The guides
How to tie it, fold it, wear it and choose it — from the knot to the dress code.
6 guides
Knots & folds
5 min readHow to tie a tie — and which knot to chooseOne knot will see most men through most days. Here it is, step by step, with a word on when a collar asks for one of the other three.
5 min readHow to tie a half Windsor knotFuller than a four-in-hand and less work than a Windsor. The half Windsor is the knot for a semi-spread collar and a medium silk tie.
5 min readHow to tie a Windsor knotThe largest of the four knots: broad, square and deliberate. It wants a wide collar, a lighter silk and rather more of the tie than the others.
5 min readHow to tie a bow tieIt is the bow you tie your shoelaces with, worn at the collar. Practise it a few times before the evening and you may never want a pre-tied one again.
5 min readHow to tie a cravatThe day cravat sits inside an open collar: dressier than a bare neck, easier than a tie, and warmer than both.
5 min readHow to fold a pocket squareFive folds will finish every jacket you own. Flat for the office, points for a little ceremony, a puff for the evening.
7 guides
Wearing it well
5 min readHow to wear bracesBraces hang trousers from the shoulders, so they fall straight and stay put. Choose the fastening, set the length, and leave the belt in the drawer.
5 min readTie width and length guideWidth follows your lapels; length follows you. Get both right and the tie looks made for the suit.
5 min readHow to wear a tie barA tie bar keeps the tie where you tied it. Wear it level, between the third and fourth buttons, and narrower than the tie — then forget about it.
5 min readHow to wear cufflinksCufflinks want a shirt made for them, a fitting you can manage one-handed and metal that agrees with the watch. The rest is taste.
5 min readHow to match a tie to a suit and shirtThree rules carry most men through: the tie darker than the shirt, a colour the suit doesn’t already have, and one bold pattern at a time.
5 min readHow to match a pocket square to a tieThe pocket square should look as though it was chosen for the tie, not cut from the same cloth. One shared colour does it.
5 min readHow to care for a silk tieA good silk tie lasts for years if it is untied properly and given a day off. Most of the damage is done in the ten seconds after a long day.
3 guides
Cloth & pattern
5 min readSilk ties explainedTwo ties can share a colour and a width and still be nothing alike. The difference lies in how the silk was made and what is sewn inside it.
5 min readTie patterns explainedEvery tie pattern has a home — the boardroom, the racecourse, the shoot, the wedding. Know where it comes from and you will know where to wear it.
5 min readCountry ties explainedGame birds, Labradors, horses, fishing flies and shotgun cartridges — what makes a country tie, and how to wear one with tweed, at a shoot, at the races and in town.
10 guides
Dress codes & occasions
5 min readWhat to wear to a weddingRead the invitation, wear a good suit, and choose a tie with colour but not noise. The day belongs to the couple; your part is to look as if you made the effort for them.
5 min readWedding ties for the groom and wedding partyThe groom chooses first; everyone else takes his colours. How to dress a wedding party so that it looks like one — without putting it in uniform.
5 min readWhat to wear to a funeralDark, plain and quiet. You are there for the family, and your clothes should say so without saying anything else.
5 min readWhat to wear to the racesEvery racecourse, and often every enclosure, sets its own dress code. Learn the general rule, read the course’s own, and dress a little above it.
4 min readWhat to wear to a shootTweed, a shirt and tie, and a tie that tucks in. The shooting field keeps its traditions, and most of them happen to be practical.
4 min readWhat to wear to a job interviewLess is more. The interviewer should remember what you said, not what you wore.
5 min readWhat to wear to a graduationThe gown hides most of the suit and none of the tie. Dress for the photographs — they will sit on a mantelpiece for years.
5 min readBlack tie dress code explainedA dinner suit, a white shirt and a black bow tie. The rule fits on a card; the details take a little longer.
5 min readBusiness dress codes explainedFour phrases, one question underneath them all: is a tie expected? How to read each code, and what to knot when it is.
5 min readWhat to wear to a Christmas partyThree parties, three codes. Wear a little more colour than usual — and a little less than the man in the reindeer jumper.
2 guides
Gifts
4 min readHow to choose a tie as a giftLook at what he already wears, go one step bolder, and choose silk. That is most of it; the rest is below.
5 min readGifts for the countrymanHe would rather be outside. Give him something that says so — the bird he shoots, the dog at his feet, the course he never misses.
Shop by colour, pattern and occasion
Gifts
Gifts by budget
Christmas
- Christmas gifts for men
- Christmas gifts under £30
- Christmas gifts for dad
- Christmas gifts for your husband
- Christmas gifts for your boyfriend
- Christmas gifts for grandad
- Christmas gifts under £20
- Stocking fillers for men
- Christmas gifts for the countryman
- Secret Santa gifts
- Christmas gifts under £10
- Christmas gifts for a racing fan
By colour
By pattern
- Floral pocket squares
- Paisley pocket squares
- Neat pocket squares
- Plain braces
- Floral tie and pocket square sets
- Herringbone ties
- Herringbone pocket squares
- Plain pocket squares
- Paisley tie and pocket square sets
- Polka dot pocket squares
- Herringbone tie and pocket square sets
- Polka dot tie and pocket square sets
By cloth
Country & sporting
For the occasion
What to wear with
- What tie to wear with a white shirt
- What tie to wear with a navy suit
- What tie to wear with a blue shirt
- What tie to wear with a grey suit
- What tie to wear with a beige or linen suit
- What tie to wear with a pink shirt
- What tie to wear with a brown suit
- What tie to wear with a light grey suit
- What tie to wear with a charcoal suit
- What pocket square to wear with a navy suit
- What pocket square to wear with a grey suit
- What tie to wear with a tweed jacket