Why Wear A Tie Clip?
Picture the scene: you walk into a crucial business meeting, dressed to impress in your very best tailored pinstripe suit and a beautiful monotone Italian silk necktie from Tieroom. Your necktie is clearly the focal point of your entire outfit, which you have carefully selected to match your suit and accentuate your professional look. You feel the part, as confident as you can be because you know you look great.
Then, during the meeting—perhaps while giving a presentation—you bend over to demonstrate something, and suddenly your necktie is swaying from side to side, like one of those boat rides at a carnival that rock back and forth! Poof—just like that, your necktie is distracting and looks silly. Your entire professional demeanor is diminished, and all that thought and consideration you put into what you’re wearing is cast aside.
Or how about when you simply don’t want your necktie to suddenly flop into your lobster bisque during that all-important business lunch? Or imagine the horror of your necktie swishing into your plate of ravioli while trying to impress your date!
Put simply, a tie clip or tie bar keeps your necktie in place so there’s none of the awful and embarrassing swaying, lurching, or jumping that can happen with a necktie that isn’t secured.
A tie clip can also be worn purely for aesthetic purposes. It completes your outfit, making you look more polished and well-dressed. It can make you look dapper with one outfit or give you a more vintage look with another. Tie clips often come in silver for that classic and timeless appeal. They can also be in gold for a more eye-catching and upscale visual effect. And then there’s the dazzling array of tie clips in different shapes and designs—from a whale or a shark to a battleship or mustache! Ultimately, you wear your tie clip for whatever reason suits you, your outfit, and the occasion.
Tie Clip Vs Tie Bar Vs Tie Pin
So, what are the technical differences between a tie clip and a tie bar, remembering that the terms are often used interchangeably? For that matter, what is a tie pin?
Tie Clips
These secure a necktie and shirt together as firmly as possible. A tie clip closes around both by opening like a jaw on a spring before being clasped shut. Think of the clip’s spring mechanism as being similar to a clothespin used to keep a necktie securely in place.
Tie Bars
Tie bars simply slide over the necktie and shirt, ensuring the tie is secured to the shirt. The sliding action is why they are also sometimes called tie slides.
Tie Pins
These pins are composed of a T-bar, a chain, and a fastener. What’s typically visible is the head of the pin itself, making it a more visually subtle accessory than a tie clip or tie bar.
7 Steps To Putting Your Tie Clip On
Here’s a seven-step guide to properly securing your tie clip:
- Choose the correct tie clip for the necktie you plan to wear (see above tips).
- Put on your necktie with your desired knot and make sure it’s securely tightened.
- Align your necktie by making sure it’s centered and hangs straight against your shirt.
- Pinch or gather the tie and the front of your shirt together between the third and fourth buttons.
- Slowly slide the clip across the necktie. Make sure it secures both the necktie and shirt.
- Check to see that the clip is parallel to your necktie and looks straight, not crooked.
- “Puff the blade” – the blade is the thicker bottom half of your tie, and you “puff” it by slightly fluffing or smoothing it out after the clip is secured. This should give your necktie more volume and a more stylish, polished effect.
Key Tips to Using Your Tie Clip
There are some important pointers to remember so you can wear your tie clip as effectively, fashionably, and comfortably as possible. These include:
Position: Where exactly on your necktie should you fasten your tie clip? Keep it simple by securing it at the halfway point of your necktie. This will ensure that both the narrower and wider halves of the necktie are kept in place.
Placement: Where should you position your tie clip relative to your shirt? Your best bet is to fasten it between the third and fourth buttons of a shirt. Doing this ensures that your necktie remains firmly in place while allowing you to move freely.
Alignment: What should you do to ensure your tie clip is not askew? Nothing looks shabbier than a crooked tie clip, right? To avoid this, use the ground or another flat surface as a point of reference for your eye, making sure the tie clip is parallel to that surface. A crooked tie clip can throw off the balance of your entire outfit. Using a mirror to ensure proper alignment can also work well.
Proportion: What about how big or small your tie clip should be? This is actually more of a personal choice than many tie experts will admit. A more discreet or narrower tie clip looks best with a thin or vintage-style necktie. Conversely, you can use a wider or more fancy tie clip with a fuller necktie or where the intention is for your accessory to be centre stage.
Depth: How far into the necktie should your tie clip go across? A rule of thumb by most experts is that your necktie clip should be approximately three-quarters across the width of your tie. The logic is that a clip that goes too far or too short across the necktie will look jarring and even untidy. Too narrow or too wide can disrupt visual harmony.
What Should I Wear a Tie Clip With?
There are fashionistas who insist that a tie clip should only be used with certain types of neckties. For example, they advise that tie clips are best worn with neckties made of sturdy, bulkier fabrics such as wool or felt. They rail against a tie clip used with silk or another delicate or thin fabric. They argue that the tie clip may cause a more delicate fabric to pucker or even damage it.
So, is that really the case? Yes and no: yes, if you secure the tie clip too tightly or slide it across too brusquely, it can cause damage. But other than that, there is no reason why you cannot wear a tie clip with a silk necktie. As with any quality accessory, a light and deft touch is best when securing and unfastening your tie clip.
Ultimately, whether you call it a tie clip or a tie bar, you wear it because it is timeless, elegant, and highly functional when worn correctly. Whether you opt for a classic, minimalist tie clip or one that is more fanciful and eye-catching, the result is always a gentleman who has taste and appreciates what an accessory can do for his outfit.