Put This On

Q and Answer: How Formal Are Bow Ties?

Ken asks: Is a bow tie more, less, or equally as formal as a long tie, or does formality depend on pattern/texture etc? What about a diamond tip bow tie v. a traditional bow tie?

Bow ties aren’t really more or less formal than long ties. They’re different.

The most formal occasions call for bow ties. For black tie or white tie events, the black or white tie in question should always be a bow. These ties, of course, are very specific - either satin or grosgrain, in solid black or white.

Because of this association with evening and dinner clothes, any color bow tie is particularly at home after dark. It’s a little more fun than the long tie, and so it travels well to parties, openings and the like.

During the day, though, I’d describe it as a more casual choice. It’s certainly more eccentric. You can wear a bow tie in a business context, but only in a business context where it’s appropriate to stand out. Because stand out you will, even at a meeting of Republican thinktank employees or popcorn magnates.

One aside: when wearing a bow tie, remember that it will leave much more shirt visible on your chest. For this reason, the bow looks best with a three-button coat, or a waistcoat. Without that higher V, the expanse of shirt will make the outfit look unbalanced.

Ties with Contrasting Blades

I’ve been enamored lately by ties with contrasting blades. That is, ties with one color or design on the front and another on the back. The constrasting tail peeks out a little bit when you wear it, especially if you don’t use the tie’s keeper. This helps set off the front blade as well as add some visual interest.

The large photo above is a Drake’s raw silk tie that I have with this feature. The front has thin yellow and white stripes set against a green ground. The tail has alternating green and blue stripes, as well as a gold linen thread running through. It’s a very subtle difference when worn, but I think a nice one. The other tie is a Drake’s bicolor knit with a solid-colored tail. Zegna does these designs with knits every season, but they’re incredibly expensive ($250-500 per tie).

These aren’t the sorts of things I would wear to a serious business meeting, but I think they’re enjoyable in very casual settings. I’m currently in the middle of having Sam Hober make one for me. He sent me some fabric swatches and I’ve been mulling over different combinations. I think if I stick to basic colors and play more with textures than prints, then it should turn out well. I’ll post a picture of it here when I get it.

If I’m not mistaken, I believe this is a Drake’s tie from this season. It’s always easier and safer to go with a dark, conservative pattern, but sometimes a brasher, bolder choice can be much more enjoyable to wear. I think this photo shows how it can be done well and without sacrificing any elegance. 

Barney’s is carrying something similar right now. It’s on already on sale, but if you wait a few weeks, it will be discounted another 30%. Mr. Porter also has some brightly-colored Real Ancient Madders. They just had a 50% off sale for founding members, but I imagine that will be made public soon. 

(photo from ethandesu)

Adding Texture with Boucle

I recently bought and have been wearing one of Drake’s boucle ties. It’s a wonderful tie for fall and a nice way to add some texure. The word boucle comes from the French word boucler, which means “to curl,” and it refers to how the yarns are formed. The fabric is made with a series of looped threads, typically with one being a bit looser than the others. This looser thread forms a small curled loop in the fabric, while the others form the anchors. The effect is a fabric that looks very textured and interesting, and feels slightly rough to the touch.

Boucle ties were made in the 1950s, but they haven’t been produced in some time. Drake’s brought them back, however, and I think they’re fantastic. Online photos don’t do them justice. Just as you would need to see a slubby raw silk tie in person to understand its charm, you have to see a boucle tie in person as well.

Though boucle can be a bit bulky, these ties are quite light and manageable. They add texture to a look not unlike grenadines, raw silks, and knits. I find that they’re easier to knot than raw silks, however, and think look best with tweed and heavy wool sport coats. If you’re a fan of textured ties, this may be one to add to the collection.

Keep Good Ratios

Beware of getting side tracked by too many small purchases. They can be like Sirens. Ties are perhaps the best example. It’s fairly easy to come across a good deal on a tie, and many can feel hard to pass up. Twenty-five dollars here, forty dollars there, and before you know it, you have a massive collection of ties, most of which you probably never even wear. 

It’s easy to end up with too many ties, but how many should you own? Sydney D. Barney, author of Clothes and the Man, recommended that a company president have at least forty-eight, an established professional at least twenty-four, and a young bachelor at least thirty-six. This was written in 1951. The estimation for a young bachelor might be a bit high for today’s time, but I think the rule of thumb still roughly applies for all the others. 

Another way to think about this is to make sure that every combination of suit, sport coat and shirt that you own has a properly matching tie. Solid blue or grey suits, along with solid blue or white shirts, can carry almost any tie. It’s only the with the less staid suits and shirts that you should worry about - the bright solids, multi-coloreds, bold stripes, and checkered. As François Chaille wrote in The Little Book of Ties, “if you have ten shirts and two less conventional suits or jackets, the minimum number for a proper match would be twelve.” I would actually say that the minimum number be about twenty, as that would be the combination of shirts to suits or jackets.

So, in short, I recommend that you start by building a strong foundation of basics. If you have white or blue shirts, and blue or grey suits or jackets, then begin by having at least a dozen basic ties if you don’t plan to wear them often, and two dozen if you do. This foundation should include solid colored grenadines, silk knits, repp stripes, pin or polka dots, ancient madders, and a few wool and linen ties for good seasonal measure. After that, figure how many “non-traditional” shirts, suits, and sport coats you have, and make sure you have at least two or three matching ties for each combination (including what you can do with your basics). What you want to avoid is being the man who has a hundred ties, but only two suits. If you’re in that position, you don’t need to buy another tie. You should buy a new suit. 

The Color Purple

Most men rely on standard colors for their wardrobe - blues, greys, and browns, in various shades and textures. These are good foundational colors since they’re easy to wear and complement each other well. However, only relying on these colors get a bit boring, and eventually cease to excite the eye. As such, it’s good to have a few secondary colors in your wardrobe just to break things up a bit. Salmon pink, hunter green, and bordeaux are all very nice, but today I’ll talk about purple. 

Purple can make a statement since it’s a unique color. However, it’s so closely related to blue that it can also feel familiar and sophisticated. Purple is also much more versatile than men give it credit for. It complements many of the standard colors men wear and serves a good substitute for blue. For example, a dark, deep purple tie goes well with a tan jacket and light blue shirt, and can be used any time you would otherwise wear a navy tie (though the conservativeness of navy can make it more useful). 

I also recommend purple socks. Michael Drake, co-founder of Drake’s of London, wears them as a personal signature of eccentricity. This past summer, I often wore purple socks with light blue shirts and pants in either a grey tropical wool or tan linen (first picture above). I’ve found that this ensemble goes especially well with brown suede shoes. 

Hardy Amies once said of purple, “I can see no use for this handsome, not unmasculine colour except for ties, socks and handkerchiefs.” I, however, think it can be used for more than accessories. For example, lavender shirts go quite well underneath navy or tan suits. You can pair it with a conservative, charcoal tie, and then have a secondary color in the tie pick up the lavender in your shirt or the color of your suit. This practice seems to be common in Moscow. From my observation, one in six men here on the street will be wearing a lavender shirt, and it always looks good (assuming the shirt fits well). 

The standard palette of grey, brown, and blue is a nice foundation, but don’t neglect to have some secondary colors here or there. Purple works with a number of colors and wearing it well can add variety into your wardrobe. Just don’t overdo it. Wearing too much of it will make you look like Barney, and doing things such as matching purple socks to purple ties will make you look too studied. Purple, in my opinion, should be worn with a healthy dose of nonchalance. 

(pictures above taken from Ethan Desu, A Bit of Color, Men of Habit, and me)