lifestyle
by luka vracar
I
f you think for one moment that you can get away
with being one of those men who refuses to wear
a tie, and that this gives a unique rebelliousness
to your individuality, you fail to realise that ties
have been a fundamental element of men’s attire for
centuries.
You can thank the Croatians for inventing the
cravat, a precursor to the modern day necktie, some
350 years ago. We ought to wear ties with pride, as
they are one of the few items of fashion that men
can truly call their own. But fear and ignorance of
style has made us snub the tie, and for decades
it has been butchered by used car salesmen and
highschool teachers for this very reason.
Ties should not be seen as some grey symbol of
the corporate world – a set of reins for your boss
to yank. The tie is essentially a fashion accessory
that is meant to be fun and worn together as part of
a suit in order to show off mood and style – that’s
why they come in such an endless variety of colours
and designs. And all of these colours and patterns
are permissible as long as you use them the right
way. Use complementary colours and make sure
the pattern on your tie does not match the pattern
on your shirt. But do not be afraid either to do
your own thing. Yes, they can be uncomfortable,
we do get that, but they also look good – and it’s
not like you are being asked to wear 7-inch heels
for a whole night. Man up. Chances are that if it is
uncomfortable, you’re wearing it wrong. It might
not be entirely your fault, though, as there are
some 85 ways to knot a tie, and that excludes
bow-ties, ascot ties and bolo ties – it seems the
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