Our complete guide to the tie: how to choose it, tie it and wear it (+ surprise at the end)

Once these three elements have been assembled, the envelope is folded over itself, most often three times, three folds, to arrive at the shape of the tie. The edges thus folded are then sewn all along and a travetto is added, by hand or by machine, so that the two parts of the envelope that meet nose to nose are united and do not move too much.

Congratulations, now you know how to make a tie. With a little resourcefulness, you could almost develop your brand, right?

But here's the thing: you don't know everything yet! When you think about it, there is not just one way to make a jacket. Well, it's exactly the same for a tie.

ALTERNATIVE ANATOMY OF A TIE

The envelope is absolutely necessary. It is hard to see how we can do without it...

And it has to be made of fabric! No, I'm specifying because on Instagram, some guys who are enemies of beauty are selling these kinds of sparkling ties made of polymer plates. Have you ever seen this? I don't want to be dramatic, but there is a special place in Hell for those who wear these around their necks. Come on, I'll let you enjoy yourself . I see, to top it all off, that right now you can buy one of these extremely refined creations for $79.90 instead of $350, which is still a real bargain. For my part, I didn't hesitate and I filed a lawsuit against them for violating human dignity.

In short. The envelope is absolutely necessary, I said. However, we can do without lining and even interlining. It is once again the same principle as for a jacket.

We have seen that the interlining provides thickness and therefore, if it is absent, we must do otherwise. Thus, we will use a more generous envelope that we will fold more times on itself. This is how seven-fold and more ties are born (up to twelve even!).

This is not a guarantee of quality, however it allows the tie to be thick, without foreign bodies in the envelope, and it gives a very particular movement to the fabric.

The lining being what separates the wings from the performance hall, if we remove it, it is then appropriate to give the floor a good clean and put away what is lying around. We empty the ashtrays. We vacuum.

In the world of ties, this mainly means rolling the material at the ends. It is a meticulous act of folding the edge back on itself so that it forms a small bounce. As on a pocket square EG Capelli , E.Marinella , Shibumi Firenze , Augustus Hare , Viola Milano, Brioni

ESSENTIAL TIES YOU MUST HAVE:

THE FIRST OF THEM IS A VERSATILE TIE: PLAIN BUT WITH TEXTURE.

For this one, I recommend knit or silk grenadine . Tie with texture, which gives you a little something. A writer, a journalist, an intellectual.

You can choose navy blue if you have a gray suit or a sports jacket. If your suit is blue (or your jacket), then maybe you should go for burgundy, eggplant, green or gray for example. Navy blue will work, but you will have to make sure by comparing the two blues.

And here are three alternatives: the first at The Tie Bar , the second at Howard's and the third at Boivin .

THE SECOND IS A WOOL WINTER TIE

Even though you'll be wearing knitwear or silk grenadine all year round, owning a wool tie for winter makes you feel perfectly in tune with your surroundings.

Two solutions for all budgets: the first from Poszetka with its pretty pattern and color that will go well with a navy blue suit and the second from Atelier Particulier which, without displaying creative treasures, does the job as they say.

FROM THERE THE FUN BEGINS.

Some very personal examples:

And again, I went about it in a small way so as not to scare you too much. But, over time I tend to be more and more eccentric and, for example, Tom Wolfe's big ties with big polka dots no longer scare me.

An idea like that...

Starting a collection is not a bad idea. You can work on your sartorial persona by giving it an obsessive side. Wouldn't it be great to leave your children (or whoever wants to!) a ton of ties all bought for completely obscure reasons? I find that admirable.

Almost every time I go to a thrift store, I bring one back and hang it with the others. I've made a lot of stylistic mistakes in the past, as I said, so I don't have a ton yet, but I'm on the right track now. Yes, when I say "a ton," I literally mean a ton.

Check out the Vestiaire du Renard , Savvy Row , and of course, the thrift stores you come across in real life.

WEAR A TIE AS IF YOU WERE BORN WITH IT

When you think about it, a tie is a strip of fabric that you wrap around your neck, tie in a very specific knot, and let hang on your stomach all day long.

It doesn't make sense.

The whole point, as I have already said, is based on your ability to make this exercise something natural. Perfectly normal. Almost banal! That the tie, so striking in its form, disappears from our eyes, is diluted in your ease in appropriating your clothes.

It can be learned. Up to a certain point.

FIRST AND FOREMOST: DRESS ACCORDING TO THE CONTEXT

ACCORDING TO THE WEATHER

Do not wear a wool flannel tie in summer, visually it does not work. And vice versa, seersucker or, more simply, cotton in winter.

Silk knitwear is at home in all seasons.

It is also worth paying attention to the patterns. A paisley, for example, will be worn more in winter, as well as a Prince of Wales. But this is very debatable.

DEPENDING ON THE LEVEL OF FORMALISM EXPECTED FROM YOU

You will always congratulate yourself for being the one whose outfit best suits the moment. Feeling less elegant than all the other people at an event is a little ordeal for the spirit.

When wearing a tie is dictated by the type of event you are attending, opt for dignity : a tie with a discreet pattern or with just some texture and a color that doesn't stand out.

ACCORDING TO YOUR MOOD

No I'm kidding.

I don't think you should wear a tie with hearts when you're in love, or one with skulls when you want to kill everyone, or one with short ribs when it's your turn to go shopping.

KNOW HOW TO SPOT OUTFITS THAT CANNOT BE PAIRED WITHOUT A TIE

The white formal shirt is made to accommodate a tie.

This is how the collar holds. It is thus better highlighted, instead of slipping as it can under the jacket.

And the tie also helps to hide the long row of buttons. I'm not sure it's entirely elegant to leave the (numerous) buttons of a shirt visible, as if, in the end, we were revealing a part of our intimacy. Just as it's never a good thing to see the ropes and pulleys that move the sets of a play. But on this point, I'm afraid I'm being a little too strict.

It also seems to me that the tie fills a void that needs to be filled: it balances the outfit between the fullness of the suit and the emptiness of the shirt.

On the other hand, if you wear a thick suit, in a rougher, more raw material and your shirt is an oxford, chambray, denim, then the tie is optional.

Come on, now let's roll out!

12 TIPS FOR YOUR NEW TIE-WEARING LIFE

1. AVOID COLOR BLOCKING.

If you want to wear a colored tie, it is important to make bridges, complementarities, resonances. And then, in my opinion, the suit and the shirt must be of a similar color: for example, a forest green tie will be more subtly highlighted by a midnight blue suit and a sky blue shirt than by a midnight blue suit and a white shirt. A contrast that is too striking, seemingly too calculated.

2. THE TIE IS NOT A STRONG PIECE.

When you wear a patterned tie, it's better if the shirt or pocket square is patterned too. Without it, the tie becomes like a style manifesto (a fashion statement in English). I know that this goes a bit against what is often said on BonneGueule but, when you wear a tie in a pattern that is quite pronounced (a strong piece therefore), this time, don't try to calm it down with basics, but use pieces that support it aesthetically.

You can also balance the boldness of your tie with well-orchestrated color tones. Take a look:

The tie includes green, recalled by the jacket. The shirt is not white, but a slightly deep blue so as not to make the tie stand out too much. The cardigan, by hiding part of the tie and by its brown color, completes the ensemble harmoniously. There is a link. Despite the bold tie, it holds up, we do not find that the guy looks well dressed, he is.

3. AVOID WEARING A DARK SHIRT WITH A LIGHT TIE.

Because it will stand out too much. I've never seen an outfit where it was really successful. And I'm still looking. The eye is not used to it at first and then it's wonky, because the tie really becomes the center of attention and it forms a strange continuity with your face, like the extension of your nose and all the way to, well... your genitals.

4. WITH A TIE, A POCKET SQUARE IS ALWAYS WELCOME.

Once you start wearing them, you will find the suit and tie combination wonky without it. This is a pretty telling sign that it is necessary. By breaking the symmetry of the silhouette, it reinforces the charm.

The power of a white pocket square lies in its ability to divide the focus between the tie and itself. So much so that it dilutes the impact of the tie. And, in turn, allows it to better integrate into the outfit.

5. THE TIE DOES NOT MATCH THE POCKET SQUARE.

No and never. Why?

To put it simply, the aesthetic given by this agreement between the tie and the pocket square is of the same nature as that which we see in the decoration catalogues of large brands. We have interiors where everything is too calculated and too new. Where yellow cushions match the yellow taxis of a photograph of Manhattan. The rest is grey. Everything is premeditated. It is expected, nothing surprises. It is as if we had directly bought a whole range of decoration. It is practical, it is easy, but is that the style?

Is this it?

Not matching your pocket square to your tie means privileging an aesthetic dominated by charm and poetry, by the richness of the stories you have to tell. To use the analogy, it is an interior whose parquet floor often creaks, the dining table is new but the chairs around it are old things that were found in an attic somewhere, and the lights illuminate as best they can the family photos framed in aged gold. One of the walls is faded and the other is well painted. These are fresh flowers neatly arranged in a chipped vase.

A pocket square and a tie in the same pattern is cheating.

However, I understand this temptation: similar things necessarily go well together. And then, when you start out, you are often so afraid of making a mistake in taste that you never hesitate to follow a pattern that reassures you.

But that's not true elegance. This is what a beautiful outfit should look like:

You see them, the subtle bridges of color? The warm and cool materials, the smooth and the textured? It seems quite spontaneous and natural. That's what you want to achieve in an outfit.

The essence of the tie is to be perfectly useless. It is not practical. It must therefore be considered as a frivolous accessory, of panache. Thus I do not advise you to wear the tie clip, an accessory which restricts it to professional use and which denotes an excessive rigor on the part of its wearer and a certain narrow-mindedness (one could conclude hastily, just for the pleasure of judging without knowing). What not to do.

Let your tie live, it should be a little wobbly. It should bounce on the chest. Or hang casually from the neck like a proud flag on a banner.

6. WEARING A TIE WITH JEANS CAN BE DONE IF:

1. Your jeans are not low-rise;
2. The fabric of your shirt is more casual than formal;
3. Your tie is more casual than formal.

7. THE RIGHT LENGTH FOR THE TIE.

The criterion for a good tie length is not, as is commonly understood, that it brushes your belt buckle or, say, your trouser button.

It really depends on how you wear your pants. High waist? Natural waist? Low waist? Okay, let's just say it right away, wearing low-waisted pants with a tie is really not the best idea. It distorts the proportions, it gives you a silhouette with short legs and a long torso. Unless you have really long legs and a short torso, you shouldn't wear low-waisted pants with a tie.

The character on the left is wearing high-waisted pants. He cleverly lets his tie stick out from his belt so that his silhouette benefits from it. This is because the length of the tie depends more on the length of your bust than on where your pants end. We can easily see that the silhouette of the character on the right is much slimmer than that of the one on the left.

8. THE RIGHT WIDTH FOR THE TIE.

You want me to give you the magic number to the nearest millimeter? Okay. Come closer because I'm about to confess. It's exactly 7.85 cm. You don't believe me? Well, you're absolutely right.

There is no magic number.

For the simple reason that, once again, it's all about proportions. The width of your tie (at its widest point) should not be too far from that of the lapels that make up your jacket. And these lapels should not be too discordant with your shirt collar either.

The trap would be to choose fashionable lapels, that is to say too thin because then you would need a thin tie as well and a small collar and this geometric combo is not for everyone. A tie width between 7 and 8 cm seems to me to be a good compromise for those who do not want to shock the eye of their contemporaries who believe in fashion.

But, for those who like sartorial things, it quickly becomes a minimum and my lapels thicken from year to year and my ties too.

9. THE SIMPLE KNOT IS THE BEST ONE.

It suits everyone and is the most natural. A knot that has been worked too much completely loses its charm. It is not a performance, it is a tie knot! This comes back to what I wrote at the beginning of this article.

Here's how to tie your tie. No need to speak English to understand.

You can opt for the half-Windsor if your face lends itself to it. A massive face for example and/or square. We will also appreciate a double knot in this case. But apart from that, really, do not dwell on other knots. They are not worth the time you are going to spend on them.

10. SHIRT COLLARS WITH WHICH THE TIE IS TOO MUCH.

Collars that are too small, making the tie knot appear disproportionate, collars that are too loose (even if, when you know what you're doing, in a workwear or casual look for example, it's not a hindrance), Cuban collars, but that's common sense.

11. ALWAYS UNDO YOUR TIE AFTER A DAY OF WEARING IT...

...otherwise, the matter would not recover. Hang it on a coat hanger and let the magic of Earth's gravity work its magic.

12. THE DROP OR NOTHING.

The drop, you know, is the small hollow formed just under the knot. It does not appear all the time. And for good reason, it will depend first on the sufficient thickness or not of the tie (a very smooth silk will slide and your drop with it) and your skill in tying it.

But it is a joyful satisfaction to see this drop form and hold that the initiates will notice you immediately and the novices will envy you.

OUTFITS TO INSPIRE YOU

WITH A MILITARY JACKET

An outfit for mid-season or summer when it's not too violent. I won't go into detail, you can see that it works. The right choice of shoes is brown brogue style, or even better!, cordovan with their characteristic plum color.

Your favorite white sneakers should work too.

THE ITALIAN NATURAL

Simplicity. Focus on noble materials. Don't overdo it. The white of the cover gives value to the whole ensemble.

Follow his example: a navy blue suit that hugs your figure without molding your curves, paired with leather loafers for a casual look, which also go well with this unpretentious silk knit tie in an almost duck blue that doesn't blend in with the suit, and the discreetly striped shirt supports it all well.

Last thing: do you really believe that the bright orange of the helmet is due to chance?

TIE AND CHAMBRAY

I wanted to show you that you can pair a tie with a chambray shirt. I even encourage you to do so because it makes the tie immediately less precious, more accessible to everyone, and it is also less pretentious as a result.

The charm of the outfit comes mainly from the slight difference in color between the flannel of the pants and that of the jacket. As if he hadn't really paid attention in the morning, that he had put on what he had found.

This also comes to mind: the combination of anthracite flannel pants and chocolate brown suede shoes for winter is absolutely exquisite! You can also vary the shades of these two colors.

Finally, note that the cardigan is very useful to give coherence to all this. Without it, it would be a little too dark, not very readable in fact.

A discreet white cover would not have gone amiss.

THE RIGHT WAY TO WEAR A PATTERNED TIE

Nick Wooster is best known for his eccentricity. He is also the bête noire of epileptics who have only one fear when walking around Manhattan: coming face to face with Wooster on one of his stylistic WFT days. It's amazing.

Anyway. Here he is pretty normal and charismatic.

I want to draw your attention to his handling of patterns because he does it as everyone should see throughout their lives: he varies the scales. The structure of his outfit is the tennis striped suit with medium-large spacing between the stripes under which he wears a shirt with stripes also but much closer together. Visually it works.

Here, you have to choose a tie that doesn't visually clash with either the suit or the shirt, and so he opts for a different pattern, polka dots (well done Nick!), in a different scale. A little tighter than the stripes on the suit, but not as much as those on the shirt.

Since everything is blue, he adds a white pocket square to give more truth to his outfit and he's ready to go for his job interview. Even if Nick Wooster doesn't have a job interview. He already has the job.

THE SECOND RIGHT WAY TO WEAR A PATTERNED TIE

A blue oxford shirt with long points is still really useful for wearing a tie without looking like it. Well, here, he wears a tie almost without looking like it and it suits him without anyone asking the slightest question. It's natural. Again. Are you fed up? It's just starting to get in.

The navy blue of the tie is linked to the sky blue of the shirt. The brown of the tie matches the magnificent Valstar jacket in suede calfskin, as well as the cardigan. And the red brings a slightly offbeat and authentic touch. Wow, I love it.

With this, I would wear dark brown combat boots or brogues of the same color. With navy socks, to not overdo it.

PS: Do you see the drop?

ARE YOU STILL THERE? THEN I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU: SHOOTING BONNEGUEULE

DAVID

OUTFIT 1: THE TIE WORN WITHOUT ANY fuss

NICOLÒ

OUTFIT 1: SOFT TAILORING FOR SUMMER

JORDAN

OUTFIT 1: WORKWEAR AND ROCK’N ROLL INFLUENCES

DAVID

OUTFIT 2: PYROMANIA INSPECTOR (KEEP CHILDREN AWAY, IT MAY BE SURPRISING...)

BONUS OUTFIT 3: THE IDEAL GENDER

NICOLÒ

OUTFIT 2: COUNTRY TELEKINESIS

JORDAN

OUTFIT 2: GOLF IN BARBADOS

I thank David and Nicolò for playing the game. And also thanks to Antoine who took the photos.

THE FINAL WORD...

It is easy to wear a tie correctly. This is done by following a few simple rules recalled in this article.

What is really difficult, however, is to honor the romantic nature of the tie. It is not really learned and may even take a lifetime to achieve. At least, if I do not succeed, I will die trying. I just hope that my deathbed outfit will be composed by someone who has read this article.

Come on, see you soon for more fun!