How to wear a tie bar?

The tie bar is that small accessory in the men’s wardrobe that can create a big impact. Though the purpose of a tie bar is to keep the tie fastened at a specific position with respect to the shirt, it also adds to the overall style.

Gentleman’s Gazzette defines Tie Bar as “a small bracket of metal, gold, rhodium and in some cases fabric that holds the shape of your tie in place while discreetly emphasizing your personality without a whisper.” 

In all, you can trust tie bar to be the perfect menswear accessory that will add both style and function to your wardrobe.

Sounds good right?

It’s a great style element. The little sliver of metal makes a shirt and tie combos come to life — but not every guy knows how it’s done. For those cases, this little guide can help you understand everything that you need to know about tie bars.

It is attached to the tie from one side where it clasps the tie to the shirt whereas the other end is free. There are two types of styles when it comes to tie bars. One is the pinch clasp style and the other is slide clasp style. 

In general, pinch clasp is preferred as it holds the tie more securely and keeps it in the place in a better way. However, for thin ties, a slide clasp is usually more appropriate. The pinch clasps are for thicker fabrics and may not suit the lighter fabrics making it hard for the tie to remain straight and in shape.

One important question that comes to the mind is where exactly along the length of the tie should you place the tie bar? The answer is that it should be roughly between the third and fourth button of your shirt. Typically a slightly higher placing has a more modern look.

Also, it is good practice to leave a small bit of extra loose fabric of the tie above the clasp to avoid feeling too constricted.

Now you might wonder — How wide is my tie bar supposed to be? One rule of thumb to remember is that a tie bar should never be wider than your tie. In fact, it’s best if it covers about three fourth of the width of tie.

Size Tip by Tie-a-tie — ‘Tie bars that are 1.75″ — 2.25″ in width are great for regular width ties (about 3.25″ wide), tie bars that are about 1.5″ wide are excellent for narrow neckties ranging from 2.35″ — 2.9″ in width and very narrow tie bars that are 1″ — 1.25″ wide are great for very skinny ties that are narrower than 2″ wide.’

The other question is often about the color. What color should you pick for you tie bar? This really depends on your taste but silver is one color that goes with everything so you can safely opt to buy it. Do not go for too colorful tie bars that steal the attention from your outfit. If you want something subtle, you can also go for black metallic tie bar. This tie bar will also go with every outfit. You can buy some stylish tie bars from Hextie.

Wearing a silver or gold tie bar helps at it easily matches with other metals on your ensemble such as your belt buckle, watch, and cufflinks. This helps in blending in the accessory with the overall look.

There is one mistake that you must avoid when styling your attire with a tie bar. Don’t ever use a tie bar with a waistcoat or a cardigan. The entire purpose of the tie bar is to keep the tie in place. But with a waistcoat or a cardigan, that purpose is defeated. In this case, the tie bar is redundant.

Now, you have got the basics sorted, it’s time to ask where exactly do you wear tie bars and who wears it?

• Decorative: men enjoy adding an accessory, just like cufflinks or a signet ring
• Keeps your ties clean: whenever you lean over the dining table, you run the risk of your tie touching your plate or meal. A tie clip prevents that from happening.

Really, that’s all! If you think that a tie bar can help you with these two things along with looking stylish, buy one and experiment with it.