12 Ties for Menswear Experts – How Many Do YOU Own?

After you’ve locked down the first five ties a gentleman should own, and then moved on to the twelve essential ties we recommend to round out any menswear wardrobe, you might be looking for something even more indulgent to really add some spice to your tie selection. Here are 12 more ties to boost your looks!

While the list of ties we’ve compiled for today might not be quite as versatile as a navy silk tie, for instance, they definitely are all about sartorial indulgence.

Essentially, these ties will make it clear to others that you’re really putting in the extra effort to stand out and be your own person when it comes to your style choices. Indeed, this extra level of expression can be what separates a very good outfit from a truly exceptional one.

What is an “Advanced” Tie?

Before we go any further, though, we should specify what constitutes an “advanced tie.” In simplest terms, advanced ties have a unique characteristic that sets them apart in a distinct way from your average, run-of-the-mill tie.

As an example, a navy tie in cashmere will come across as more casual than one in satin silk, as formality is determined in part by how much light a fabric reflects. And as we’ll discuss in a moment, other fabrics, weaves, and finishes will also have an impact on the formality of the tie. And in terms of color, the tint or shade can elevate a tie to the expert level as well as a tie in something like sky blue or fantasy blue will stand out amidst a sea of navy ties. And, of course, if a solid tie could be a bit drab in your outfit, consider adding a pattern for an extra level of visual interest.

Essentially, consider this rule of thumb: the more unique a tie is, the more memorable it will be. I mean, I would certainly easily recognize someone who always wore a Superman tie, though I’m not sure it would be for the right reasons. On that note, though, we will revisit the concept of novelty ties later, so sit tight.

Another note here: the items on our list will be showcased with different models from Fort Belvedere, and while we certainly think all of these are excellent tie options, you don’t have to consider yourself confined to just Fort Belvedere models as there are, of course, many ties out there in a variety of price ranges that should suit your needs just as well.

Finally, it is worth noting that as these ties are advanced and indulgent, they’re not strictly necessary, so you shouldn’t feel as though your wardrobe is incomplete if you don’t have them. But, if you’re anything like Raphael and feel like you could never have too many ties, then today’s list is for you.

Category #1: Fabrics & Weaves

So, we’ve broken up our picks today into three main categories, and the first category is ties that are differentiated by their fabrics and weaves.

1. Knit Tie in a Solid, Bold Color

For our first tie on the list today, we’re going with a knit tie in a solid bold color. If you are looking to stand out without an overreliance on wild colors or crazy patterns, unique textures are going to be the best way to do so, and if you do want to incorporate a bolder color into your outfit, doing so will be easier if you use a solid-colored piece. Put these two ideas together then, and you’ve got our first pick: a solid knit tie in a bold color.

Take, for example, this tie in malachite green. The unique texture certainly makes the tie pop, but its more relaxed nature allows this tie to be worked into outfits at varying levels of formality. Essentially, you can either dress up or dress down the overall outfit and still incorporate a tie like this. You can learn more about this effect with knit ties specifically by checking out our dedicated guide.

2. Mottled Knit Tie

And the texture of a knit tie can be shown off even more with our number two pick today: a mottled knit tie. A knit tie with a slight variance in color like this orange-red, cri de la soie tie will really show off the unique texture of the knit.

Combine this with our tips from tie number one, and you really get the best of both worlds while still standing out. And, of course, you can take the look even further by pairing the orange and red tones in this tie with other accessories like a pocket square or with orange and red tones in your jacket. You could also use the tie to harmonize with brown or other earth tones in your jacket or trousers.

Orange, of course, is complementary to blue on the color wheel, so wearing a blue suit could also be a good choice, and if you wanted to be even bolder, something like a pink or lavender shirt could be a good choice.

3. Bourette Silk Tie

In our previous twelve essential ties post, we recommended a tie in shantung silk; and today, we’ll recommend a different silk weave, bourette silk, for a slightly different character.

Bourette silk has a bolder, weightier texture than Shantung. And when using a matte finish and a more sedate color palette, like this navy and beige houndstooth tie, you can really ground an outfit while allowing other elements – like a sweater, for instance – to shine.

4. Cashmere Tie

Speaking of texture, if you want a tie that has a soft and lively texture to it, you can go with our number four pick, which is a cashmere tie. Keep in mind, though, that with cashmere, in particular, you really do get what you pay for. Because cheap cashmere pills quickly, become unpleasantly slubby, and can wear out, it’s just that – cheap. And, of course, nothing breaks our hearts more than pilled cashmere.

Avoiding this fate with a quality cashmere, then, will make a cashmere tie a true investment piece. Therefore, in order to ensure a maximum return on your investment, in the cost-per-wear department, you’ll want to consider a cashmere tie in solids or more sedate patterns.

Stripes are particularly nice for bringing in multiple colors to give you the largest amount of pairing opportunities. You can also look at cashmere blends if you’d like that cashmere softness without breaking the bank.

I’m personally a big fan of Fort Belvedere’s cashmere-wool, grenadine tie in gray, navy, and purple, and it’s the one I’m wearing today. This one comes from my own personal closet. It’s pleasantly soft to the touch, and its color palette is extremely versatile, which means I can pair it with a wide variety of outfits. This is also helped by the grenadine weave, which follows similar conceptual lines to the knit ties we discussed earlier.

By the way, to learn more about why blue and gray, in particular, make such a superb pair, you can consult our other guide.

Category #2: Colors

Our second main category for today is ties differentiated by color. Color, of course, is one of the most immediate ways to make your outfit stand out. The key on how to do this without looking gaudy, though, is to also focus on another element, like the texture of the tie. 

A quality tie will have a texture that brings life and weight to it, and as a counter-example, you can think of those cheap, shiny ties that you’ll see at tuxedo rental shops. These have a texture that is somehow too limp and too stiff at the same time. And when combined with their bold, neon, electric colors, they’re the easiest way to get people asking if you’ve just come from a wedding or, worse, a high school prom.

5. Ivory Grenadine Tie

So, keeping a quality texture in mind, let’s turn our main focus back to colors and look at our number five pick today, which is an ivory grenadine tie. Because it isn’t pure, bright white, this choice is a bit unexpected, and it can work equally well for both warm and cold weather ensembles. The grenadine weave gives it the breathability and breezy feel that makes it work well with summer attire, and its off-white color means that it works well as a winter white as well.

Contrary to what you might assume at first, off-white ties can be worn in a way that is actually understated. With pastel colored shirts, for instance, they provide enough contrast to stand out and frame your face well, similar to how a tie that doesn’t have too bold a color can pair well with a white shirt. And, of course, if you are feeling adventurous, you can experiment with pairing an off-white tie with darker-colored shirts, but be aware that this is a look that has historically been associated with gangsters.

6. Orange Tie

Another often-overlooked option is an orange tie. Being a bold, warm color, many men who don’t consider themselves menswear experts can be intimidated by wearing orange and think it’s difficult to incorporate well into outfits.

However, orange is a surprisingly versatile color that works especially well in the summer and autumn. For example, take a look at how suave Raphael looks here in a burnt orange jacket. If you’d like to learn more about why orange is such an underrated color, we’ve produced a guide on the topic.

But, if you want to ease yourself into orange, a great way to do so is through your accessories like your tie. An orange tie works extremely well with blues, grays, and browns, making it a prime candidate to pair with all of your base menswear colors in things like suits, sport coats, and odd trousers.

7. Yellow Tie

Another underrated choice that will brighten any outfit is a yellow tie. This is a tie that works particularly well with spring and summer outfits, though it can, of course, be worn year-round. It’s easiest to pair as a solid, and it can stand out further with unique weaves, similar to what we were discussing before. 

A knit tie or something in wool challis or even madder silk will bring additional interest. Of course, you can also consider pattern ties that incorporate yellow as well. Common supporting colors for yellow include red, blue, and dark green; though it goes especially well with blue as it is a nearly complementary color, and similarly to orange, it also goes well with gray and brown. 

8. Purple/Violet Tie

For a rich color that can be worn with anything from business suits to more casual ensembles, consider purple tie. Purple plays well with green, orange, blue, and red, and patterns can be in either a complementary or analogous color scheme. This makes it an especially good color for pattern ties, though, of course, it can work well as a solid, too, provided you’ve got an interesting weave to work with.

9. Pink Tie

And even though it’s closely related to purple, many men are more hesitant to incorporate a pink t into their wardrobes.

Some are wary of pink ties as pink is often seen as a feminine color, but as we’ve explored in multiple guides here at the Gentleman’s Gazette, color doesn’t really have a gender, and you shouldn’t be confined by stereotypes in the first place.

Pink is a great way to create a pop of color, especially in the spring and summer, and it plays well off of other warm weather colors as well, creating a feeling of scorpacciata. Because of its boldness, pink can be slightly more difficult to pair, but you can consider toning it down somewhat as a magenta or pairing it with more sedate shades like white or gray. And as we’ve already mentioned many times for today’s list, you can also look for textured ties in pink for an especially summery feel.

Category #3: Patterns

We come now to our third main category for today, which are ties differentiated by their patterns. Patterns work so well with nectar eyes because their fundamental goals complement each other.

10. Macro-Pattern Tie

The purpose of a necktie is to frame your face, and a pattern creates additional visual interest, which will draw the viewer’s eye toward that area. And to get an even stronger version of this effect, you can go with our number ten pick for today: a macro-patterned tie.

By this, we don’t necessarily mean that the pattern on your tie should be gigantic. Medium to large patterns also fall into this category, as we’ve defined it. But, because large patterns do limit versatility somewhat, you’ll want to go with larger versions of classic patterns like polka dots, Macclesfield neats, geometric designs, and classic color schemes.

As an example of what we mean, we have an ancient madder silk tie from Fort Belvedere in a red and ivory color scheme. The enlarged pattern is attention-grabbing, but its more formal design, along with the red and ivory color palette, means that the tie pairs well with everything from a navy business suit to a more dressed-down sport coat.

11. Floral Tie

For something even more unorthodox, our penultimate pick at number eleven today is a floral tie. This definitely won’t be a choice that’s for everyone as floral ties have come in and out with fashions over the years, and it will be bold and somewhat unexpected in many cases. But, if the other characteristics of the floral pattern you’re wearing are more in line with the conventions of classic style, it can still be pulled off well and works especially well in the summer months.

For more information on florals, you can check out our Guide to Flower Patterns in Menswear. But, if the choice of a floral tie is too bold and fashion-forward for you, something along similar lines that’s a bit more classic would be a paisley tie.

12. Graphic Tie

One note here is that novelty ties can often be graphic ties, but not all graphic ties are novelty ties. Simply put, then, we’re defining a graphic tie as one that uses a repeating motif of something easily recognizable – whether that be an animal, an object, or some other non-abstract pattern.

Hermes has become particularly well-known for these types of graphic ties over the years, and they’ve even become status symbols among some crowds like Wall Street bankers. You can find more on what we think about Hermes ties in our review.

Because graphic ties are more literal in nature, they can be a great way to show off various aspects of your personality or your interests within your outfits. We suggest keeping your motifs here simple, small, and repeating to avoid associations with novelty ties. And as before, more classic color schemes are going to fit more within the classic style realm.

With a more sedate color as the base of the tie, it can function more similarly to a geometric print. You can use something like the Fort Belvedere pheasant tie as an example, and this particular tie would pair well with something like a tweed jacket, as both tweed fabric and pheasants are commonly associated with things like hunting or shooting.

Bonus: Affiliation Ties

If you’ve been keeping track, you’ll know that we’ve already hit twelve ties for today, but we’ve also got a bonus for you, and these would be affiliation ties. Historically, these ties were designed to highlight groups that were important to the wearer, and they can still serve this function today. As such, these would be good choices to showcase at gatherings like reunions or parties.

Once most closely associated with military regiments, these ties are most commonly seen today as related to academia; they can either represent a school as a whole or a club or fraternity within it and when they feature stripes in particular, they’re often referred to as “Repp Ties.” You’ll often see them in easily-identifiable color schemes, and they may sometimes have accompanying symbols to go along with them.

General Advice on Novelty Ties

Finally, for today, since we promised a word on novelty ties, here is our general advice.

If you’re attending a specific event, where a novelty tie would be appreciated for harmonizing well with the theme, or if you’re attending something where the dress code is casual, and ties aren’t required but would still be welcome, this might be a good opportunity to break out your more whimsical neckwear. Otherwise, we’d recommend hewing more closely to the other types of advanced ties that we highlighted with today’s list.

Conclusion

In conclusion, then, ties can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. But, once you’ve got the basics mastered, it’s only natural to want to branch outwards. So, despite their more modern associations with stuffiness, ties are still a great way to broadcast different aspects of your personality and will allow you to accessorize in unique ways, so don’t be afraid to experiment, as you might even stumble upon a signature item for your future wardrobe.

Of the types of advanced ties that we listed today, are there any that are already staples in your closet, or do you have other options that you like to wear? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments!

Outfit Rundown

Today, as I mentioned before, I’ve primarily been wearing our Fort Belvedere wool-cashmere grenadine tie in tones of gray, blue, and purple. To show off the tie as much as possible, I’ve kept the rest of my outfit relatively sedate and simply gone with a white shirt with plain barrel cuffs and my navy suit from SuitSupply.

Similarly, my pocket square is in plain, white linen with a slight purple detailing around the edge, and my boutonniere from Fort Belvedere is a hydrangea, which has lavender tones. My shoes are dark brown, Adelaide-style Oxfords featuring some broguing, from the Swedish brand Skolyx. My socks are also from Fort Belvedere today in our shadow-stripe, two-tone configuration of royal blue and midnight blue.

And, of course, you can find all of the Fort Belvedere accessories I’m wearing today, including the socks, boutonniere, and tie, along with a host of other tie designs, including many of the advanced models we discussed today by visiting the Fort Belvedere shop.