eBusiness Weekly
afadzwa Zimoyo Business Closet
”A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life,”said poet Oscar Wilde.
The above statement explains that if you want to define or when you meet a gentleman in a suit, the first impression is his tie. Obviously, ties define a man — that is a factor you can’t deny — unless you are not fashion conscious.
Many people always think office wear is about suits and ties, pencil skirts, chiffons and tie back hairstyles, but this is not the case as I mentioned in the previous article on different types of business wear.
I am so happy with the feedback and this week I will focus on ties — men in ties — in particular as some ladies suggested that I kindly give a hint on the appropriate style for ties.
The ladies who whispered in my ears about the need to share ideas about ties said: “What we are seeing these days suggests the men are coming from Mars.” I laughed out loud after going through the comments from last week’s edition.
Well, back to “Business Closet”. Men may sometimes feel limited to classic looks, but these looks haven’t stood the test of time because they are just some passing trends.
A suit is certainly one timeless look that demands respect, but like I said the focus is on the tie.
The tie is pretty much the one variable that really pulls the entire suit together and fetches boat-loads of respect from friends, foes, and strangers. History says that a neck tie has always been, and always will be, the square root to really getting respect when it comes to your menswear game.
Again, there’s a reason why men in power have worn ties throughout history; think about it. The colour of tie you choose says as much about you as what comes out of your mouth.
Just know that all colours have both positive and negative effects. For example blue conveys trust, calm, peace, dependability but also cold, predictable and conservative. If you choose to wear the blue tie just know that you want to establish trust and credibility.
The colour red signifies, power, energy, strength and assertiveness but it also shows that you want to be threatening, aggressive, stressful and sometimes dangerous.
Those who wear red ties normally want to be noticed and appear authoritative. Another colour, which is dominant this summer season is, yellow.
The colour conveys not only cheerfulness, creativity, optimism, energy and friendliness, but also focuses on impulsiveness. You can wear it to appear friendly and approachable, if you want.
Some men go the extreme mile of wearing the colour green, which according to colour experts, represents confidence, reassurance and restfulness, while on the other hand it shows envy and stubbornness.
But like the league of extra ordinary gentleman, you can wear it to show dependability. So far these are the main plain colours in the formal look that are dominating in business fashion.
There are other colours like pink, grey, black, white, ivory, brown or gold, but you need to understand that you are dressing for work and not a circus or party.
For the fashion bugs, there is a wide variety of knitted ties which are trendy, but perhaps more complicated to work with. For these, I suggest you work with your stylist. Those patterned or decorated ties, like I said, work well with a well-tailored suit.
So far, work with the mentioned above if you don’t want to embarrass yourself unless you are fashion savvy.
However, if there’s one thing that demands respect on any front, it’s having the confidence to wear your ensemble with pride and let everyone know you are certain in your abilities.
People can be very perceptive, if you wear a tie with absolute confidence, it will translate through and upon first moment’s glance, and respect will be established.
Some also wear a tie because of career demands.
This isn’t always true, but can be largely so.
Someone wearing a tie generally has a level of professionalism that must be sustained to remain the successful individual they are. In this case, the tie may or may not be in direct connection with their work.
When people see a man wearing a tie, the tendency is to assume they are looking at a professional — whether young or mature.
I am sure those gentlemen who have white collar jobs have three or four ties in their closets unless they have a uniform, in which case lucky for them.
Another important reason why men wear ties, is obviously to look good. I’m not trying to fool anyone here.
This should be the number one reason why ties demand respect. People that dress well are often catered for more by the assumption they’re deserving.
It’s not that you’re being judged or shunned, but it’s also not like ripped up jeans and a faded t-shirt really say, “I’m a person of significant importance.”
Food for thought.
Since ties only tend to measure a little under 60 inches, if you were to scale that out according to the respect barometer, it really goes a long way.
Sometimes people mention they’re not concerned what others think of their appearance. These same people are rarely the chief executive officers or directors of a company.
But really, taking time to piece a suit together and put on that beautifully crafted tie (from ties.com of course), really shows you go the extra mile. People notice these things in life, and it’s typically the people you want to notice you.
So take a pick on what tie defines you, remember it is not always the case that, “you are what you wear”, sometimes it is also, “your dress sense defines you”. By the way don’t forget you need a blue or white shirt to match those ties.
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