Christmas and New Year are near, festivities have started including Black Tie events .
At a glance, it looks as though you’ve got it easy when it comes to black tie attire: all the guess work of what to wear is nonexistent, everyone expects you to turn up in the same outfit as everyone else and you get to wear it over and over again! Plus black tie attire is going to make you look ‘smoking hot’ – no matter what body shape you are.
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| Eton |
But smoking hot can turn in to a damp squib if you don’t follow a few simple sartorial rules.
So let's start with the obvious: The Black Tie
The colour clue is in the title - black, no other colour is acceptable at a true black tie event.
The tie also should also be a Bow Tie, preferably of silk and should always match the texture of your jacket’s lapels. If your lapels are smooth satin silk then go for a satin silk bow tie but if your lapels are of grosgrain then your bow tie needs a textured finish such as grosgrain, barathea or faille.
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| Matalan |
Go for a self tie one rather than a pre-tied. How else are you going to get that sexy loose draped tie look at the end of the night?
Keep the tie proportional to your face – the ends of the bow should be in line somewhere between the edge of your face and the outer corners of your eyes. Anything smaller or larger your head will look disproportional.
The type of tie is also important:
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| Moss Bros - Butterfly style bow tie |
The Butterfly tie is a large bow and should only be worn by men with a large neck size, bigger face and chin; otherwise you may end up looking more like a clown than James Bond.
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| Primark - batwing style bow tie |
The straight Batwing tie is narrow and is best for thin men with longish faces and a narrow collar size.
Diamond pointed Bow ties are not as common so are good to add a bit of individuality whilst sticking to the black tie rules.
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| Eton - thistle style bow tie |
However the Thistle or semi-butterfly is the more classic and popular tie. It is smaller than the full butterfly and thicker than the batwing tie so is a safer choice for most men.
Remember a black bow tie will make you look stylish, a coloured one will take away most of the sophistication.
Part of article as seen in
http://www.eclipsemagazine.co.uk/NewEclipse/Joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2026:black-tie-the-bow-tie&catid=48:mens-fashion&Itemid=74
All images from PRShots
Black Bow Ties available on Amazon:
