Neglecteth Ye Not The Tie Bar

Tacky? Outdated? Pish posh. I have heard select old and young sartorial figures use these words when describing one of my favorite accessories. I have heard praise over ingenious alternatives that remain unseen when used but boast tremendous function. I am talking about the tie bar, and for those who say they are dated (they originated circa the 1920's), you must have missed the huge resurgence that has been gaining intensity since even before Mad Men rocked AMC!

A tie bar (also tie slide, tie clip, or tie clasp) is a neckwear accessory that clips a tie to the fold of a shirt, preventing it from swinging and ensuring the tie hangs straight, resulting in a neat, uniform appearance. There you go. It has a function. The tie bar also, unlike nifty little doo-hickies that promise an invisible tie-anchoring method, has style. Loads of it.

Now I'm not saying that magazines such as Esquire or GQ should be held as law when it comes to the way one should dress, but they offer great guidelines, and the tie bar has been a prominent accessory in many men's publications for the past few years, pictured, but not necessarily shoved down the readers' throats. The nifty little device adds a small, tasteful flash of ornamentation to your chest, and throws a little bit of personalization into what can easily become uniform.

Tie bars are usually made of metal and often have minor decorative patterns. They are often engravable (although a monogramed tie bar may be a little over-the-top. Try an expletive to see who's looking!) and are usually seen in silver or gold. I prefer silver, as I sold my gold watch years ago and would refrain from blending silver and gold metals in the same ensemble.

There are important rules that must be heeded in order to do the tie bar justice. First, it should be simple- not a gaudy, bedazzled piece of jewelry for your tie. Wearing even a classic plain silver piece gathers enough attention. Trust me.
Second, tie bars are meant for slimmer ties and should always be shorter than the width of the tie. Even one that is the same width will look too big and needlessly break-up the natural line that the tie creates on the body. I do like to wear a tie bar with a standard width tie occasionally, but I cock the bar down at a bit of an angle to lend a bit of quirky attitude to the look (see the picture at top left. Tie bar by Dunhill).

Finally, keep the purpose in mind. Wear a tie bar not as an unnecessary accessory, but as a furnishing with a purpose: It should gently affix your tie to your shirt to prevent the tie from flapping around; useful as we approach the breezier fall season. What I'm getting at here is this: placement is key. A tie bar should not sit 2 inches from the top of your collar nor should it sit atop your navel. Think of the base of your sternum as the zero risk point. Gravitating too far away from this point in either direction approaches ridiculosity. Too high suggests pomposity. Too low, stupidity. Both detract from the function of the tie bar.

Way too high makes you look like a tool. If you are wearing some ridiculous 5-button suit that you stole from an NBA baller and want your tie bar to peak out from above your buttons, you will look like a moron just trying to flash some bling. A jacket with that many buttons will keep a tie from flapping about on its own.
Way too low, on the other hand, completely disregards function and provides the illusion that it's a miracle you were able to dress yourself in the first place if you get my drift. I like mine about an inch above the zero risk point. I'll show it to you, but I know how it works.

Remember this: men’s accessories with a vintage aesthetic never really lose their luster. Success with something like tie bar experimentation is just like any other part of getting dressed: it completely depends on how you wear it. An ill-fitting baggy suit and an overly substantial tie will not only make a tie bar appear exceptionally dated, but the contrast of sleek and shlubby will make the tie bar look entirely out of place. In the end, the right accessory is only as good as the person who wears it. Rock it well.
Cheers!
-Paul
( tie bar pictures: Left: Burberry, Right: Tiffany & Co., Top of page: Dunhill)