Tie me Up

And no, this is not an homage to Fifty Shades of Grey…:) I know my friends, and know they will mention this.  As I always say, “there’s an elephant in the room…it needs to be addressed”.  And yes, I read all 3 of those books in less than 2 weeks, as referenced in previous blog. 🙂

http://atomic-temporary-15172789.wpcomstaging.com/2012/05/10/fifty-shades-of-fabulous/

During the week at my house, it’s typically just Patrick and I, as Mer Mer is at IU, and Kevin is in San Francisco.  So, when Patrick needs to wear a tie, when they have home games for Lacrosse, and needs a bit o’help, it falls on my shoulders.  Kevin has never required help tying his tie (one of the benefits marrying a much older man 🙂 ), so I truly didn’t have much experience doing so.    I thought, perhaps others are also in my shoes, so wanted to share some of the Tie Tips I’ve found.

How to Tie a Tie

How to Tie a Half-Windsor Knot

And for those who need even more guidance, here’s a YouTube video…chosen based on # views, and for a Standard Windsor knot…which seems to be the knot of choice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7X7SpkkEMY

Bow Ties! – a very basic illustration on how to tie a bow tie!

How to wear a tie clip – Now that we have the windsor knot  down Pat (pun intended)…we needed to address the Tie Clip!    Patrick indicated he wanted to wear a tie clip, with his perfectly knotted tie.    I suggested he wear it on the smaller part, so as not to be seen (like Kevin does), but he said, “no Mom, it has a design, I wear it so people can see it”.  And he’s right.  Note to Kevin (sadly, he won’t see this as he is not a follower of this blog).

Some rules regarding wearing a Tie Clip

• “We see guys wearing their tie bar too high or too low all the time. The rule is simple: It goes between the third and fourth buttons of your dress shirt”.

• “It may sound obvious, but a tie bar doesn’t just clip the front end of your tie to the back-end. It fastens both ends to the placket of your shirt.”

• “Finally, never wear a tie bar that’s wider than your tie. That’s the worst! Keep things narrow.”

Tie Tacks – an ornamented pin with a receiving button or clasp that is used to attach the two parts of a necktie together or to attach a necktie to a shirt.  I’ll be brief re: these…because you have to push the pin through the tie to make it stay, I’m not a fan.  Why would one put a hole in a silk tie?  Exactly!  So, no tie tac.  This picture is of a ladybug tie tack.  Hmmm.

I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll continue to mention this…Men – If you do not have a pink tie in your repertoire of ties, You are Missing the Style Boat!

Other Fabulous Ties

Keeping it in Proportion

Knowing how to tie a tie is one thing, knowing which knot to wear with a particular collar is another!  Our friends at J. Hilburn, have developed a helpful guide to take the mystery out of this question all men must have!  This is available in a handy pdf, which you can download right here:

http://www.jhilburn.com/styleUpdate/home/May12

Happy MANic Monday, and a very Happy 4th of July week!!

xoxo,

T.

Related articles

• The Perfectly Tied Tie (answers.com)
• Tie it is a Knot – Tie it in a Bow – The History of Neckties (rubylane.com)