in particular.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

what do you call the "huge footballer's knot" ? a windsor knot ?

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

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