The Five Styles of Ties Every Guy (even a minimalist) Needs
About the author: Chris (aka Bruschetta) is an America-born university researcher and teacher based in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as a moderator on Threads. His sense of style is inspired by a childhood dressed in Ivy league trad, and the fact that he is enormously well bred.
The concept is simple: pick one tie out of each of the following categories and you’ll be set to tackle every tie-mandatory situation that life may throw at you. These are the essential five ties that’ll cover everything from weddings to interviews, office life, travel, and even leisure (if you’re the type to wear a tie while dressed down). Every tie on this list meets the following criteria:
- Pairs well with white and blue shirts.
- Pairs well with navy and charcoal jackets.
- Appropriate in a wide variety of situations.
#1. The Mandatory Solid Black Textured Tie
The Why: A black textured tie is the perfect choice for more formal events. It’s most often found at funerals, memorials, or other events where style takes a back seat to respect. So while you might not use it as often, a black tie is something you’ll need to have in your arsenal. Solid black ties are also a stylish option when attending concerts, private art galleries, and other fine arts events. Ian Flemming often had James Bond wearing a black knit tie in his books. Even with a navy suit. Yes, really.
The Picks:
- Charles Tyrwhitt 3.33″ Woven plain – $49 (but always on sale). As traditional as it gets. The texture adds depth, a feature that’s required in black ties: sleek silk or satin black ties can often come across as cheap.
- Kent Wang 3″ or 3.5″ Grenadine – $75. Possibly the perfect funeral tie (if such a thing can exist). It might be worth spending more for those times when conveying respect is of the utmost importance.
- TheTieBar Black 3” Grenafaux or Black 3” Solid Texture – $15. TheTieBar’s Grenafaux is an inexpensive option that ticks all of the right boxes. The solid texture tie is a little more subtle thanks to a lack of shine.
#2. The Essential Navy or Deep Blue Tie
The Why: Navy ties are a staple in every man’s wardrobe. In fact, most men could probably get by with a closet filled only with navy ties. Solid navy ties are one of the most traditional choices for interviews. Pindot navy ties are equally beautiful (if less conservative), and offer a bit more flair.
The Picks:
- Brooks Brothers 3.25” Solid Textured Navy or Dot Repp – $79.50. Gorgeous, and holds up well to regular wear. A high regular price, so it’s worth the wait for a seasonal sale or purchasing two in-store for the 30% off discount.
- Nordstrom Calibrate 3” Navy Solid or Pindot Woven Silk – $49.50. Look for these at Nordstrom Rack locations, where you can find them for sometimes as low as $15. The pindot is busier than most, since there are woven circles in the space between each pindot that add texture to the tie. Good for a business casual workplace.
- TheTieBar 3” Grenafaux in Navy or Navy w/ white Dot – $15. The solid navy is the best budget interview tie out there. Conservative, classy, versatile; this tie is a winner. The white dots are a little less formal.
#3. The Indispensable Burgundy Tie
The Why: Burgundy is the second most versatile tie color after navy. A burgundy tie can come across as confident and assertive, and it makes an excellent choice for an interview. Solid burgundy ties are less aggressive than their brighter red cousins. Pindot burgundy ties are a timeless and classic style.
The Picks:
- TheTieBar 3” Solid Texture – $15. The solid texture burgundy tie is another nicely priced interview tie. It’s a much better option than the burgundy Grenafaux,which comes across as unpleasantly bright and shiny.
- TheTieBar 3″ Solid Wool Tie – $15. 70% wool/30% silk. Try it with dark denim, an OCBD, and a charcoal sport coat.
- Brooks Brothers 3.25” Dot Repp Tie – $79.50. A timeless classic. The pin dots on this tie are a light blue, whereas the pin dots on the other ties are white. That light blue tones down the aggressiveness of the burgundy.
- Charles Tyrwhitt 3.3” Woven Burgundy & White Textured – $49. A gem, but of course, wait for a sale. It’s a dressed-up version of the classic pindot burgundy tie. Highly recommended.
#4. The Paramount Striped Tie
The Why: It’s easy to go off the deep end when it comes to patterned ties, but a classic diagonally-striped tie will never go out of style. Striped ties are more visually complex than a solid or pindot die. They offer a chance to display some individualism. That being said, great reward comes with greater risk: striped ties can quickly veer into undesirable territory. Stick with something classic and timeless unless you’ve got a real strong personal sense of style.
The Picks:
- Brooks Brothers 3.25” Repp in Burgundy/Navy – $79.50. 3.25” is a classic width, and the burgundy/navy stripes pair well with both navy and charcoal suits. This tie is work appropriate and subjectively more interesting than a solid navy satin tie.
- Charles Tyrwhitt 3.3” Handmade Grey Wool Stripe – $85. A splurge, but perfect for casual settings. This tie was made to be worn with dark denim and an OCBD. The stripes pair well with white, light blue, navy, and all shades of grey.
- TheTieBar 3” Navy Wool Stripe or 3” Navy/White Stripe – $15. The rougher texture of the 70/30 wool/silk mix means that it can be dressed down for the weekend. The 100% silk navy/white stripe variation is a more formal, all-season tie.
#5. The Obligatory Glen Plaid Tie
The Why: Glen plaid is one of the most versatile, more intricate patterns that a man can have in his tie drawer. A grey glen plaid pattern compliments most if not all of the common shirt and jacket colors and textures. The style is equally at home in casual and formal settings. It is office appropriate under a suit, and looks great on the weekend when paired with a white OCBD with the sleeves rolled up. Glen plaid ties have gained a reputation as wedding ties in the men’s style community, and they’re frequently worn at weddings by both guests and grooms.
The Picks:
- Brooks Brothers 3.25″ Golden Fleece® Saxxon™ Wool in Navy – $67.50. A non-traditional choice since it’s made with a blend of wool and silk, but the texture adds depth and character.
- Kent Wang 3″ or 3.5″ Glen Plaid – $85. An excellent wedding, special event, or heritage tie. The pattern on this tie is beautifully centered.
- TheTieBar 3.5” Glen H. Plaid, 3” Glen H. Plaid, or 3” Wool Glen – $15. TheTieBar’s Glen H. Plaid ties are the best value in this style. Don’t confuse the Glen H. Plaid ties with the far less attractive “Spring Glen”. TheTieBar often misses the mark with its patterned ties, but this one is spot on. This may just be the perfect groomsmen or wedding party tie.
MEANWHILE, about the brands chosen above (and their prices)
Brooks Brothers: Their ties are a splurge at their full price of $59.50-$89.95, but their ties are frequently included in Brooks Brothers regular seasonal sales. The seasonal sales typically stack with their regular in-store 30% off multiple purchase discount. These sales put most of their ties in the $35-40 range. Additionally, Brooks Brothers offers last season’s ties through their clearance section for 50-75% off.
Charles Tyrwhitt: The regular price of $49-$85 for a tie is absurd, but their ties are frequently discounted. Never pay full price for anything at Charles Tyrwhitt. Expect to pay $20-30 for these ties. Alternatively, keep an eye out for their frequent free tie promotions that offer a tie for free with the purchase of a shirt. The catch? You’re on the hook for shipping. In other words, the true cost of the tie is effectively the $9.95 shipping fee.
Kent Wang: These ties are out of reach for most of us at $85 per tie. They have an excellent reputation in the style community for quality and service. These are heritage ties for an important life event.
Nordstrom/Calibrate: This house brands is a reliable (if not particularly inspiring) choice. The Calibrate line is massively overpriced at retail, but they’re easy to find at Nordstrom Rack outlet stores for $15, and at that point they’re a favorable comparison to TheTieBar. Speaking of…
TheTieBar: These guys have established themselves as the go-to source for inexpensive ties. The quality of TheTieBar ties isn’t the best, but they’re durable enough for daily work wear. They’re the perfect option for someone who wants a reliable, inexpensive tie and doesn’t want to invest in a more expensive option. And chances are, they’ll have whatever style you’re looking for.
NOTE: This post was limited to the long-style, necktie necessities. Bowties weren’t included. But if someone is buying a tuxedo, they’ll obviously want to pick up their own black, self-tie (not pre-tied) bow tie to go with it.
Great article! I hope that this is one of many in a minimalist series!
I have seen a lot of comments on Chipp Neckware and their Grenadines for $50. Anyone have any experience into the brand or specifically the grendadines from Chipp?
Do you know the Glen Plaid tie pictured here in the blog? Or stock picture? Thanks
This is the first time I clicked on the link to the Murder by Death quote. Great movie; kinda embarrassed I didn’t catch the reference.
Oh yeah, nice ties, too.
great article!
The only complaint i have with the TieBar is that their ties tend to be rather long which complicates tying them to ensure the small end doesn’t hang too low. I either have to go with a full windsor not to eat up length or tuck it into my shirt which is really annoying.
Thanks Joe, I needed this post. I’m always struggling with what tie to wear.
Any reason you decided to go with all 3+ inch ties?
This wasn’t a Joe article, it was written by Chris, aka Bruschetta!
Thanks Jamie (fixed original post)
While I agree with most of the choices on here, I’d argue that a patterned tie – like a silk neat, macclesfield, or even paisley – is equally versatile. Due to the use of different colors in the pattern, they will often pair well with the basics. My advice would be to keep the base color and pattern generally subdued. These will work in more formal and business situations (including interviews, etc.), but are probably less fun for weekends and social events.
Younger guys who aren’t quite sure what a proper necktie should look like should check the Ben Silver website. Then see how closely they can match one with a Tie Bar, Tyrwhitt, or Land’s End tie.
Those are traditional tie widths, anything narrower than 3″ is considered skinny, and is a bit more trendy. Of course, how it looks will depend on your physical build – as it will look less skinny on a long lean person than on someone with a wider build.
Back in the day, Chipp was known for bright colors, and their made-to-measure suits were famously lined with the wildest patterns you can imagine. Haven’t tried one of their ties lately, but it’s on my list now.
This. I really like that navy and gold version.
“Where style takes a backseat to respect.”
That is quite possibly the best line I’ve ever heard on this site. Well done.
That particular tie actually belongs to me. It’s a Gitman but I don’t see it available online anywhere. The color is not navy, but a traditional black/silver-ish with a gold contrast stripe.
Great article! I have heard good things about Sam Hober ties but haven’t seen one in person. I have one from eHaberdasher and one from CT and the eHaberdasher is a touch nicer.
I’ve found grenadines (all of mine are from The Knottery) to be my favorite solid ties. Interesting enough to pair with a solid shirt, but still easy to pair with a patterned shirt. I haven’t worn a regular solid tie in a long time.
I watched a documentary the other day about King George VI (of “The King’s Speech” fame). A contemporary radio broadcast described the mourners gathered in London to commemorate his funeral, including the men who were “all wearing their black ties.” These were mourners among the “common” people, not those involved in the funeral procession who wore formal morning dress or the particular uniforms and regalia dictated by their station.
The black tie as men’s mourning attire (in lieu of all-black formal attire like morning dress) does appear to be a legitimate “thing.” No need to let a black suit gather dust in your closet in between funerals.
I have two of their grenadines, a black and a (dark) purple. They are fantastic. the price is great, the texture is exactly what you want out of a grenadine, the width is spot-on, the colors are rich without being loud (yes, even the black is a very nice black). I actually wore the purple one yesterday with a navy seersucker suit. It looked great. I get my clothes tailored at the shop where they make and sell the ties and they always have a bunch out on display. They all look very nice – even the ones in colors I have no interest in.
Excellent Article. Tiebar ties quality is suspect but affordable.
Good article. I like articles like this on minimalist/staple items.
What about a black-knit tie?
Chipp grenadines are a great and at the price it is well worth it. Highly recommend them.
I assume the tailoring work is excellent there, but could you tell me how the prices are? I’m looking to get a blazer taken in.
It’s pretty expensive, actually. Depending on what you need done, it’ll probably cost you around $80. I will say that, yes, the quality of the work is solid and they tend to actually get things done when they say they will, which is a rare quality in a tailor in my experience.
Thank you. My current tailor is about $25 per seam or sleeve, and he does a fine job, but not amazing. I’ll have to ask specifically when I go to check out some neckties.
How about Lands’ End? They’re running a 25% off one full price item with code WAY2SAVE and PIN 2519. Brings the tie to a reasonable $45.
http://www.landsend.com/products/mens-narrow-silk-knit-necktie/id_70112
No love for TheKnottery.com? Very good ties at good prices (not as good as thetiebar.com, but substantially better quality), especially recommend for grenadine and knits.
Quite agree. There’s a ton of quality ties out there, and as long as you buy from somebody with an excellent rating (think 99.5% or higher) and you should be fine.
Thanks again for providing that tie and the pic Ben. Looks awesome.
What’s special about the Glen Plaid rather than any other plaid? Just that it’s a fairly subtle pattern?
I was in the 3.5″ camp, but then started noticing everything looked slightly better on me at 3″ (I’m 6’4″ 200 lbs, on the lean/slender side, and wear more fitted suits). My very stylish friend who is more muscular than me prefers 2.75″ as his perfect size, but goes up to 3″ on Tie Bar since most are either 2.5″ or 3″ to avoid the too-trendy skinny look.
Thanks, Chris!
BenR saves the day!
Adam, That tie may not be formal enough for funerals. Is it a dark black in person?
Agreed, that would be a series I would be very interested in! This article is a great start.
Larry, I can see how that would be a problem. I wonder if it would be cost effective to have your tailor shorten the ties. It may cost as much as the $15 initial price of the tie.
Thanks Bill (and jamie)!
It’s very dark in person, yes — they must’ve blasted it with light and dialed up the contrast to show off detail in a photograph.
I love the tie bar. Pretty much my only source these days given the cost. I’ve even starting getting my sons the shorter lengths they offer. I have the grenafaux in burgundy dots, which hits a few of the staples mentioned above at the same time. It has become my most versatile tie.
Didn’t mean to passive-aggressively steal your tie glory, Bruschetta! I just figured it would be weird to answer what brand the tie is without explaining how I knew.
Ben, I didn’t see your comment as being passive-aggressive. You went out of your way to help me in a pinch, and I am grateful. Thanks buddy!
Now I owe a beer to you, Greg, and Joe!
Awesome. Thank you for the recommendation and info. This is what makes Dappered great: its helpful community!
I have the grenafaux from Tie Bar in navy, burgundy, and dark green. I have to say the burgundy isn’t shiny in person (wearing it today, oddly enough) and I definitely prefer it to brighter reds. I have noticed the grenafaux ties seem to run a bit longer than the other ties I own from them.
Overall, I like TTB because I can try out a material or style and if I find I like it a lot and wear it frequently, I might buy a nicer version at Chipp.
The couple of ties I have from CT are fairly decent, and I think I paid on average $10/each with discounts. I have a couple clasic thin-striped repp ties (burgundy/navy and green/navy) from JAB that are serviceable, but the quality is on par with BB 346 (outlet) or TTB.
Glen Plaid is a neutral pattern that works well in most situations. It’s also caught on as the favorite pattern to wear at weddings, and most of us will have to attend at least a couple of weddings every year.
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This surprises me. I’m 5’7″, and any knot other than a four-in-hand works for me with their ties, and that’s with my relatively short torso and preference for my tie to hit a quarter inch above my belt buckle. Have you tried half-Windors and Pratts?
Also, I buy the 3+” ties (wide torso, in addition to short), and I’ve noticed that wider ties tie shorter than the narrower versions. Could be another solution, if you’re not a skinny tie devotee.
Thanks, Joe. I really needed this post. This is very helpful. Keep up the great work.
Will do. But Bruschetta’s the one that wrote it
Really wish I could wear ties more often. Currently, I have no need for any…
Haha. Forget you then! All hail Lord Bruschetta!
Embarrassed to ask, but Dappered readers know their stuff: tie without a jacket, yay or nay?
It’s doable in a business casual context… for example, an OCBD with rolled up sleeves, knit tie, and chinos. If you try it with a more polished tie, dress shirt, and wool trousers, though, it will almost always look unfinished.
All else being equal, a good tie is an invitation to wear a good jacket.
The photo of the grenafaux burgundy looks a bit lighter than the solid texture so I went with the second, the pattern would have been nice but the solid looks really good too and I’m happy with it
I noticed that too but as a smaller guy, 5’8″ 130, i got some in 2.5 which I hope Dappered will sign off on
Nice tip didn’t know they were on amazon
Perfect timing to validate my tie bar order I received yesterday! I got the same grenafaux navy and solid burgundy except in 2.5 (5’8″ 130). I talked myself out of the Glen plaid though…
a good place to find some nice ties for a little cheaper is Marshalls/TJ Maxx. I’ve often found they all go through their cycles of Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren Black and Purple, etc just something to keep an eye on.
I concur – and add a “minimalist” tag!
There are definitely some nice ones to be found there but it’s so much work to actually go to one of those
update: the one i got from amazon wasnt the exact width they claimed