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Affordable Men's Style

Would you wear it? The Toned Down Tie Bar

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Nordstrom Calibrate Plated Brass Tie Bars – $29.50
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It feels like the Mad Men inspired tie-bar trend is starting to grind down.  And with the sun coming out more, that’s not a bad thing for the retinas of the world.  Most tie bars come in the shined up sterling silver or silver toned look.  That’s all well, good, and classy, but wear one of those on a bright sunny day and you could blind someone.

Some guys like shiny stuff.  Some guys don’t.  The “don’t guys” tend to stay away from stainless steel watch bands and favor the natural matte finish of leather.  Now a leather tie bar would probably look pretty funny.  These seem to be a nice compromise.

Achieved through plating brass, the Nordstrom house brand calibrate has more than a couple of these gunmetal tie bars up for your perusal.  Some have been over ticked with texture, but some (like the one up top there) sure appear to get it perfect.  And at just $30, they’re nice and affordable.

So would you wear one?  Or is it all shined up silver for you and nothing else?  Leave your take on these as well as tie bars in general in the comments section below.
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Comments

  2. I’d wear all of them. I have about three tie bars with different finishes (gold, gunmetal, and silver). I usually try to match them to the finish of my belt buckle.

  3. I’d wear it with a darker or more conservative tie. It would look a bit out of place on a brightly colored “spring/summer” tie.

  4. I have seen these in stores. At 1.5 inches, they are a little shorter than a standard tie bar, which might cause issues with normal to wider ties.

    Which is why I wouldn’t get one.

  5. I LOVE gunmetal in general, and I generally like muted and understated colors (arguably because I’m colorblind and have trouble matching colors and patterns well), so this would jive with my style.

    Thanks for the tip, though Anton — 1.5″ seems quite short, even for the skinnier ties I wear.

  6. Thanks for the heads up. I needed a shorter tie bar, so I may have to grab one the next time I’m at the mall.

  7. If I still wore ties I’d jump on this. Nothing annoyed me more than fighting with unruly ties flapping around. These days if I wear one I’ve usually got a vest on so no problem with that.

  8. I would definitely wear one, but I’m pretty happy with my $9.99 on sale tie bar from Macy’s. I wanted one that was completely unembellished – just a simple silver/steel-looking tie bar, and I got one for a great deal last February. Huzzah!

  11. The shorter length tie bars come in handy when I decide to go with a more casual knit (which is usually noticeably skinnier).

  14. Yeah. I would definitely wear one, or all three (though not at once).

    I like a classic, shiny silver tie bar, but in my general style I enjoy a matte look. My photography prints, my straight razors, guitars, etc. most are a matte/satin/patina finish. These would fit in well with that.

  16. I have one that’s a gunmetal / black polish and love wearing it. Works with most ties I have. Will consider picking one of these up.

  17. I probably wouldn’t. I don’t wear tie bars too often as it’s unfortunately way too trendy right now due to Mad Men. The tie bar I wear is sterling silver.

  18. I probably wouldn’t. I don’t wear tie bars too often as it’s unfortunately way too trendy right now due to Mad Men. The tie bar I wear is sterling silver.