Custom ties are a traditional and eye-catching way to bring a team or club together. A bespoke and tailored piece of neckwear will greatly enhance an outfit, especially when worn for a special event. But what about when it comes to styling your custom tie? How can you make sure that it matches the rest of your outfit? Are there right and wrong ways to wear a custom tie? Here are a few words of advice …
The challenge of styling a custom tie
A custom tie provides the finishing touch to your outfit and will set your team or club apart from the crowd. It may form part of a uniform, in which case, you will know exactly how to style it. But it may also be a one-off piece of neckwear, perhaps created for special events, a team kit, or a work conference. As much as you like your custom tie, you may not have personally chosen the design of it, as well as the pattern, colour or features decorating it. So you may be looking for a bit of advice when you come to styling it with your existing wardrobe.
The good news is that custom ties generally come in traditional and established patterns and colours, that should complement most suit and shirt combinations. Popular designs include diagonal stripes, or all-over logos, in a range of classic shades, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to match your tie to the suits and shirts you already have at home.
Custom tie style rules
Style rules generally say that you should only have one statement piece in an outfit. If your custom tie features a bright pattern or colour, it’s a good idea to make sure that it doesn’t clash or compete with the rest of your clothes, but that it blends in. This isn’t generally an issue when it comes to your suit. Suits are usually created in darker shades of grey or blue, precisely so that they are easy to style up with a shirt and tie.
Most tie designs will match well with a white or light-coloured shirt, this will also show it off well. If, however, your tie is of a simple pattern or in a subtle colour, you may wish to choose a bolder shirt or suit to give your outfit a boost. Alternatively, should your tie be in more of a bright or dazzling design, an outfit comprising a simple suit and a plain-coloured shirt will let your tie take centre stage! If you are unsure what will match, you can’t generally go wrong with a charcoal or dark navy suit and a white dress shirt.
Custom ties for all occasions
It’s also worth bearing in mind the different tie fabrics and weaves. Generally, the smoother and simpler a fabric is, the smarter it looks. Silk ties are very versatile and a sophisticated option for all seasons. They can be worn on many different occasions but are particularly good for formal events, as the smart sheen will add some extra polish to an outfit. Polyester has a reputation of being cheap looking, but these days the quality is of an extremely high standard and they are longer lasting when worn regularly, so a good option if your custom tie is for wearing every day.
There are various ways in which you can knot your tie and this will also depend on the fabric of the tie and the finished effect that you are wishing to achieve. The most common way to tie a tie is with the Four-in-Hand knot – this is the standard way that many of us were taught at school and this suits most tie fabrics. For more formal occasions you may decide to try a smarter Windsor knot, which is a wide symmetrical knot that really shows off the tie’s design, or the Half-Windsor, a smaller knot that is ideal for lighter fabrics.
Let’s not forget about other accessories, such as tie clips, cufflinks and pocket squares, which will all help to enhance your outfit and compliment your tailoring. However you decide to style your custom tie, it’s sure to give your outfit a fantastic finish, adding something unique and special to your chosen look.
