How To Buy A Necktie
Does your wife buy your ties? Or do you just wear the ones the kids get you for Father’s day? Perhaps you should pay more attention to your ties. For many business people, the first impression they will get of you will be your tie.
Like it or not, impressions are formed on the basis of what people wear. If you wear a shabby, worn out tie, a person you need to impress might leap to the conclusion that you are shabby and worn out.
We do choose what we wear, and those choices certainly influence the way people react to us. Sometimes those reactions can cost us a promotion, an advancement, or even a coveted job. And for men, it’s the necktie more than anything else that shapes how others view his status, confidence, personality, and credibility.
What to Consider When Buying a Tie
Length is the first thing to consider. A tie that hangs below your belt buckle is laughable, but so is one that rests just below your breastbone. So your height is, obviously, the first factor to take into account when you’re shopping for new ties. The knot you tie is also a consideration. Some take more inches from your tie than others. Standard ties are 55 to 56 inches long. Next, look at width. I know—fashion is so faddish with regard to width that you wonder why you should make it one of your criteria. When thin is in, wide looks ludicrous. Try aiming for in between—not too wide, not too thin.
What fabric is your tie going to be made of? You want it strong enough so you can knot it. This generally depends on a lining of coarse fabric in most ties. There’s no doubt that silk is best fabric for a tie but if it doesn’t have a good lining, it loses its advantage. Look at silk/polyester blends. Some of them are very nice. They look like silk and have the wear qualities of polyester. Also, you may want to consider wool or cotton ties. Each has a special look that you may like. However, neither wears as well as silk or polyester.
OK, now we come to the touchy part—the pattern. If you’ve ever had people make fun of you because of the pattern of your tie, you may be a little gun-shy here. Besides, there are so many choices that zeroing in on one is difficult. You don’t want anything that is wildly patterned or colored; it’s bound to embarrass you.
You know, you can never go wrong with a solid one if it’s well-made and the fabric is nice. Just make sure it matches either your shirt or your coat. There are many stripes, ranging from conservative to not-so-conservative. Polka dots can even be subtle and attractive. Some ties are lots of fun, and that’s OK so long as you keep them for a family reunion and not for the boardroom./script>
