Are You Making Any of These 7 Tie Mistakes?

Section: Neckties, Bowties, and Pocket Squares - Blog

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Making even one of the following tie mistakes could turn a stellar first impression into an unforgivable fashion faux pas. Commit all seven and you could be kissing your image - and maybe your career - goodbye forever. Here's what you need to know to stay on the safe side of wearing your ties in sartorial style.

Stick on a tie and you’ll be right. While this is a common belief among many men, it’s simply not true. Adding a tie to a shirted or suited ensemble should, in theory, bring an air of formality to your look, but if you’re making any of these mistakes, then you’re actually doing far more harm than good.

Making a mess of the knot

This is by far the worst mistake you can make, and strangely it’s also the most common. Next time you’re at a wedding take a look around at your fellow tie wearers and like as not, the men with poorly knotted ties are the ones that rarely wear suits.

But no matter how little you wear a suit, there’s no excuse for a poorly knotted tie. There are literally thousands of videos on the internet that walk you through a knot for every occasion. So remember, Google is your friend.

Tying it too short

Sartorial sacrilege of the worst possible kind. A tie that is too short says one thing and one thing only; you have no idea what you’re doing. Aim to have your tie end near enough to the middle of your belt buckle. Any shorter and you risk looking like a schoolboy wearing a clip-on effort.

Thinking novelty is cool

We understand how easy it is to fall into this trap. But no matter how much you like The Simpsons, there is no way you should be wearing that Homer tie your dear old mum bought you on her trip to Bali. If you really want to show your love for your team or favourite pastime, then do so with your casual clothing. No exceptions.

Mismatching with other elements

When you’re out tie shopping, consider how it will look with the suits and shirts in your wardrobe at home. A common mistake is to buy a tie because you like the look of it and then just wear it with whatever comes to hand.

It’s not quite so simple, and ideally, you want to be following a theme of some sort with all of your clothing choices. Luckily for you, we have a post on that right here.

Not taking proper care of your tie

The necktie is, without doubt, the focal point of your ensemble so having it pressed and cleaned properly should go without saying. Unfortunately, it’s something we often forget until the last moment or that we don’t even think of at all.

Imagine someone asking you what that funny little design on your tie is only for you to realize it’s a gravy stain from your brother’s wedding last year. Yes, these things do actually happen.

Wearing the wrong width

Skinny ties are very much in these days, but they don’t go with everything. A regular cut suit with wide lapels will look decidedly odd with a pencil-thin tie. Equally a skinny fit suit will look like it shrank in the wash if worn with an overly wide tie. Remember your proportions.

Over-accessorizing

Yes, we love a nice tie bar, but when it’s covered in rhinestones and matched with an excessively blinged out tie chain, you’ve probably gone too far. As we have mentioned on many an occasion; subtlety is everything.

Understated is by far the preferred option in all of your accessories but particularly so when it comes to neckwear. Like we said, your tie attracts the eye naturally, so there’s no need to draw more attention to it than necessary with such ostentatious additions.

No matter how many of these mistakes you are making, you can always make a fresh start. Learn how to tie some knots, and then make sure you have at least a half dozen ties in your wardrobe that are easily matched to your suits and ties. If you’re short of ideas, download our lookbook and take inspiration from the many looks we at Montagio have created for you.

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