Knot up! The 3 Tie Knots You Need to Know

According to Google, the term "how to tie a tie" is searched for almost 2 million times a month globally.  Needless to say, it seems that many of us need some help when it comes to knotting up.  Most likely this is due to the fact that many working people simply are not required to wear a tie to work anymore.  Thus, when it comes time to "dress it up" a little bit, if you can even remember how to tie a tie, it probably takes a few tries before you get it right and doesn't really look great.

Let me start by saying that I think we should all take opportunities to knot up more often than most of us do.  Just because it isn't required to wear a tie to work doesn't mean that you should avoid it all costs.  Quite the opposite, looking like you put some time into your wardrobe conveys a professional attitude to your coworkers and managers.  And you just never know who you might run into at lunch or when you grab your morning coffee.  If you ran into a prospective client, the CEO of a large company or even an old friend would you want them to see you in a wrinkled polo or in a pressed, clean shirt with a perfect tie around your neck?

Below is a guide to the three knots that you need to know how to tie, I will go over each of them and explain how to pair them up with certain ties and collar styles.

The Four in Hand Knot

Skinny and often ends up slightly asymmetrical,  the Four in Hand knot is the easiest knot to master because you don't have to get it totally even.  This knot looks great with button down collar shirts but it's usually tough to get a dimple into this style.

The Half Windsor Knot

This is the classic knot that looks great for nearly any occasion: triangular, dimpled and symmetrical.  Most any collar style works with this knot, however you should take care to make sure you get it perfectly symmetrical and have a dimple.

The (Full) Windsor Knot

This knot is easy to mess up, not necessarily in the way it is tied but in how you wear it.  It can be perceived as cheesy, especially if you end up with the tie being too short.  Thus, you need to make sure your tie is long enough to hit at the right spot.  That said, this knot is the only way to go with a spread collar shirt and often too with a semi-spread.

In my next post I'll go over some other tie considerations you should think about when you knot up.

Thanks for reading.  As always, be dapper.

Read more ...

Navy Suits - Why Don't You Own One Yet?

This is my first blog post and rather than make a long intro or take some time to wade into this, I'm going to jump right in.

The navy suit is the most essential addition to any man's wardrobe, whether you are a working professional, a recent college graduate, a starving student, or anything in between. There are few suits that display a more mature, understated taste than the navy blue suit does. However, you can still manage to not pull it off if you don't pay attention to the details. Here are a few tips to make sure that you look your best in a navy suit.

Get it tailored

There are plenty of places to get a great, cheap navy suit. However don't be surprised if you end up looking less than amazing if you don't get it tailored. No matter where you buy your navy blue suit, or how much you spend, go to a tailor who you know or who someone can refer you to. And have an opinion before you walk in the door, don't let them convince you to "let it out a little more." Tell them you want it to be snug around your waist and pull a little bit. Let them know you want little to no break on the pants. Also, your sleeves should show about 1-inch of cuff. Check out the before and after picture below and you'll understand why it's critical to get your suit tailored.



Pair up with the Right Accessories

Nothing shows off a level of style sophistication like brown shoes paired with a navy suit. Straight from the mouth of one of the world's most renowned shoe experts: "Put on a pair of bad shoes and it doesn't matter how nice your suit is." That said, this color of brown below goes great with almost any color, but certainly complements navy and displays an extra level of thought and consideration in your wardrobe. Not to mention that brown is my favorite color for wingtip shoes.



Go Beyond White

Sure we've all had our forays into the world of light blue shirts, but a navy blue suit is one of the best chances you have to grab some colors that will set you apart from the white shirt pedestrians you walk among. Lavendar, khaki and pink are all on display in the image below. Just be sure to tie up with a dark tie so you look more Don Draper than Craig Sager.





Thanks for reading everyone. As always, be dapper.

Read more ...