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Tie questions

BlakeL

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I'm new here, and thought I'd join to get some info.

I got a job at a restaurant and I have to start soon. I'm required to wear dark slacks (black, dark grey, blue, etc.) and dress shirt, and a tie. I really like colored dress shirts and I have a lot of them. I just don't really have the eye for what ties go with which colored shirt. What are some good color combinations for ties and shirts? If it helps, I have a lot of Jerry Garcia neckties and several Calvin Klein ties.

Thanks for the help!
 

Doc4

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Hey Blake, welcome!

First off, you can't go wrong with a white shirt ...

Second, are there any sort of "company colours" you might be expected to wear, or any informal code of what colours are and are not acceptable? Some restaurants I've seen, all the staff wear basically the same colour scheme.

What colour shirts and ties do you have already? If you can describe what you already have (and post pictures if possible) it'd be a lot easier for us to say "tie #3 goes with shirt #6" and get you off to a good start, without making you go buy a bunch of new stuff.

As a final rule, no mater what else, your tie should be darker than the shirt it's being worn with.
 

BlakeL

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Here is a pic of a couple of ties I lied out with some shirts. Thank you for the help.

I'm working the front desk of the restaurant for a couple weeks, and the manager told me I am free to wear whatever colored shirts and ties I want as long as I wear dark slacks and black shoes. So it's pretty open.

I had another job a few months back where I had to wear dark pants and a white shirts, so matching ties with a white shirt is no problem. Now that I can wear colored shirts, it's a little different. I just don't want to look like a moron or someone who knows nothing about matching.

I'll keep in mind that the tie should be darker than the shirt. Thanks for that!

I have probably 75 ties to pick from hanging in my closet than range from one end of the color spectrum to the next.
 

Doc4

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I like the combo on the left.

The other two ... the ties are ... um ... not my preference. Personally, I'd go for something more geometric, striped, or with a repeating pattern like paisley. Beyond that, pretty much any tie will go with a white shirt. For a coloured shirt, one option is to pick a tie with one of the major colours in it being the same colour, or slightly darker shade, as the shirt.

(By no means is that the only way to go, but it's a start.)
 

BlakeL

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Originally Posted by Doc4
The other two ... the ties are ... um ... not my preference. Personally, I'd go for something more geometric, striped, or with a repeating pattern like paisley. Beyond that, pretty much any tie will go with a white shirt. For a coloured shirt, one option is to pick a tie with one of the major colours in it being the same colour, or slightly darker shade, as the shirt.

I love Jerry Garcia ties because they are so strange.
smile.gif
But I also love geometric patterned ties. So would, for example, that light blue shirt look good with a tie that has a lot of darker blue in it? I think it does, but I'm not expert on the matter. Thanks for your help so far!
 

Siggy

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The combo on the left looks good, the other two not so good IMO. A darker blue tie will go well with a light blue shirt. It won't be easy to make those brownish J. Garcia ties look good with much though...
 

Doc4

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Originally Posted by BlakeL
I love Jerry Garcia ties because they are so strange.
smile.gif
But I also love geometric patterned ties. So would, for example, that light blue shirt look good with a tie that has a lot of darker blue in it? I think it does, but I'm not expert on the matter. Thanks for your help so far!


I think that, yes, a dark blue tie on a light blue shirt would work fine.

One thing to look at for ideas ... some shirt sellers also sell ties, and try to pair up the ties and shirts on their websites, doubtless to try to get two sales out of one. Nevertheless, that gives you a good resource to look at, and see what combinations they are playing with and see if you can reproduce them from your own closet. I'll point you to a couple such webpages ... this isn't necessarily an endorsement of the products on sale, just a resouces for shirt&tie photos to consider ...

http://www.tmlewin.co.uk/ProductList...sPrinceOfWales
http://www.ctshirts.co.uk/p/gbpdefau...e=1&back=False
 

Azure

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Originally Posted by BlakeL
Here is a pic of a couple of ties I lied out with some shirts. Thank you for the help.

I'm working the front desk of the restaurant for a couple weeks, and the manager told me I am free to wear whatever colored shirts and ties I want as long as I wear dark slacks and black shoes. So it's pretty open.

I had another job a few months back where I had to wear dark pants and a white shirts, so matching ties with a white shirt is no problem. Now that I can wear colored shirts, it's a little different. I just don't want to look like a moron or someone who knows nothing about matching.

I'll keep in mind that the tie should be darker than the shirt. Thanks for that!

I have probably 75 ties to pick from hanging in my closet than range from one end of the color spectrum to the next.



Man I hope that you won´t wear tie 2 and 3 or you won´t last more than one day! Please learn a bit from this stylish forum!!
smile.gif
Good luck
 

embowafa

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If the only thing you're going to wear with any sort of 'pop' is going to be the tie, why would you insist on wearing horrendous ties?

The ties are ugly. There are tons of nice ties in the Buying and Selling forums for very reasonable prices...I highly recommend you invest in a few.
 

Douglas

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You're going to get all kinds of grief about the Jerry Garcia ties on here, and I would say somewhat rightfully so. StyleForum groupthink prescribes grenadines, knit ties, pindots, and other very staid, generally woven tie designs.

But I don't know that any of the fine ties on the B&S forum are really going to suit the bill for a guy working in a restaurant. You're absolutely going to get crap on these ties, and spending for a nice sevenfold Borrelli is just a waste of money.

I would recommend you try to find a nice, basic collection of simple geometric woven ties in conservative colors and color combos - think colors that occur in nature. Reds, maroons, navy blues. IIRC, Burlington Coat Factory often has "Bergamo New York" ties that are decent enough quality for what you need at about a $15-20 price point. Rep ties (meaning alternating diagonal stripes) are also classic and can look striking with a nice pinpoint oxford button-down.

Personally, I'd stick to light blue and white shirts and rock a consistent rotation of sharp woven ties in the colors I've described and you'll look sharp and good without looking like a kid who raided his middle-manager Dad's novelty tie collection.
 

BlakeL

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I can really tell that this places doesn't care for Jerry Garcia ties. haha. I've worn them for a couple years and I get a lot of compliments on them when I wear them.

Even though I have a lot of Garcia ties, I do have even more ties with geometric patterns in good colors like yellows, blues, black, reds, maroons, and many more colors.
 

forsbergacct2000

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I would go to Marshall's or Walmart, though. In a restaurant you may find you will ruin ties before they get "old." (Most of the time, the difference between a cheap tie and a good one is how long they last. A lot of cheap ties don't look bad until they wear out.)

Unless you are making hundreds in tips a night, replacing nice ties (even the Garcias) will be expensive.
 

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