Mens Ties Reviews and Buying Guide:

I can still remember the first time I ever tried to tie a tie for my sisters wedding. What a nightmare it was. My older brother was there to help, but otherwise I would have been stuck. Men of all ages have to wear a tie at some point in their lives and many men wear them daily to work in business clothes. Ties definitely add a touch of style and professionalism to any suit or outfit. Men are notoriously bad at shopping for clothes in general, let alone accessory items like ties. The good news is that most ties can be matched with the clothes you already own, so don't worry about that. A large % of ties are bought for men from wives, girlfriends, or mothers. Many men have trouble knowing what looks good and what is fashionable. We have tried to list some general characteristics of what to look for when buying a tie either online or in stores. Keep reading below for details.

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The most common ties are neckties, but other styles include the bow tie and clip-on tie. When looking for a tie, remember the best ties are made of silk or a polyester and silk blend. You want the inside materials of a tie to be "stiff" so the tie has "body" and shape to it. More expensive ties are lined with all wool or a wool mixture. The more wool, the better quality tie you are buying. Most neckties are anywhere from 52 to 58 inches long so once you find a length that works for you remember it. If you have favorite suit and you are looking for ties to match it, bring it along to the store so it's easy to match ties with it. A better made tie is cut across the fabric meaning the tie will remain straight once you have knotted it and it won't curl when hanging. When you are in the store actually touching and feeling ties for texture, inspect them for loose threads or bad weaves as this can severely alter the look of a tie over time. When it comes to silk ties, you can tell the quality of the silk is inferior if the tie feels "rough". Like most other clothing items, the more you spend, the higher quality the item will be (ties included). There are lots of designer ties that we will discuss below which have big price tags. Clip on ties are really not professional looking so avoid them at all costs. When determining if a tie is the right length, you want it to come down to the very top of the waist of your pants. Always wear ties that are darker than the color of the shirt you have on and stay away from ties that are overly bright. Find ties that complement your suit color first and your shirt second. An excellent tie shopping site is at Neckties.com and they carry men's ties, extra long ties, kid's ties, solid ties, striped ties, bow ties, tie bars, and tie racks. The selection is huge and they consider themselves the "Earth's Largest Tie Store".

Designer Ties:

Mens designer ties have become very popular and my guess is because women are buying them for their husbands and boyfriends. The top designer ties are made by Armani, Versace, Hermes, Burberry, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Fendi. We went to Raffaelloties.com to find out just what these expensive, luxury ties cost and which brands are the most popular. Giorgio Armani is an Italian designer known for creating gorgeous mens suits that are very expensive and we found their beautiful ties online for about $80 to $90 each. The Versace ties are about $90 and made with 100% premium woven silk. They are produced in Italy, the fashion capital of the world for designer handbags, shoes, and ties. Dolce & Gabbana ties are closer to $100/each and were our favorite of the lot. If you want to spend even more, consider the Hermes ties which we found at Tiedeals.com for about $150. Sure, they are authentic hand made ties from France, but are they really worth the cost. The Burberry ties were much more reasonable at about $85, although still way beyond the $25 you can spend to get a regular tie.

Tie Hanger:

If you take care of your ties, they will probably last a lifetime (although styles do change). The first thing is to hang up your ties when you are not wearing them. This will keep wrinkles to a minimum. However, if you own knit ties, roll them up and put them in a drawer since they have the susceptibility of stretching when hung. For storing purposes, consider buying a tie rack or tie bar. The PowerTie Motorized Tie Rack ($70) from SharperImage is a cool invention that easily fits in your closet. You can view 72 ties in about 20 seconds. It fits right onto your closet rod and takes up only about 9 inches of space. A light illuminates automatically as the ties rotate so you can see the colors even in darker rooms or closets. A slightly cheaper version is available at Bed Bath and Beyond called the Tie Tracker ($20). It's a revolving tie rack with light and is easy to use, just push a button and it rotates in either direction. Try to store your ties out of the light so you avoid any fading. Unknot your ties before hanging them so the tie can regain some of its original shape and not become permanently disfigured.

Tie Accessories:

You are probably thinking, what kind of accessory can go with a tie? There are tie bars, tie clips, tie tacks, and tie chains. A tie bar, or tie slide, is a piece of metal (thin) that fits across the middle section of your tie and helps keep your tie attached to your shirt. A tie clip, or tie clasp, functions much the same as a tie bar in that it clips your tie to your dress shirt. A tie tack is has multiple parts and needs to be pinned to your tie (which may cause damage) and then have the chain portion with a weight go through a button hole in your shirt to secure it. Lastly, there are tie chains that are meant to keep your tie in place throughout the night. .

How do you tie a tie?:

Here comes the hard part if you have limited or no experience tying a tie. There are 4 main ways to tie a tie - the Four-in-Hand knot, the Half-Windsor knot, the Windsor knot, and the Pratt/Shelby knot. You can view step by step instructions online with pictures at http://www.tieguide.com/tie.htm.

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