The art of matching ties to your suits and shirts is something that has confounded the best of us for years. We grew up watching sports, movies and reading about sexy swimsuit models. We played basketball and attended football games. But never, did we learn about color theory or recognizing what clothes match with what, we just had no idea neither did we seem to care.

Until we realized this all important truth; evolving into our highest potential as gentlemen requires paying attention to the finer details in life one of which happens to be clothing.

Generally, the closer a layer of clothing is to our body, the easier it is to match. Take a layer or two away, and matching suddenly becomes a much more arduous task. We now have layers beneath to match and contrast against, and we are all of a sudden dumbfounded.

In creating this content, I would like to point out three critical components to pay attention to when matching ties to your suits and shirts. These should help you navigate through this article better and help you maintain a sense of what is important when choosing ties that best match your suits and shirts.

Color theory, Pattern mixing, Tonal considerations.
Similar to colors, you ideally want your tie pattern to create an element of contrast with the shirt and suit that you are wearing. As a general rule of thumb, when you are starting out, avoid mixing and matching three patterns as it could be an overkill, especially if you are unsure as to what you are doing!

Contrary to what most of us originally think, for patterns to be able to pop off each other visually, they do not necessarily have to be different (checks against stripes). While they can be different patterns, they can also be similar patterns in different proportions. It is absolutely critical that your pattern proportion varies, whether the patterns are similar or
different.

If pattern proportions are close to each other, your overall aesthetic will look too cluttered and will do the exact opposite of what you are aiming to achieve.

These general aesthetic rules apply when choosing an appropriate tie pattern:

PICK A PATTERN THAT IS SAME IN SCOPE BUT DIFFERENT IN PROPORTION.
If you are wearing a solid colored grey suit with a narrow striped blue shirt, a wider striped tie using color theory described above could work very well.

PICK A PATTERN THAT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Instead of using wider striped ties, as suggested above, you could use a polka dot tie (polka dot ties invariably are larger spaced) set against your narrowly striped, pinstripe shirt. Conversely, you could use an abstract design such as a repeating floral pattern with some level of spacing relative to the spacing of your striped or checkered shirt. Again, as is the case above, pattern proportion is of critical importance, even when the two patterns are completely different.

MATCHING TIES TO SHIRTS BASED ON PATTERN SCALE
Another way of looking at matching tie patterns to your suits and shirts is to see if you are starting with a smaller scaled pattern shirt, a larger scaled shirt pattern, or no pattern at all.

 SMALLER SCALE SHIRT WITH A LARGER PATTERNED TIE
If your Shirt Pattern is small scale, you can wear a bold, patterned tie. This will contrast well with your subdued shirt pattern and create great contrast. Here, your tie will be your statement piece.

LARGER SCALE SHIRT WITH A SMALLER PATTERNED TIE
If your Shirt Pattern is larger scale, you can wear a smaller, intricate tie pattern. This will also contrast well, except in this case, against a larger, louder shirt pattern.  Here, your shirt will be your statement piece.


STEPHANIE E. HEMEN