Basics You Need To Know When Buying And Wearing Cheap Neckties

By Sharon Weeks


You can buy a rather nice tie online for a discount price and still get top quality. When shopping for cheap neckties, it pays to know what you want in terms of size, fabric, texture, and color. You want it to suit your height, weight, and occasion. Knowing where to go is half the battle from an off-the-rack budget version at any of the affordable shops to a luxurious Italian-made tie at an expensive dealer.

Tie widths come and go; if you want to be in style, find out what is current. 3.75 inches will do nicely. Some larger men like a little extra for proportion, so keep that in mind. Skinny ties are favored by younger men who want to look retro hip. One rule of thumb when shopping is to use a dollar bill to measure your prospective purchase. Fold the bill in half for a three-inch ruler. You can then judge quickly the width of your tie.

If you don't have a ruler on you, and you are judging ties in a store, take out a dollar bill and fold it in half. You now know what three inches looks like. Now you can exert your taste as to pattern and color. Be careful as ties come in a variety of lengths and you don't want to make a mistake and have to trudge back in traffic. A good tip for shorter men is to create a bigger knot!

Cheap ties don't have to be a detriment to your appearance, but you don't always have the same choices of fabric and construction. If a superior tie is on sale, it is a better bet. All things being equal go for the best. So width and length matter as do fabric and construction. There are a million colors, patterns, and textures from which to choose. The tie world is your oyster, so pick wisely and well.

How are they made, you may ask? The manufacturer folds a single piece of fabric over itself. It will have an interior lining that makes a difference between good fabrication and bad. Wool is often used in expensive ties but seldom in cheaper versions. Blended wool will do fine. You want a fine fabric inside and out.

Another element of a good tie to notice is the slip stitch found on the back if you open the tie a bit. A loose black thread hangs lengthwise, not visible normally. It is not a defect but a "slip stitch" that runs down the center of the tie to encourage it to move up and down as you adjust your knot.

As you can see, construction matters and one tie is not as good as another. If you are really after superior quality, look for triple folds of cloth that has been across on the bias. Three panels thus make up the final tie. You can tell by running your finger along the fabric length. You should discern two distinct seams.

These are but a few of the basics you need to know when buying and wearing neckties. You have three areas of responsibility: buying a good one at a fair price, learning how to tie a basic knot, and selecting the right colors and fabrics to look right for any occasion. You should now feel comfortable with at least the first requirement.




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