The tie was originally invented to hold your shirt together before buttons were invented and today they have become a fashion accessory with no real purpose. Don’t get us wrong, we love a beautifully patterned neck tie, but there are certain situations that make us think “do I really need to wear this?”
There are times, like a casual get together or just simply wanting to put on a much-loved pinstripe suit for work, when a suit is worn but there’s no real need for that piece of fabric around your neck. What do you wear with it? How do you accessorise?
There’s no need to fear, below we have listed seven ways to compliment your look when bossing a suit without a tie:
Collars
When rocking a suit sans tie, the collar becomes an extremely important factor as people are going to be more drawn to it when a tie is not present. We suggest going with an oversized, floppy collar that stands up on its own. A stiff collar that stands up is also helpful as a positive sign, as it gives the sense of rigid professionalism.
A vertical and narrow collar is also a good option on the other end of the spectrum, this type of collar will frame your face.
The Fit
This applies to all clothes and not just suits, but for clothes to look nice on you, they generally must fit you properly. When wearing a suit this is even more applicable. A creased and baggy suit is not a good look for anybody and makes one appear that they are wearing someone else’s clothes or have simply given up on caring what they look like. If your suit fits you perfectly you can easily get away with not wearing a tie and possibly even teaming it with a t-shirt as opposed to a button-up shirt.
Accessorise
One of our favourite things here at Pieces of Time is to accessorise our look with a bit of personal style. When wearing a suit without a tie this can be carried out in many ways. From wearing a pair of brightly coloured socks to a bold set of cufflinks it’s easy pulling off the no-tie look. One of our favourite ways to pull of our no-tie look is to don one of our men’s pocket watches for a bold, yet beautiful style statement.
Colour Contrast
Basic fashion rules state that your jacket should always be darker than your shirt but we personally think wearing a crisp black shirt underneath a charcoal grey suit is a timeless and natural look as well as pulling on a blue suit over a grey shirt. Have a play around, one look from your significant other is normally enough to see if your colour palate is working!
Suit Pattern
When you omit a tie from your look you free up the playing field to experiment with suit fabric patterns. We’re not talking polka dots and motifs here but feel free to dabble in a wide range of pin stripes, windowpanes, and bold solids. Think less Timmy Mallet and more Conor McGregor and you’ll be the most stylish guy in the street.
Pocket Squares
Just because you’re not wearing a suit doesn’t mean you can’t wear a patterned pocket square, opt for a striking wash of colour to compliment your look. A pocket square will be the point of focus for people now your neck is free from the noose of a tie.
Dirty Up Your Look
We don’t literally mean rubbing grime into your threads but a styled dishevelled look can make certain people look effortlessly cool as a sleek look without a tie becomes more noticeable. Allow your stubble to grow out for a day or two and make sure your hair is styled, but not overdone like you are going on a first date. Layers are key here, a suit with a nice shirt finished off with a knee length camel coat and cashmere scarf is the go to look. Remember to steer away from the ‘homeless man who found a suit in the skip’ and think more ‘power executive who’s worked for two days straight’
Other articles you may also find interesting:
8 rules when dressing for a job interview
5 vintage fashions that still have undeniable charm
Photo by: Walterlan Papetti
