How Do You Match A Tie Bar?
Tie bars make a supreme statement of elegance that few other accessories can achieve. They add a finished look to your tailored outfits and they add a sense of sophistication that accentuates the luxury of your ties. However, how do you match a tie bar to your tie? Choosing the right tie bar to match your outfit can be a bit of a conundrum if you don’t know where to start. There are a few things you need to consider when picking the perfect tie bar for your tie and they include colour, finish and length.
Tie Bar Colour
When choosing the right tie bar for your suit, it’s important to look at the features of your suit, as well as your accessories, and make a choice between a silver or a gold tie bar. This is a big decision but there’s a few things that will help you narrow it down.
The first thing to look at is your other accessories, such as your cufflinks. Are they warm toned or cool toned? If they are silver, keep your tie bar silver too- there’s no room to mix and match gold and silver hues.
It’s also imperative to pay attention to the colour of your buttons, as well as your belt buckle, because your tie comes into direct contact with these things. If your buttons have a warm finish to them but your tie bar is silver, people will notice immediately and not in a favourable way.
Going for a simple silver or a gold tie bar is generally the most classic choice you can make, however, if you feel like making a bold statement, there’s an abundance of unconventional colours and styles you can go for. At OTAA we always encourage confidence, so we’ll never knock a novelty tie bar. Our anchors, moustaches and glasses will always give you an impact statement in the most favourable way.
However, If you decide to go for a tie bar that commands attention, make sure it doesn’t clash with your tie or the other features of your suit. Don’t layer a statement piece on top of another statement piece. A plain tie is the perfect background for a novelty tie bar.
Tie Bar Finish
Most tie bars either come in a gloss or a brushed finish. This basically means you can choose between your tie bar having a shining surface or a matte surface. Whether you go for a gloss or a brushed tie bar generally comes down to your personal taste, but as a general rule of thumb; if your tie has a sheen finish (for example, if it’s satin or silk) you should go for a brushed tie bar. And if your tie is matte (for example, it’s made from a cotton, wool or linen fabric) you should go for a gloss tie bar. Contrasting finishes between your tie and tie bar always adds a deeper level of sophistication to your overall appearance.
It’s also appropriate to base your decision on the finishes of your other accessories like your cufflinks or lapel pin.
Tie Bar Length
The length of your tie bar should cover ¾ width of your tie. This is the most traditional length for a tie bar and holds the most popularity in contemporary fashion trends.
If it covers the full width of your tie, it’s too long. And if it covers less than half the width of your tie, it’s too short. Plain and simple.
So ask yourself, will you be wearing a skinny tie or a standard necktie?
For a skinny tie, you want your tie bar to be between 2.5 cm / 0.9 inches and 4 cm / 1.5 inches long. This is the perfect length for it to cover ¾ width of a standard skinny tie.
For a standard necktie though, your recommended tie bar length is about 5.5 cm or 2.1 inches.
These lengths are based on the assumption that you will be positioning your tie bar between the third and fourth button of your shirt, as this is the recommended placement.
