Wearing it well
Tie width and length guide
Width follows your lapels; length follows you. Get both right and the tie looks made for the suit.
Two measurements decide whether a tie looks right: its width at the widest point of the blade, and its length from end to end. Width is about proportion; length is about your height and your knot. Most of our silk ties are 8cm wide and 148cm long — the standard, and the right answer for most men in most suits.
The parts of a tie
The blade is the wide end, the one that shows. The tail is the narrow end, which hides behind it once the tie is knotted, held in place by the keeper loop on the back of the blade. Width is measured across the blade at its widest point, just above the tip.
Width: follow your lapels
The rule is proportion. A tie should be roughly as wide as your jacket’s lapels at their widest, so the two lines agree. A broad lapel with a narrow tie looks underdressed; a slim lapel with a broad tie looks borrowed.
| Width | Lapels | Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5–6.5cm (slim) | Slim | Slight to slim | Narrow-cut suits; tie a four-in-hand |
| 7–7.5cm | Medium-slim | Slim to average | A touch narrower than standard; easy with modern suits |
| 8cm (standard) | Medium | Most men | The classic width; takes any knot |
| 8.2cm | Medium to wide | Average to broad | A little more presence; good with a half Windsor |
Most of our silk ties are 8cm; some are 8.2cm, 7.5cm or 7cm. To check your own, lay the tie flat and measure across the blade at its widest point, then measure your lapel at its widest in the same way.
Build matters too. A broad-chested man makes an 8cm tie look narrower, and can carry 8.2cm; a slight man in a slim suit looks best nearer 7cm, or in a slim tie. Fashion swings between slim and broad every decade or so; 8cm sits in the middle and never looks dated.
Width changes the knot as well. A slim tie makes a small knot, which can look meagre in a wide collar — a half Windsor gives it more body. With a slim tie, keep the tie bar shorter than the tie is wide. Your collar should agree too: a slim tie with a narrow collar, a standard tie with a semi-spread or cutaway.
Length: where the tip should sit
Tied, the tip of the blade should reach your waistband — just touching the top of the belt buckle, or the waistband itself if you wear braces. Above the navel looks short; below the waistband looks careless. With a waistcoat, the rule is the same, and the tip should never peep out below it.
The knot decides how much length is left. The four-in-hand uses the least, the Windsor the most. If the tip finishes high, untie it and start again with the wide end lower; if low, start it higher.
The tail should finish shorter than the blade, out of sight in the keeper loop. If it hangs below the tip, the knot has used too little of the blade; a larger knot will take up the slack.
Judge the length standing up, in the trousers you will wear. A tie checked over jeans will be wrong with suit trousers that sit higher.
If you are tall
A 148cm tie suits most men, but height and a larger collar both use up length, and on taller men the tip can finish high. Tie a four-in-hand, which leaves the most for the blade, and start with the tail no longer than it needs to be to reach the keeper loop.
Trousers worn at the natural waist help too: a higher waistband shortens the distance the tie has to cover, and braces hold them there all day. A Windsor on a tall man is a short tie waiting to happen.
If even a four-in-hand finishes a little high, accept it rather than shortening the tail until it escapes the keeper loop: a tip just above the waistband looks better than a narrow end flapping loose behind the blade.
Knitted ties
Knitted ties are square-ended and about 7cm wide. Tie them with a four-in-hand — any larger knot is too bulky — and let the square end sit at the waistband like any other tip. They hold no dimple and need none; the texture does that work. They suit tweed, flannel and smart-casual days rather than the boardroom.
Questions
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What is the standard width of a tie?
Around 8cm at the widest point of the blade. Most of our silk ties are 8cm; some are 8.2cm, 7.5cm or 7cm, and slim ties are about 5.5–6.5cm.
How long should a tie be?
Most ties are about 148cm long. Tied, the tip should reach your waistband — just touching the top of the belt buckle.
Should my tie match my lapel width?
Roughly, yes. The tie and the lapels should be close in width at their widest points, so the proportions agree.
Is a slim tie right for the office or a wedding?
Yes, if your suit has slim lapels. With a standard lapel a slim tie looks lost; choose 7–8cm instead.
What should I do if my tie is too short?
Tie a four-in-hand, which uses the least length, and start with the narrow end shorter. Avoid the Windsor.
Related
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 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 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.