63% Off on Selected Designer Ties by Chevalier

Dear valued customer, we are excited to inform you that we have marked down close to a dozen of neckties by French designer label Chevalier. These ties are temporarily on sale for $14.95 - a 63% savings compared to the regular price of $39.90. Each tie is handmade from finest Jacquard woven silk - a rich and thick fabric with lustrous shine and excellent drape. Chevalier is a designer that is best known for their intricate fabric weaves. Each tie is handmade to perfection. Click on your favorite tie above to see a larger picture, to read about how to match each tie, as well as to purchase the tie. Please note that this sale will end on Sept. 8th, 2010.

Looking for more great deals on ties, bow ties, cufflinks and more? Then we also invite you to view our Necktie Outlet. Prices start as low as $7.95!!!

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Caring for Dress Shoes in Cold and Wet Weather

With fall and winter just around the corner, the days are not only getting shorter and colder, but in many places of the country this time of the year will also bring more rain and even snow. This type of weather requires certain care for your dress shoes. Below are a few basic tips you should follow before stepping out onto the wet roads. Following these tips will not only keep your feet dry, but will also protect your expensive footwear.

Water-repellent Spray
Using a water repellent spay is the easiest way to protect your shoes and your feet from moisture. Such sprays are available at most larger department stores, and in some cases even in super markets and drug stores. Make sure to go outside and in a well ventilated place before applying the spray. Also, to roll up your sleeves beforehand to avoid permanent stains on your clothes. Apply a good coat not just on the upper leather but also on the sole (only if the sole is made from leather).

A Trip to The Cobbler
If you want to wear shoes with a leather sole during the rainy season than you should make a trip to the cobbler to have a very thin piece of rubber glued to the sole. This will not only protect the leather sole, but it will also keep your feet dry. Another advantage is that the rubber sole makes your shoes much less slippery. Any cobbler should be able to help you and costs should not exceed more than $10 for a pair.

Shoe Covers
If you have to deal with extreme weather conditions, such as heavy snow or heavy rainfall, then you may want to invest in a rubber shoe slip cover from SWIMS. For more information you may want to read our blog post: Shoe Covers for Fine Dress Shoes

After-Wear Care
Make sure to keep your shoes dry after wearing. Rub the upper leather off with a clean towel. If the shoes are wet on the inside then place some crumbled-up newspaper inside. Never dry your shoes with too much heat as this can dry out the leather and cause cracks. Also, we recommend you invest in some cedar wood shoe trees. For more information on shoe trees we suggest you read our blog post on: Using Shoe Trees

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Neckties on the Internet

How I Learned to Tie a Tie

by Turner Van Ryn

It wasn’t until I was 16 or so, that I actually learned how to tie a tie. It was for my first job at the neighborhood movie theater, and the uniform required a black necktie. So, like many, many other young men around the country, I went to my dad and he showed me. I suppose that’s something of a tradition; a rite of passage, a passing of the torch, etc., for men. Anyway, he showed me, and I went away secure in the knowledge that I had mastered that aspect of my life. Little did I know (not until much later), that there were even different kinds of necktie knots; nor that they are suited for differing sorts of dress shirt collars.

It turns out that the knot my father showed me for my tie was a ‘four-in-hand’; the simplest kind of knot. It was, and is, quite easy to remember, and master, and looks pretty good with your average tie, and your average dress shirt. It’s so simple, in fact, that it derives its name from the practice of British horsemen knotting their scarves about their necks with one, while holding onto their reigns with the other. Hence, the name implies that if you’re really slick, you can tie this knot with one hand. All of this implies what should be pretty obvious, and that’s that your tie knot should fill the gap between the collars of your shirt. That’s about it, and sounds simple enough, until you realize that there are a variety of dress shirt collars (from very wide, to narrow), and therefore a variety of necktie knots.

How would it look, after all, if you waltzed into the office with a brand new wide-collard shirt, and a tie done up with a knot that was far too small to fill the gap? It turns out the four-in-hand is a fairly narrow knot that looks best when coupled with; you guessed it; a narrow shirt collar. There are other factors, however. Traditional British ties (commonly also called Regimental Ties, or those with solid color motifs, look best with when done up with smaller knots; so, if you’re going with one of these mens ties in your daily look, choose your shirt accordingly. But, what of the larger knots? Ironically, two of the most popular larger tie knots are; the Windsor (sometimes called the double Windsor knot, or full Windsor knot), and the Prince Albert. These are knots that are obviously meant to fill a wider collar, and often times look best when used on ties of classic Italian design. These knots are large, as they require an extra wrapping (or sometimes two) of the tie in their construction. This makes for a more robust knot that, as a consequence, requires more of the tie length to pull off. So, if attempting these, you might want to try wearing longer, extra long ties, that are manufactured, typically, with an extra 3-4 inches of material.

The real question is; when picking your outfit, should you choose the shirt (with collar consideration), or the tie first? It’s a ‘chicken, or the egg’ scenario that doesn’t really have a question other than; make your choice based on what will make you look the best, and feel the most confident in your appearance. Trust your gut. Is it a more formal occasion, requiring a wider collar, and therefore a larger tie knot will speak of tradition, and honor? Or, a casual get together where your narrower collar and smaller knot will lend you just the right air of lightness and dash, while still managing to look put together and sharp? When these questions are answered successfully, the very fact that you are one of the few who knows how to properly choose your attire will breed confidence, and get you noticed in just the right way to make a splash.

There is a final consideration, however. Are you a tall man? For the purposes of necktie regulations, ‘tall’ is defined as being over the height of 6’3”, or so. If so, then you might want to try an extra long tie in any event, as the shorter ones (regular length to the rest of us) will leave you with barely enough materiel to work with; leaving you with very few options.

The hope here is that, as you learn more about the varieties of dress shirt collars, and necktie knots, you will venture outside of your traditional comfort zone, and try on some of these other knot options for size - no pun intended.

Other Related Readings:
More Information on Tying Neck Tie Knots
How to Tie an Ascot

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Luxury Edition by Chevalier

Dear valued customer and reader, at at Ties-Necktie.com are proud to be featuring neckties out of Chevalier's Luxury Edition within the next few weeks. What makes these ties so unique is the fabric. Just like all Chevalier ties, the patterns on the Luxury Edition ties are not printed, but Jacquard woven - creating more depth, a rich shine, and a thicker feel. What is different to their other collections is the actual silk yarn used. The Luxury Edition uses a so-called 7-ply silk yarn which spins seven individual silk strands into a yarn. The result: A yarn that has a richer shine and even softer feel. The finished fabric has a more lustrous shine and extremely soft feel. Most designer ties only use a 3-ply or 5-ply silk yarn because a 7-ply yarn is much more labor intensive, requires special equipment, and is simply too costly to produce.

Besides a more exclusive look and feel, this type of fabric also offers other advantages. The fabric is more resilient to wrinkles and the tie will go back into its original shape after untying the knot. Also, the fabric allows for a thicker necktie knot and making a dimple on top of the knot has never been easier. (For more information on the dimple, you may also visit our tutorial on: How to Make a Dimpled Tie Knot) We expect to have all ties added to our inventory within the next 2 to 3 weeks. We will inform you as soon as these exclusive ties are available for purchase.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Get Ready for Fall with These Neckties

With Fall just around the corner it is time to dust off your Fall and Winter clothing pieces. If you are looking for some new fashionable accessories for the coming fall season, then a few new neckties are a perfect start. It is a relatively inexpensive way to add a fresh new look to your garments that you already wore the past few seasons. Below are three top picks for this years fall season. For more information on how to match each tie, as well as to purchase one of these ties, please click on your favorite picture below.

The Traditional British Look
While bright color dominate the tie world in the spring and summer, it is the darker and more conservative color shades that are predominant in the fall and winter season. This classic striped tie by necktie designer Parsley couldn't be more perfect for the fall season. The amber yellow and burgundy colors are displayed in a traditional British striped pattern. What makes this tie even more unique is the fabric. This tie is made from a fabric known as Mogador - a fabric that blends cotton and silk in warp and weft. It creates a fine ribbed texture and gives the tie a matte shine. It perfectly compliments the traditional and slightly conservative look of this tie. To match this tie we suggest a medium-blue dress shirt, a sports coat made from coarse tweed, and a beige pair of pants.

Unique and Classy
A stunning combination of color and pattern by mens tie designer Parsley. The traditional Scottish tartan check is made up from three different shades of green, burgundy-red, and off-white. Even though this tie also looks great during the summer months, we like to match it the following when worn during the later part of the year: Classic white dress shirt made from a slightly coarse oxford cloth, gray flannel suit, and dark brown dress shoes. Handmade from 100% silk by Parsley Luxury Neckwear.





Elegant Color
Even though the pattern appears quite similar to the the first tie featured, it is actually quite different. Have a closer look at the fabric texture of this tie. The cherry and burgundy stripes are made from a smooth silk adding brilliant shine while the gray background has a fine ribbed fabric texture that adds more texture and thickness to the tie. It is a tie that adds nice color without compromising the professional look of suit and tie. For the fall season we like to pair this tie with a charcoal-gray suit that has either a fine check or a delicate herringbone pattern, and a narrow striped dress shirt in blue and white. Handmade from 100% silk by mens tie designer Parsley.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Everything There is to Know About the Fedora Hat

When a modern business man prepares himself for the day, his routine remains relatively unchanged from that of his father, or grandfather, or even further back. He must still select his suit, shirt, tie, etc., don them, and head out the door. However, when looking back on men’s fashion trends over the last 100 years, there is one item that has become conspicuously extinct as an accessory; the hat, and more specifically here in the United States, the fedora. As little as only fifty years ago, the sight of a man without a hat, wearing a suit or otherwise, would have been the exception, and scarcely a sane man would have ventured outdoors without his Fedora. And while the trend might have gone away, thanks to popular culture, the image of the smart business man in a fedora is still very much a part of our American consciousness; we even prefer our private detectives and archeologists to wear them. The circumstances behind why men wore hats in the past still exist today, that is, we still have heads, there is still inclement weather to contend with, and men are still in need of smart accessories to fill out their business ensembles. So, the questions are; where did the fedora go, and can a modern man still wear one while remaining stylish and relevant?

Oddly enough, the fedora was originally a woman’s accessory at the beginning of the 20th century. It was not until around 1919 that it became popular in men’s fashion, eventually eclipsing such giants as the ‘homburg hat’ and the ‘bowler hat’ as the most popular men’s hat. Like the ‘cowboy’ hat , the fedora is not so much a specific type of hat, as it is an inclusive term for a wide set of characteristics that are incorporated to form the hat. That might sound confusing, and a little overly complicated, until you look at the sheer amount of variation that can occur within a single species of headgear. Traditionally they are made of felted wool with a wide round brim, and a crown that is creased down the middle and pinched at the frontal area on either side so as to form a ‘handle’ of sorts to grip the hat. There are several style options for the fedora: The raw-edged brim, finished with sewn-on over, underwelt, decorated with a grosgrain ribbon, or finished with a self-felted cavanagh edge. Traditionally, the fedora also features a grosgrain ribbon that extends around the crown, just above the brim, complete with a bow on one side. Often, this ribbon is the same color as the hat, but a darker shade. This is not always the case, however, and the ribbon may be the same color as the body of the hat, or a completely different but complimentary color. In that sense, the fedora is much like a tie, in that there are seemingly endless variations on one theme; patterns, colors, textures, etc. However, unlike a tie, where a man might own tens or even hundreds of styles, a guy generally only has one or perhaps two fedoras. The implications are plain; where shirts, jackets, and cufflinks are meant to be interchangeable, a man’s hat is a man’s hat, and probably says more about his distinctive personality than any other single accessory. It defines him, and everything else must follow. So, if you chose a brown hat for yourself, you have a brown hat, and all your other fashion choices must be considered to match and remain in step with your brown hat. In this sense, a fedora might be one of the few fashion accessories that dictate the suit, and not the other way around.

The disappearance of the fedora as a serious fashion consideration did not happen all at once. Instead, like any other style trend, there were a variety of factors that came into play. The fedora was consistently stylish until around the late 1950’s, when its popularity began to wane, especially on the West coast with its more casual dress attitudes. Some theories point to the trend in the early 1960’s from wider to skinny ties and hat brims. This may have diminished the practical nature of the fedora, and it soon fell out of favor. Other fashion experts point to, of all things, the shrinking size of American cars at the time as a factor; the smaller interiors making it more difficult for men to wear their hats while driving. It may be one of these, or all, but the damage was done, and other hats supplanted the fedora from its nearly forty year reign. By the early 1970’s, the fedora, and indeed men’s hats in general, was considered a dead fashion.

However, in recent times (the last ten years or so) there has been a fedora revival of sorts. Many pop stars, as well as actors and other media personalities have donned the hat for its retro appeal, and when worn as an ironic fashion statement, the fedora’s image can definitely descent into kitsch. However, this should not stop you from trying a fedora on for size in your fashion world. When taken as a serious men’s accessory, the fedora can, and will, do what it was originally designed to do; be an extremely distinctive and stylish accessory that will distinguish you as a man who takes his appearance seriously. So, yes, having confidence in your appearance, and a willingness to set trends, is always stylish and relevant.

Other Related Readings:
Mens Dress Shoe Tips
The History of the Baseball Cap
Mens Latest Fashion Trends

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Mens Ties on the Internet

August Savings at Ties-Necktie.com

Dear valued reader and customer, as we do in every month, we have posted three $10 coupons for the month of August. Each coupon will take off $10 from your total order. Shipping will still be free for all orders over $100 - that is before the coupon is applied! Therefore, with this coupon orders over $90 will get free shipping! Please note that each coupon can only be used once, and a $20 order minimum is needed for coupons to be valid. To activate one of these coupons, please add them during the checkout process and $10 will automatically be deducted from your order.

$10 Coupons:
LJT541
LJT321
LJR982

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Mens Ties and Bow Ties

Mens Dress Shoe 101

Many suit wearing men consider shoes as being either brown or black, laced up in the morning, and worn until it’s time to take them off. This is not to say that men don’t care about their shoe choices, but rather that it’s one of the last accessories considered when putting together a fashionable ensemble. The truth is that men’s shoes really are not too much more complicated than you might think (certainly nothing when compared to the variety of women’s fashions), but there are a few tips that you might want to keep in mind when choosing a pair of shoes for your outfit.

Typically men’s shoes fall into roughly two categories; ‘oxford shoes’ (what most men think of when they think of a dress shoe), and non ‘oxfords’. While there are a wide variety of types of ‘oxfords’, they all have similar traits. Simply put, an ‘oxford’ is any lace-up men’s shoe that doesn’t rise above the ankle. That’s it. But, within that family, there are numerous members; open-laced, closed-laced, saddle, kilties, and of course wingtips, to name a few. First thing’s first, though; never settle for anything other than genuine leather for you oxford shoes. Any other materiel will be inferior, and compromise your look. In terms of color, you should know that, whatever the particular style of oxford you choose to wear, black will always win. A black oxford shoe will go with any business suit that you throw at it. That’s the beauty of black; it matches everything. For a more formal look, however, you may choose a black, closed-laced style. These work especially well with pin-stripe, or double breasted suits. And, perhaps you own a pair of brown oxfords as well; these go well with tweed suits, or sport jackets. If, you’re looking for a more casual look, brown, or oxblood (a redish-hued shade of brown) open-laced oxfords will match anything from light linen suits and sport jackets, to khakis, and even jeans for a particularly devil-may-care look.

If, however, decidedly casual business attire is your standard operating procedure, you may wish to consider ‘loafers’. Far from a comment on your laid-back attitude towards life, loafers are a legitimately viable alternative to the more traditional oxfords. It should be noted, however, that you should approach these shoes with caution, as they do not automatically look good on all men, and do tend to be the domain of middle-aged guys. Again, as with the oxfords, there are many different varieties (penny, tassel, moccasins-style, monk straps), and colors to consider, but they are all grouped together as shoes that feature no laces for easy slipping on and off, a low-cut profile with a broad ‘moccasin-style’ top, and a wide, flat heel. Of course, the beauty of a nice pair of loafers, is that they automatically communicate a more casual attitude, and the same pair of shoes can easily transition from a business suit to even a pair of jeans. Indeed the Gucci and Prada moccasin-style loafers have been worn, and considered a fashion necessity, by young men on the go for some time now. Again, they can be worn with a suit to a business meeting, and then instantly transition to a club outfit for a night of dancing. It should also be noted that penny loafers are considered the only ‘dress’ shoe that it is permissible to wear with shorts and a polo shirt.

This is far from the end-all-be-all of men’s shoes, and there are many other fish in the sea. However, it is hoped that in the future more men will think beyond the automatic answer of black dress shoe, and consider their shoes as another element too their outfits that must be balanced, matched, and evaluated.

Other Suggested Articles:
Socks for Suit and Tie
The Best Leather Shoe Care Products

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Mens Ties on the Internet

Popular Green Ties Now Back in Stock

Dear valued customer and reader, over the past few weeks we have been selling out of some of our most popular neckties. Especially ties in light and lime green were in high demand and we have received customer calls every days asking us when certain ties will be back in stock. Well, we have some great news to share! Today we received a large shipment that also contained some of these popular green ties.

The three ties featured above are some of our best selling light green ties. They are excellent for the spring and summer season and will instantly add a more lively touch to any ensemble. These ties are also popular during spring and summer weddings. For that reason we are also carrying each tie as a shorter kids tie as well as the longer extra long tie - that way the entire wedding party can dress in matching ties. For more information on each tie, to see a larger image, and/or to purchase one of these ties, please click on your favorite tie above.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Everything You Should Know About Wearing Tie Pins

A gentleman’s tie is a statement of individuality. From a solid conservative color motif, to an array of stripes, to an elaborate pattern of dots, swirls, or what-have-you, a tie does more than simply hang; it projects the given mood and disposition of the wearer in a way that perhaps no other men’s fashion accessory can. They project us, and in many ways, who we wish to be. So, imagine you’re standing on a street corner, sporting a smartly composed and executed business ensemble, when a sudden gust of wind comes along and, in one swoop, reduces you from a confident, well dressed man in control, to just another pedestrian with their entire look flapping in the breeze. This has happened to almost every man before, and it will happen again. The lesson here is clear. It isn’t enough to simply wear an outfit; you must control it. The most perfectly chosen tie in the world will still look foolish when it’s jutting out from your neck like a windsock in a storm. Fortunately, there is a way to deal with this problem; the tie pin, tie chain, or tie bar.

A tie pin does basically one thing, and does it well. It keeps your tie in place. That might sound silly, if not for the fact that it has been doing so successfully for literally hundreds of years. In fact, the invention of the tie pin is nearly as old as that of the tie itself. As far back as the early 17th century, western European men were beginning to adopt a fashion accessory that would, eventually, come to be known simply as the tie. Though not exactly what we would think of as a ‘tie’ these days, the ‘cravat’ was ‘borrowed’ from the Croatian military, who would send their troops into battle with distinctively patterned and colored scarves knotted about their necks. To the Croats, these flourishes were simply meant to denote a man’s rank within their battle columns; ranging from coarse plain material for enlisted men, to fine silks for the officers. But when Parisian men caught sight of this spectacle, they quickly did away with their traditional starched and ruff collars in favor of what they called the 'cravat'; a term derived from the French word ‘cravate’, which is a corrupt French pronunciation for ‘Croat’. However it was pronounced, the cravat was fashioned from multiple layers of often fine cloth, draped and bunched about a man’s neck, and finally knotted in a bow at the front. For men of the time, this presented the look that they were after, but, the materials involved were often light and frilly, and then as now, the garment would tend to ‘get away’ from the wearer. Of course, as you might have guessed, there was a solution to this problem; a pin to hold the tie down, and keep it under control. As the tie evolved into the thing that it is today, the need for a way for controlling the garment remained the same.

Though simple in design, (indeed, just a long, sharp pin that is passed through the cloth of the tie and shirt themselves, so as to keep them together) tie pins are available in an extremely wide variety of styles and looks; in fact, as they are not governed by the need to be flat, probably more than the silk ties that they were designed to accompany. Pins featuring various gem stones and precious metals are always popular, as well as a host of other totemistic symbols and charms; animal heads, horse shoes, insects, flowers, stars, moons, and abstract designs. The list is virtually endless. Many men have their tie pins custom designed to reflect familial affiliations; coats of arms for example, or collegiate, lodge, political, or sports connections. There are even hosts of what might be termed ‘novelty’ tie pins, featuring detachable and functioning knives and forks, pocket knives, compasses, and lighters. In many ways, tie pins can project who a man is more so then the ties they are designed to go with. In recent times, many men opt to replace their tie pins with tie ‘clips’ that do not actually pierce the fabric of the tie, but rather clip the tie to the shirt much like a paper clip would. But, whether a pin or clip, the invention has grown from a simple utilitarian devise to a clear statement of person.

So, now that your tie is being held firmly in place, remember that a tie pin is as much a part of your wardrobe, and outfit, as your cufflinks or shoes. It should be complimentary to the tie and suit that it is going with, and like everything else in assembling a smart outfit, balance is the key. With a suit that is under control in a variety of situations, you may be ready to begin incorporating a tie pin into your everyday look. Confidence is not just the belief that you’re in control, but the knowledge that you are.

Other Suggested Readings:
How to Wear a
How to Wear Tie Tacks

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

The Boutonniere, and You

To most men, a boutonniere is something that might seem old fashioned. There are, of course, several occasions in which a boutonniere is not only worn, but expected; weddings, anniversaries, proms, or at the their most extravagant, a evening out to the theater or the opera. Unfortunately, most men’s experiences on these occasions, the wedding for example, is to have a pre-selected boutonniere thrust upon them, and then worn uncomfortably pinned to their suit jackets. This treatment and reception certainly doesn’t do much to help the image of the boutonniere in men’s minds, and to many guys, they might seem as stagey and irrelevant in modern men’s fashion as a top hat and tails. Not so. The truth is that anytime is an opportune time for a boutonniere, and it remains today, what it has been in the past; a smart and savvy way for a man to accessorize his suit with style and confidence; as potentially integral as men's ties, or a pair of slick dress shoes.

However, the central question remains; can flowers be masculine? And, more importantly, can you still maintain your cool while wearing one? The answer to both these questions is yes. For thousands of years, men have sported flowers as signs of virility and victory; marching off to battle with colorful garlands adorning their weapons. For the German soldier in World War II, a sprig of edelweiss worn on the lapel of their tunic was the mark of a true warrior. And, even today, athletic victory is still rewarded with the symbolism of bouquets of flowers. If anything, history has shown us that to be truly masculine, one should probably be comfortable, and familiar, with flowers as a fashion accessory.

So, just how exactly does one wear a boutonniere? Most of us are probably familiar with them pined to the left lapel of a suit jacket. However, traditionally they are worn above the man’s heart with the stem of the flower placed through the lapel’s button hole; a 1’ – 1.5’ hole that is a vestige from the time when a man’s jacket was meant to close, so as to protect the neck. On 99% of suit jackets today however, these holes are for ornamentation only and are stitched closed. It is only on high-end jackets that one will find this button hole open, and functional. To receive the stem of a flower, the jacket should have a strong inner lining, an open and hand stitched button hole, and what is known as a boutonniere hook, or latch (that is, a loop of strong fabric stitched on the reverse side of the lapel about two inches from the button hole). Often, these particular features are a definite sign of a jacket’s good pedigree, as they require extra time, money, and care to produce. If, however, you have a jacket without a prepared button hole, there are options. If the jacket is yours, and not a friend’s, or a rental, you may simply slice the hole open. You may not have an appropriate boutonniere hook, and I wouldn’t advise this for more than a few uses, as the stem may damage your jacket, but the flower stem will sit right in there. If, however, this is not an option, it is perfectly acceptable to pin the boutonniere in place. Either way, you are wearing a boutonniere, and you look good.

Choosing the right flower for your lapel can, of course, be another challenge. But, there are a few simple rules. Choose a flower that is appropriate to the occasion. For formal events, this means a simple red or white bloom, as ostentation is probably to be avoided. Next, and this should be fairly obvious, the flower should coordinate with the outfit that you are wearing. That’s about it, and other than these few simple guidelines, feel free to express yourself with colorful or exotic flowers when appropriate. Of course, like anything else in fashion, balance is the key when designing your ensemble. If in doubt, a simple white bloom always works; clean, and understated. Specifically, a carnation is a classic boutonniere choice, as is a red rose. Other popular choices include: gardenias, lilies, orchids, hyacinths, daisies, and lilacs. There are a few factors to consider when choosing a flower, however. Be mindful of the weight, and be sure that your lapel can support the flower, so as not to droop or flop over. And, of course, flowers tend to wilt in excessive heat, and without water. In a few hours, your boutonniere may look a little flaccid, so be careful to choose a flower that can stand the amount of time that you may require of it. Above all, choose a flower that suits you, and what you care to say about yourself and your outfit. Be confident.

In fact, that’s probably the central point behind the boutonniere; confidence. That is, the confidence to proudly wear one; not as a lark, but as a genuine statement of style.

Other Related Articles:
Matching a Check Pattern Dress Shirt
Dress Codes for Men

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

How to Match a Tie to a Checkered Dress Shirt

The solid color dress shirt is most popular for several reasons. First of all it is easiest to match - especially classic whites or light blues. Secondly, it is conservative, classy, and will fit a wide range of dress codes, functions, and occasions. Finally, solid white dress shirts are more durable and can be cleaned using bleach and other chemicals. They can also be starched without showing excess starch build up - a great benefit for those who prefer a crisper look of collars, cuffs, and placket. Although the patternless shirt is popular, sooner or later most men want to experiment with more patterns and colors. Below are a few tips on how to match a check patterned dress shirt to suit and tie.

The Right Suit
When pairing different patterns on suit, shirt, and tie you want to start out by picking the largest clothing item first, and then work yourself down to the smaller accessories such as neckties, pocket squares, shoes, and cufflinks. If the suit is patternless then wearing a check pattern dress shirt is no problem as long as the colors work together. Suits with patterns on the other hand need to be looked at more carefully before pairing it with a checkered shirt. As a general rule, make sure that the patterns are different in size and shape. Wearing a suit with window pane checks in combination with a checkered dress shirt can create a confusing and "too busy" look. Excellent are suits with pin stripes, or finer herringbone or birds eye pattern.

Picking a Tie
Once you found the right suit for the dress shirt place the jacket and the shirt on a table to see how the colors and patterns harmonize. This will create the canvas for the necktie. Before picking any tie out of your closet think about colors. A red "power tie" makes a more bold statement while navy and burgundy are more conservative. Pastel colors such as Pink, Lime, and Light Yellow are excellent for the spring and summer while darker shades such as brown, gray, and dark shades of orange are best for the fall and winter season.

Once you decided on a color think about patterns. Once again, make sure that the pattern on the tie is different in size than the check pattern of the dress shirt. Striped ties are less suited but ties with polka dots, paisley ties, or fine foulard patterns are excellent choices. If you can't make up your mind then you always have the choice to pick a solid color tie.

Pocket Squares & Other Accessories
The same rule applies for matching the pocket square to the rest of your outfit: Make sure to pair patterns that are different in shape and size. Also think about the overall look of your outfit. A classy Italian cut suit with fine pin stripes might look best with a solid white pocket square folded with the "Flat" or "Presidential Fold. For more tips you may also want to visit our guide on How to Fold a Pocket Square.

Other Suggested Readings:
Pictures for Matching Suit, Shirt, Ties
Shirt and Tie Matching Tips
More Tips to Match your Necktie

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team

Popular Orange Tie is Back in Stock on 7/29/10

Dear valued customer, one of our best selling neckties has been sold out for almost 2 weeks. During this time frame we have received many e-mails asking us when this bright orange tie will be available again. We now finally received information form this designer telling us that this tie has been shipped. We expect to have this tie back in stock by July 29th, 2010 - that is two days from today! Because this tie is so popular we also feature it in two other sizes: extra long for the big and tall man, as well as in shorter kids length. Please click on the picture at the top. This tie will be back in stock as soon as the "add to cart" button shows again. For all of our ties in this color we also invite you to visit our category page with all Orange Neckties.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Ties on the Internet

Take $10 Off Your Next Purchase

And once again we are posting a few coupon codes for you that will take $10 off from your next tie order. Simply write down the codes below and try one during checkout. Please note that each code only works once. Therefore, do not procrastinate in placing your order. Once a code has been used it is no longer valid. For other great deals we suggest that you visit our Necktie Outlet store with savings up to 70% off. To find the biggest savings please visit the outlet section and select "best deal" from the drop down menu right at the top of the page. Coupons can be applied to on-sale items and shipping will also be free for all orders over $100.

$10 Off Coupons:
NQR576
LWJ569
LWF631

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Silk Ties on The Internet

Visit Our Growing Fashion Encyclopedia

Dear visitor and customer, a little over a year ago we at Ties-Necktie.com launched a mens fashion encyclopedia that covers anything related to mens fashion and style. Besides reading biographies of famous fashion designers and brands there is information on dress codes, textiles, clothing items, fashion accessories, fashion lingo, and much more.

Currently, we at Ties-Necktie.com are seeking a talented writer that is passionate about mens fashion and style. Should you be interested to learn more about our freelance writing position then please send us an e-mail telling us a little bit about yourself and why you would be a good addition to our team. We look forward hearing from you.

Your Ties-Necktie.com Team - Finest Mens Silk Ties on the Internet.