subject: Formal Neckties - What's Safe, What's Not And Risks To Take [print this page] The notion of formal seems to inch away from the traditional sense everyday and every which way. Attending formal functions can be daunting when you think of what to do, what to wear and how to behave.
For men, the choice of attire may have been pleasantly limited as you need only to find dark suit and a clean, crisp white shirt. Formal neckties, however, are something that may stump you. Are there ties that I shouldn't wear to formal events? Are there ties that are safe? What kind of ties can I take some risks with?
Safe Formal Neckties
Not all formal events are black tie ones but black tie functions are formal. When it is specified as black tie in your invitation, silk black ties are always the way to go. The idea is to wear a bow tie but the usual neckties are also acceptable.
The younger the people who invite you to the black tie events, the more you can deviate from the rigid rules. Your neckties for black tie events can be silver, dark silver or even thinly striped dark ties. Remember to keep them silk, however.
Formal events that are not black tie give you even more room to breathe. Here you can play with a bit more color. Solid, stripes and polka dots are acceptable as long as they give the effect of being solid color ties. The effect you want for formal attire is subdued so distracting patterns are not recommended.
What Neckties Not to Wear to Formal Events
As mentioned just now, the desired effect of formal attire is subdued so anything that attract too much attention is something you want to avoid.
Too thick stripes with contrasting colors, especially when neither is a shade of black is a no no. So is a polka dot tie of basic colors, especially one with big dots.
Don't risk too much by wearing a light colored suit when you are infusing some color into your necktie. Keep things low key by sticking to a black suit. When it is a day time event, especially in the summer, you do have the option of wearing a light colored suit. Remember not to contrast your tie with it. Keep things monochrome for formal events.
The Kind of Risks Worth Taken
If you are adventurous or perhaps you have plenty of nice ties lying around, given as presents, you might wonder if the neckties you have or have seen on sale somewhere can be worn to a formal event.
The key, again, is to keep things subdued. Patterns, stripes and polka dots are absolutely fine as long as they give the impression of being solid color. If you have doubts about the pattern being too crazy, remember that shades of black are always safe.
Paisley patterns are actually very classic and look extremely good with formal, crisp dark suit. If you are not too sure yet, go for dark maroon paisley. Together with a white shirt and a black suit, this makes for a very nice combination.
