Tie Bars

[California Dreamer]

AAC calls them a "fashion mistake". The Chap says they are an indispensable part of a gentleman's attire, provided they are at the correct height.

Who's right?

 

[TyskJohan]

I think they're a big no-no.

If flying tie ends trouble you, try a vest, a Tie-Perfect or a tie pin (which can be quite dashing in some settings).

 

[epa]

Please, excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between a tie bar and a tie pin? And what is a Tie-Perfect?
By the way, what is wrong about the flying ends of the ties? (Except that it may look tacky if the front part of the narrower end features a supposedly expensive brand name such as Hermes or Ferragamo; personally, I do not care, I have already made sure to give a tacky impression by leaving the last button on the jacket sleeves unbuttoned and/or by having visible initials on the chest or cuff of the shirt).

 

[TyskJohan]

Tie pin:

Tie tack:

Tie-perfect:
See http://www.tieperfect.com/

 

[epa]

But these things look horrible!
Is the tie pin supposed to traverse your tie?
How do you use a tie tack?
The tie-perfect looks a bit depressing to me. Suggests rigidity IMO, although I guess that can be helpful if you are one of those that tend to drop the tie into the soup. However, personally I do not like it, actually, I think that it is a bit contrary to sprezzatura, for example.

 

[TyskJohan]

Originally Posted by epa

But these things look horrible!
I quite agree. Less horrible than a bar, though!

Originally Posted by epa

Is the tie pin supposed to traverse your tie?
Yep. Better get a knitted tie, then or always tie it exactly the same so that the hole is always in the same place.

Originally Posted by epa

How do you use a tie tack?
Pin through tie, drumstick in a button hole.

Originally Posted by epa

The tie-perfect looks a bit depressing to me. Suggests rigidity IMO, although I guess that can be helpful if you are one of those that tend to drop the tie into the soup. However, personally I do not like it, actually, I think that it is a bit contrary to sprezzatura, for example.

 

[Vintage Gent]

I've always been partial to tie clasps. They help keep neckwear in place and make it easier to get your tie to arch out just so. I'm wearing one in the picture attached to this thread:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=21556

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Tie bars can be trouble if you wear relatively wide ties because most wont reach far enough across the tie to stay in place.

They look better angled down and I cannot tell you how many women have assumed it was wrong and reached out to readjust them straight without asking. I wonder what Freud would say about that.

I used to wear them a lot, now ive stopped because theyre more trouble than theyre worth. Sometimes you want your tie to move around a bit. To make them fit snugly acorss both the tie and the shirt placket you may find that the pile of the tie's fabric gets crushed in a manner which is not easily removed, even with a steamer.

The reaction is that they are horribly outdated. I dont even know what the image is of them because I always wore them for a sense of control and neatness and can no longer recall personally what the reaction is. However, it's fair to say that unless your tie bar is both unique and handsome it will give off a negative reaction to some extent.

Tie pins are nice, they rarely leave permanent holes. I would wear one with a personal crest on it which would again, potentially in the USA, cause over curiosity and maybe the wrong sort of reaction.

Too expensive is a no-no and too cheap is a no-no. If it's a novelty I would recommend that it be expensively made.

I have a tie bar with a stop sign symbol on it and one with my zodiac sign on a small sphere and hand painted in a green background with a silver symbol. These register well with people because theyre so different and because I can make a little joke out of it. I also have a nice one with a salmon on it for wear with a sports coat. That also presents a joke or two. But tie bars


Tie pins are too much fuss for me, I dont like having to figure out where to place the pin to allow me enough length of tie not to have to walk around bent over. That is why I prefer a stick pin which is easier to place. I rarely wear these either but i have experimented. I generally prefer putting them in the lapel which is also rare. But I do have two stick pins which I feel work in very linited circumstances.

 

[TIEALIGN]

TIEALIGN is a great tie restraint if you want to keep your tie in place without a visible restraint or a pin that will damage your shirt or tie.

 

[odoreater]

I find tie bars to be way too dandyish or pimpish to wear in just about any setting. But, they do look good on old guys for some reason.

 

[gdl203]

yikes!

These plastic things are not only depressing, they're the antithesis of class or elegance.

 

[TIEALIGN]

Originally Posted by gdl203

yikes!

These plastic things are not only depressing, they're the antithesis of class or elegance.

I agree, thats why they are clear so they can't be seen from any angle while wearing them. Its designed purely for function. We will be releasing a fabric covered version in the near future for those that don't like the exposed polyproplyene version. I feel the exposed polyproplyene is the better design as it can't be seen and wont show up against different fabrics but it has been requested enough times I going to make them.

 

[jackmccullough]

I wear a tie clasp most of the time. When I was a kid I had several, now the only one I have is one I got from my wife. I like it because it keeps my tie in place. I don't usually wear it when I'm wearing a vest or sleeveless sweater.

By the way, I don't like the idea of wearing it slanted. It seems affected.

 

[Joel_Cairo]

The only time Ive ever worn a tie bar it was a paperclip. I was at a celebration thrown by the Royal Norwegian Conusulate commemorating Norway's independance day. The paperclip carries a proud connotation to the Norwegian nation, rooted in the experience of Nazi occupation during WWII:

Originally Posted by wikipedia: Norwegian Resistance Movement

A symbol of the Norwegian resistance was wearing a paper clip on a lapel; an innocuous item, the paper clip was assumed to be a Norwegian invention, and represented uniting against the occupation.

I got innumerable compliments on it, but I can't imagine it'd have legs outside of this specific context.

 

[Will]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

The only time Ive ever worn a tie bar it was a paperclip. I was at a celebration thrown by the Royal Norwegian Conusulate commemorating Norway's independance day. The paperclip carries a proud connotation to the Norwegian nation, rooted in the experience of Nazi occupation during WWII:



I got innumerable compliments on it, but I can't imagine it'd have legs outside of this specific context.

Until I read this I thought the tie bar was uniquely American!