You wouldn’t wear a tuxedo to your accounting job. Or a sport coat to a nighttime wedding. Let’s hope you wouldn’t at least.
Just as there are different types of suits for different occasions, there are also different ties and collared shirts. With a few simple guidelines, you will be able to navigate the tie-collar dilemma as well as the eternal question, “What should I wear?”
Guidelines
1. Do not wear a tie with a short-sleeved shirt.
2. Do not wear a tie with a polo shirt, whether short or long sleeved.
3. Periodically check your tie for signs of wear, stains, or wrinkles. Dry-Clean your ties when they need it. Do not put them in the washing machine.
4. It is better to have one nice, neutrally colored tie of a medium width than a dozen low quality trendy ties. The same goes for shirts, except you probably want two shirts.
5. Ironing your shirt will make it look five times as expensive as a wrinkly shirt.
6. Do not put your shirts in the dryer. It can warp the collar and damage the shirting material.
Pairin’ `em up
Straight Point: The straight point collar is quiet and minimal. “Gentlemen’s Quarterly” refers to it as “Superminimal American Style.”
Wear with: A skinny tie or bow tie. A wider tie will overwhelm the collar, throwing off the proportions of your look. Depending on the weight of the tie, a small to medium tie knot is called for, such as a half-Windsor or a four-in-hand.
Spread Collar: It is what it sounds like — this collar has a wide allowance for a tie knot. If you want to look Wall Street, go with the spread.
Wear With: Ties that are wider and beefier balance out the spread collar. Skinnier ties or bow ties will look dinky, and this isn’t the kind of shirt that looks good without a tie. Depending on the weight of the tie, a medium to large tie knot is necessary to pull off this collar, like a Double Windsor.
Semi-Spread Collar: The semi-spread collar is between the straight point and the spread collar in regards to width.
“They are a perfect compromise between all the options … and they’ll suit every face and style,” according to GQ.
Pair with: Anything that you feel looks good. The semi-spread collar is versatile enough to wear with a variety of tie styles and widths. Be sure that the width of the tie and the size of the tie knot have balanced proportions with the collar.
Button-Down: The button down collar is the most casual of the bunch, but will always be in style. Button-down collars generally have the same proportions as the straight-point, but will button to the shirt at the collar points.
Wear with: Skinnier ties or quirky bow ties. You will look ridiculous if you wear a button down collar with a bulky tie and large tie knot. It is just wrong.
Nicole Lichtenberg can be reached at arg-arts @uidaho.edu.