How to Rip Jeans

Ripped jeans have always been a favorite type of jeans in teen fashion. Spending thousands of dollars to buy a ripped jeans from a showroom may not be possible every time. You can easily make your own ripped jeans and will not have to spend a lot of money for the latest fashion trend. The tools and material that you will require to rip your jeans are given below:

• Coarse Sandpaper
• Steel Grater
• Block of Wood
• Utility Knife

How to Rip Jeans: Arranging a Pair of Jeans
If you are experimenting with ripping jeans for the first time, it is recommended that you get an old pair of jeans. Choose a pair of jeans such that you will not worry unnecessarily, even if you do make a mistake while ripping the jeans. Ripped jeans look great with faded old jeans. If you want to buy a new one, buy a low priced pair of jeans. Ripping a jeans is like making holes and tearing the jeans, thus there is no point buying an expensive pair of jeans.

How to Rip Jeans: Deciding the Area to be Ripped
Once you have arranged for the jeans to be ripped, decide the areas you want to rip. You can search in fashion magazines or just search on the Internet and you will get an idea about the areas of the jeans that are usually ripped. Jeans are generally ripped at pressure areas like hips, knees, pockets and thighs. Make the appropriate pattern you want on the jeans.

How to Rip Jeans: Marking the Areas
After deciding the areas to be ripped, it's time to mark the areas. You should mark the areas by wearing the jeans, this will give you an exact idea of the areas that will be ripped. Use a pencil or a washable marker to mark the ripped areas. Decide properly, the shape and size of the areas to be ripped.

How to Rip Jeans: Working on the Areas
Ensure that you take off the jeans before you start ripping the jeans. There are chances that you can hurt yourself if you rip the jeans while wearing it. Since you have already marked the areas you will not have to worry about the ripping. With the help of a razor or a pair of scissors, make small incisions on the marked. Place the wooden block below the area, this will provide a support while ripping. To fray the jeans, use a sandpaper or a steel grater and scrape the jeans at the incisions. To loosen the fabric at the ripped area, use a safety pin or a small scissor and take out the threads. Give the ripped area the proper shape and pattern of your choice. Your ripped jeans is almost ready.

How to Rip Jeans: Washing the Jeans
Now, wash the jeans at least two times in the machine. This will give the jeans a proper ripping effect. You can use mild bleach or pumice stones to get a faded effect. Wear the jeans and see if you want to give more ripping effects.

Ripped jeans with their torn and skinny exposure have always been a favorite amongst the youth. Go ahead and try to rip your jeans and when you are an expert at it, teach your friends how to rip jeans and become a fashion icon.

How to Hem Jeans

A common fashion trend for wearing jeans is to retain the original seam and hem. It is obvious that the original length of the jeans does not always fit every one. Also, wearing correct length jeans is important to go with flat shoes. In such cases, we usually go to a tailor for length alteration. At some point of time, you may be in a hurry and do not have time to go to the tailor. No worries, you can hem the jeans on your own within half an hour. Let's take a look at the step- by-step method on how to hem jeans by retaining the original seam.

Easy Tips to Hem Jeans

If you have a sewing machine, you can complete hemming your blue jeans within 25 - 30 minutes. You can stitch with a regular needle and thread if you do not have a sewing machine. One word of caution is to to hem one leg of the jeans at a time. Doing so will allow you to undo it easily, in case of any incorrect measurements or stitching. Following are some easy tips for hemming jeans, which are applicable to all popular jean cuts, be it straight, flared or boot-cut:

The materials required to hem jeans are: measuring tape, scissors, sewing machine (with thicker needle) or regular needle (if sewing by hand), thread (matching color with the original seams), pins, pencil for marking length and an iron. Once you are prepared will all these requirements, you can begin with the task of hemming jeans.

First of all, decide on the appropriate length of the jeans. You can do so by putting on the jeans and wearing the shoes that you want to pair with the jeans. By checking in front of a mirror, you can cuff the jeans at the appropriate length. For this, you can turn the bottom of the jeans inside out and fold them. If you are wearing flat shoes, you can mark the length a little below the ankle (about an inch length). Accordingly you can retain the jeans length for wearing high heels as well.

Mark the length on the jeans with the help of a pencil. If you want to cut 4 inches from the original hem, you can measure 2 inches from the folded bottom (exclude the length of the original hem) and pin at regular intervals. Make sure, you measure the length all around the hem while pinning down, so that you are removing equal lengths all around the hem.

If you are using a sewing machine, you can adjust the sewing foot next to the edge of the original hem (close to the original seam). Finish sewing all around the cuff. In case of sewing by hand, you can follow the same procedure for stitching all around the hem. You can then try whether the altered jean length fits you or not. If not, you can undo the stitch and start all over again.

If the folded material is too long, you can cut off the excess fabric by leaving a length of about half an inch. Otherwise, for short excess fabric, you can iron the folded portion and leave it. With this, you have completed hemming one leg of the jeans. Start with the other remaining leg by following the same procedure as you did for the first one. This way, you can hem jeans easily.

How to Soften Jeans

It is my personal experience that most of the expensive jeans are soft, as compared to the stiff feeling imparted by the inexpensive ones. While you can save money by buying such stiff jeans, you have to tolerate the uncomfortable feeling of wearing these jeans. Jeans, which have been touted as the most comfortable casual clothing, will lose its very purpose if it becomes uncomfortable to wear. Sometimes, even some of the expensive jeans are stiff in nature, but don't worry. There is a solution to soften new jeans.

How to Soften New Stiff Jeans
Jeans are made of denim, a thick, heavy and strong fabric. This material is treated in various ways to make it fit for wearing. However, some jeans retain the thickness and heaviness which makes them uncomfortable to wear. This can be overcome by adopting the following method regarding how to soften jeans.

• Start with removing the price tags and other instruction cards from the jeans. Turn the jeans inside out and wash it with cold water and a small amount of fabric softener, after setting your washer and dryer in 'regular' mode.
• Once dry, you have to iron the jeans and if needed, a little bit of industrial starch can be used to straighten the fabric. Turn the jeans inside out and roll it into a bundle. Roll it tightly, so that the fabric is stretched to the maximum limit.
• Now, you have to open the bundle and place the jeans on a leveled surface like a table. Take a scissors, knife, sandpaper or pumice stone to scrape the inner side of the jeans. Scrape it gently in a horizontal manner and remove the fine fibers that are released by the fabric during the process.
• After scraping both sides of the legs, shake the jeans to remove the fine fibers stuck to it. Now, tightly roll the jeans and pound it with some heavy object in order to soften stiff jeans.
• The next step is to wash the jeans with hot water. One dry, repeat the washing, but this time add some clean sneakers along with it. The sneakers can help the softening process by removing starch from the fabric when they beat against the jeans.
• Remove the sneakers and add some fabric softener and rinse well. After washing and drying, you can feel the difference. Your jeans should have lost their stiffness and will become softer after wearing twice or thrice. This is just a basic idea about how to soften jeans. You can try this method on your stiff jeans to make them more comfortable.

Distressing Jeans for Soft Texture
Even though distressed jeans are often used as a fashion trend, the process of distressing a jeans can help you with transforming the heavy fabric of your jeans to a soft one. You can make distressed jeans out of the stiff jeans you have. The process is almost same as that of softening, but in case of softening, the scrapping of the fabric was done on the inner side of the jeans. For a distressed look, you have to scrape the fabric on the outer surface. It may be concentrated to particular areas like knees, hems, etc., or can be done uniformly. You can also adopt some special designs, according to which the scraping is to be done. You can go for some bleaching as well to get that classic faded look. Apart from being trendy, your distressed jeans have become less heavy and more soft, as compared to its earlier form. This is a good, often used method to soften stiff jeans.

It is always better to try your hand on some inexpensive jeans for the first time. Once you are confident of the results, you can adopt this method and share it with anybody who is facing a similar problem. While how to soften jeans is an wasy process, you should not overdo any of the above measures, as it can cause damage to new jeans. You should also be careful not to hurt yourself in the process.

How to Fray Jeans

Frayed jeans with raveled threads at the edges is best for a rugged look. Frayed jeans will always be a part of fashion trends. If you are planning to fray your jeans for the first time, it is advisable to use an old pair. Later on, once you perfect the procedure of fraying, you can have new denim frayed. Fraying is commonly done at the end or at the knees of the jeans. Jeans are even cut and converted into shorts and then frayed. Before knowing how to fray jeans, let us have a look at the tools that you will require in fraying jeans.

Things Required to Fray Jeans

• Jeans
• Scissors
• Nail filer
• Wire brush
• Needle
• Scale and tailor's chalk
• Sandpaper

These simple things required to fray jeans are easily available at home. You will require some patience in order to have a perfect self-made frayed jean. The following is a step-by-step guide on how to fray jeans at home.

How to Fray Jeans

• Wash and iron the jeans before you begin to work on it. New ones will probably shrink, which will help you in determining the length.
• It is advisable to wear the jeans and then mark it because the length may vary. Once you decide the length of the desired fray, make a mark with tailor's chalk on it.
• Place the jeans on a flat surface and using the scale, draw a straight line on the jeans so that you can have an even cut.
• You should cut off the hem of the jeans legs so that fraying becomes easier. Now cut the jeans on the marked line with a pair of scissors.
• With the help of a needle, pull some of the strands at the edges to create a frayed look. A wire brush can also be used to fray jeans. It does not matter even if the edges become uneven.
• You can even make use of nail file, scissor or knife to create a frayed look for your jeans. Repeatedly rub any one of these tools vertically to fray the jeans.
• You can even rip jeans or make slits or holes in other areas in the jeans with the help of the needle.
• In order to create a more destroyed look, you can bleach the jeans or even rub it with sandpaper to create faded and destroyed jeans.
• As a final step, wash the jeans again to see the effect of your work. Frays and the distressed effect on the jeans look different and more natural after every wash.
• Try on the jeans after washing and if you find extra long strands after washing the jeans, cut them to the desired length. You can even fray it more if you want.

Long jeans, if worn without altering, can make the strands at the hem loose and will make fraying the jeans a lot easier. You can refer to the following article on how to distress jeans if you wish to create a distressed jeans. This do-it-yourself guide of how to fray jeans will definitely help you to make a pair of frayed jeans yourself. You can try this on any jeans to convert them to a trendy pair of jeans that will surely turn heads!

Ashley Olsen Clothes

Day Dress

Cocktail Dress

Shoulder Tie

Preppyism, that smart, collegiate and usually colourful attire, is one of the most enduring and yet one of the most vilified forms of dress. For though it finds back slaps, handshakes and approving bonhomie in the boardrooms of the bankers, the bars of the elite and the gin-palaces of the mighty, it is scorned and spited by the proles. Avril Lavigne, that kohl eyed poker-haired teen ‘rocker’, exemplified the ‘popular’ approach to preppyism in her song ‘Complicated’; “Laugh out when you strike a pose/Take off all your preppy clothes.”

Other popular culture has been no kinder to this manner of dress. In Igby Goes Down, Cruel Intentions, Wedding Crashers and just about any other film where the wealthy American elite are subjected to being a morally justified punching bag by the towering hypocrisy of Hollywood, preppy clothes are represented as the attire of evil, the SS uniform of today.

It is little surprise then that this hatred of prep has infected British culture too. The popcorn-munchers, nodding along to the subversive drivel onscreen, have clearly had their taste affected; a female friend of a friend asked me rather awkwardly why I dress as though I live on the Upper East Side; “Have you been inspired by Chuck Bass?” she asked pityingly. Although I informed her rather dismissively that I was wearing bow ties before Bass was even a scribble on a storyboard, I noted a tinge of disapproval too. Preppyism is apparently the act of appearing wealthy; at its baser end it means the donning of labels and logos – particularly Ralph Lauren – and at the more sophisticated end, the sort of styling that belongs at a mid-20th century Ivy League college. Either way, detractors state that it is an affectation to appear wealthier than one is.

One of the flying standards of preppyism is the classic, and often pilloried, jumper-tied-around-the-shoulders. This affectation is one of the trademarks of the preppy look and its deployment causes ridicule as well as raucous WASPish applause. Practically, it makes sense. It may well be too warm for a jumper in the afternoon but by the time twilight sets in, a chill could descend. It is difficult therefore for anyone to begrudge the use of a jumper. However, is a gentleman justified in wearing it tied over his shoulders rather than anywhere else on his body? Couldn’t he just carry it with him, or fold it in a bag?

Firstly, let us consider the other popular options. He could wear it tied around his waist although this is inelegant and impractical; the kilt-ish jumper would get creased and crumpled from being sat on, not to mention the possibility of attracting dirt and grime. Also the associations of this practice (football hooligans, louts) are far worse than anything the shoulder-tie could muster. It could of course be carried, although this would leave only one hand free; not a happy situation when two hands are required. It could be carried in a separate bag although this would only be convenient if the bag was required for some other purpose.

The problem people have is not with the practicality but the image it conveys; if not a ‘detestable’ member of the upper-echelons, a poor parvenu. It looks pretentious in certain contexts and, rather unfortunately, is a habit that has been adopted, at least in my own circles, by some of the more snobbish and vindictive of people. There is certainly an exaggeration and caricature of the practice and it is arguable that Hollywood’s representation of ‘evil snobs’ in the attire would necessarily attract those who consider it a badge of honour to be such a character. However, each man has his own experience of the shoulder-tie – I have no especial dislike of the practice, and have found my own shoulders useful on a changeable summer’s day – but there are those who avoid it, lest they should be associated with the ‘set’ which flaunts the ‘uniform.’

The Velvet Bow Tie

The duty of wearing black tie is avoiding individualism; refinement is permitted, adornment ill-advised. Most men are not interested in adornment, so the act of wearing what every other man is wearing is actually rather comforting to the majority. As fussy and funny as the ‘t-shirt and shorts’ man might think black tie, when he sees everyone else is so attired, he relaxes into the evening, safe in the knowledge that the oddity he frowned upon in the mirror is not alone.

Other men, the ones who relish black tie, often find it rather frustrating that they have such little room for experimentation. Custom warns against ‘peacocking’ and so they find themselves, however more elegantly cut, in the same attire as every other Tom, Dick and Harry; wool dinner suit, white cotton shirt, black silk bow. A rogue pocket square is a temptation, but so often regretted and though buttonholes are an addition frequently neglected by the majority, many well-dressed men are still reluctant to employ them. One friend ‘dissed’ my red carnation and informed me that a modern James Bond “would never wear a flower.”

The choices for subtle individuality are slim. A stiff shirt with a detachable stiff collar is certainly an option but it’s bothersome and takes practice and patience. A creamy white jacket isn’t as smart or as practical as black or midnight blue, and many consider it ‘out of context’ if deployed away from Glyndebourne or the Riviera. Waistcoats are useful, but a no-go in the warmer months and they are increasing in popularity, threatening their status as a choice for the ‘individualist.’ I think both patent Oxfords and pumps are wonderful; still surprisingly rare and very elegant. However, many graceful and frustrated gentleman already own a pair or two and are seeking something different, something more unusual which will mark them as a man of thought and subtlety.

Bring forth the velvet bow tie. Shocking? No. Brave? No. Unusual? Certainly; however ordinary the idea of a velvet bow tie seems, you would be hard pushed to find another at the same event. It has a mildly foppish quality, something between Austin Powers and David Niven, and it offers an alternative texture and structure to silk, contrasting perfectly with one’s lapels. It’s also ever so slightly naughty; the velvet bow tie man is certainly not a ‘stiff in a suit.’ There is a faint and attractive hint of scandal about him; he has seen things, done things – but of those things, no one dares speak. He might be tempted to pair his bow with a ‘waterfall’ pocket-square but this would hamper his underlying masculinity; a simple puff of creamy silk will suffice.

The hell of it is, the self-tie velvet bow, the answer to the ‘subtle individualist’s’ black tie prayers is, rather fittingly, a devil to find.

The Pocket ‘Flower’

In my recent article on the velvet bow tie, I wrote of the antipathy of an acquaintance towards what Wilde famously referred to as the “only link between Art and Nature” - the buttonhole. What was once worn by all who could afford it is now merely an eccentric habit of a tiny few; spotting buttonholed gentleman on the streets should become a sport, so needle-like are these men in the haystacks of society. It is partly because of this paucity of posies that gentlemen are reticent to adorn themselves with something so feminine. Fashion has proven that it can play its part in sartorial arm-twisting; pink shirts and pocket squares are testament to this, so I have no doubt that should future runways be awash with carnations, the trickle-down effect will see large scale adoption.

However, there will be those to whom wearing a flower on a daily or even weekly basis is but an inconvenient expense. And the inconvenience can be considerable. You’ll be pointed at, asked “where the wedding is” and possibly insulted by passing white-van men with taunts of “Poofy bastard!” and “Big girl’s blouse!” Some are resilient and sufficiently single-minded to ignore such slings and arrows. But, as Noel Coward might once have sung: “Others will consider them simply too unpleasant to bear, however much they privately approve of ‘la boutonniere.’”

The solution for the flower-fearful is to adopt some kind of floral substitute, one which is attractive but less conspicuous. The aforementioned pocket square, that most useless of useful adornments, is common enough but it is normally worn very plainly and timidly. Many wearers only allow the merest hint of folded cotton; a tiny rectangular star in the dark galaxy, the TV fold is the style for beginners. Others are fond of the single point or, as I call it, the ‘napkin’ – a slightly more adventurous triangular mountain peak whilst some have moved on to the 3 and four pointed folds. The more slapdash and artistic ‘pocket stuff’, basically a more careless and full-blooded version of the reverse ‘pouf’, is becoming more popular as pocket square veterans seek to differentiate themselves from the masses and this style is even beginning to spawn its own variations. The ‘pocket flower’ is my favourite of the ‘stuffs’ and it is so deliciously simple to create.

Imagine, if you will, the layered petals of a bloom. Hold the centre of your square in your hand and close your fingers together; you will see the ends tightening up against each other, replicating an open flower. Stuff this into your pocket, allow for plenty of unruly shape, and you have the effect of wrinkled petals. It works best with silk, particularly in popular floral colours like pink, pale yellow and deep red and those with contrast-colour edges, and needs well-rolled edges and an extra large surface area to generate the ‘puff’ required.

The Waistcoat Issue

The waistcoat renaissance was rather rashly dismissed a few years ago as a passing trend. As with other trends, critics opined ‘that for which there is little need, there will be little life.’ Men’s clothing is different to women’s clothing in this regard. Women’s trends can be unpredictable, their longevity irregular. Handbags are never needed but simply ‘wanted’; the glum male faces in the mighty emporia of feminine clothing betray not simply their boredom but their disapproval: “I’ve only got one briefcase, why do you have to have six purses?” This is the modern man. And this is why so many wag fingers of knowing correction when someone talks of the new ‘thing’ in male fashion. For the probability is that unless this ‘thing’ is of substantial ‘use’ it will not maintain the attention of sufficient a number of men.

Two things happened which destroyed the cynical opinion that waistcoats were another vain attempt to project a more elegant sartorial past onto the modern man; firstly waistcoats were rediscovered as a ‘useful’ item of clothing and, secondly, men began to rediscover their inner dandies. A little ‘want’ was creeping into the masculine mentality. Few people point and stare and the waistcoat now; it has lost that conspicuous ceremonious quality through its intensity and spread of recent use. All this I approve of. The ‘elegantisation’ of the general is a much desired thing. However, I do (unfortunately) have one concern with the way it is worn.

Instead of wearing their trousers on their waist, many men wear their trousers like their jeans – on their hips. At school, the trend was the same. Trousers bought to be worn higher up were pushed down to avoid sniggering, pointing and, in some cases, outright bullying. Years and years of the Italian suit trend, exemplified by Armani, saw trousers being worn lower. Considering this with the popularity of low-slung American-casual clothing, is it any surprise that the vast majority of high-street suit trousers today are made to be worn on one’s hips? Sadly, when you throw this in the style-blender with the waistcoat, the result is unfortunate. Instead of covering the top of the trousers, the waistcoat finishes above the trousers with an unattractive stretch of shirt poking through. While it might be acceptable for Russell Brand’s peculiar ‘brand’ of style, it isn’t really appropriate for suit attire.

It is important to maintain space in the crotch and seat of the trousers, so a lot of modern variants that offer less forgiveness in this region will not be able to be yanked up to the waist without considerable pain and discomfort. The key is to avoid trousers that are constructed like denim and go instead for trousers that can be worn nearer the waist.The waistcoat will then cover the unsightly folds of shirt and the unattractive belt-loops of the trousers. Any ‘position maintenance’ should really be achieved with braces and not belts.

The Windsor Knot

One of the most interesting comments I receive about my clothing is that for such an ostentatious person, my tie knot is perplexingly small. Puffs of silk; colour matching and contrasting; texture complementing and yet such a tiny knot. “I thought” new acquaintances often mumble “you’d wear a big Windsor knot.”

I used to be a fan of the Windsor. Whilst at school, I trained myself to tie the perfect version and was very conscious at social functions about my knot and the knots of others. It made sense that I should be so faithful, for I was a speedy devotee of the cutaway collar which, because of its wide spread, is considered to be more befitting of an enormous Windsor ‘doughknot.’ I was eventually turned against the alarming size by reviewing photographs of myself, an emaciated youth, with a thin neck and a fat knot; it was an unattractive contradiction that made the tie look heavy and simplistic. I surfed around for a style that I did not find so visually revolting and settled on the four-in-hand which I now tie, like my father, into a smallish knot.

The Windsor is no worse for my rejection of it; it is simply everywhere. Perhaps it is the name, the royal connection or the popularity of cutaway collars but it seems the Windsor knot has never been more popular. I trawled through Lewin’s sale selection recently and my companion was shocked at my approval of the new St James collar, the most extreme cutaway Lewin has produced to date, and, mystified, asked me “Don’t you have to wear an enormous knot?” I was equally confounded; “What on earth for?” He replied earnestly “You know? To fill the space? Otherwise you see the bits either side.”

If you tie a tie properly and wear the right collar size, you shouldn’t see ‘the bits’ either side of any knot. Prince Charles, for example, is fond of smaller knots and wider collars and manages to tie a tie without any ‘bit’ exposure. Firstly, he knows that the tie should be secured to the top rather than the middle or bottom of a collar, and that the ‘bits’ are correspondingly squeezed into the crevasse under the ridge of the collar. I choose this style because I believe that it averts attention from that area; the Windsor, so noticeable in size, attracts attention and this means I spend a great deal of time looking at people’s chins which is not a pleasant pastime.

However there are those who wish to attract attention to their neckwear and to remove the ‘presentation’ from their silk is simply not an option; the Windsor is a presentation knot, one for men of confidence and self-consciousness. These men do not wish to be seen to be strangled in an attempt to convey subtlety. They believe in proportion and it confuses them that others can be so generous in tie width and yet so mean in tie knot.

The Windsor is frequently cited as the most comfortable of knots, remaining tightly tied whilst still allowing ‘breathing room’ between the collar and neck. For me this is it’s main benefit, and I do concede that certain people, for example Prince Michael of Kent, wear it very well but those who experiment with it tend to overegg it rather which results in something that looks less like a cravat of royalty and more like an attempt of a sartorially illiterate footballer. I think the key is to follow the aesthetic of Hurd Hatfield and HRH in the pictures above (top right); make the knot more conical than triangular (see bottom left) – and do not flatten the wretched thing (bottom centre).

Khaki

Khaki was never manufactured to stand out. It comes from an Indian word meaning “dust coloured”; fabrics in this shade were first produced as camouflage for the British Indian Army regiments by a British textile firm in the 1870s. The colour of light clay, the Brits found that khaki was extraordinarily useful and variations on the colour and the textile it was dyed on still exist in the forces today. Khaki drill played its part in the Boer War, the Spanish American war and both World Wars and is usually the first thing anyone thinks of when you utter the words ‘El Alamein.’

It is perhaps appropriate that khaki is considered to be the first ‘practical’ colouring for the modern army. When it was used in southern Africa, the Zulu wars that had ended a decade before had seen scarlet tunics with brass buttons and Pickelhaube style white pith helmets with gold chinchains and shining capstars – acceptable for the Battlefield of Waterloo but completely outdated in world of modern warfare. Blending into the background had become not only a strategy but a priority.

Suitably, the modern ‘khaki’ trouser is the premier choice for the gentleman ill-inclined to fuss or show-off with his clothing. As the Tommies in Tobruk were indistinguishable from the landscape, so is the weekend shopper at Wal Mart. While it bounces in and out of trend, it never scoops up much attention. The man who shies away from the world rests his eyes on a pair happily as he traverses the terrifyingly open terrain of the local clothing store. Where casual clothing is concerned, khaki is always a safe choice, a refuge; social camouflage.

However, khaki trousers should be the start, and not the end, of an ensemble. Popularly paired with white or blue polo shirts and white trainers (eurgh), khaki trousers are capable of a great deal more; pink shirts, blue blazers, suede shoes, the list is endless.

The other problem is that they are commonly worn baggily and saggily, weighed down by wallets, coins, phones and small guide books; no matter what a man wears, denim or Dormeuil, he should always strive to maintain a good silhouette.

And while they are certainly appropriate for casual wear, they are not unheard of at formal functions; I remember an American gentleman at a summer wedding I once attended, quite the most elegant man there, in a navy blazer, blue end-on-end shirt, Madras bow tie, spectators and khaki chinos. The bow tie and blazer were a nod to formality, the spectators added the fun and the khakis added a cool, contrasting masculinity.

Primer on Men’s Ties

Men’s ties in one form or another have been around for over 2000 years. In the United States, more than one billion dollars are spent on over one hundred million men’s ties each year! Almost every man has worn a tie at some time in his life, and may even wear one every day of the week. A tie can be a status symbol, a sign of good style, or the icing on the cake of a great outfit. Picking a great men’s tie to complement your look isn’t always easy, however. The following tips will help you use men’s ties to make a big impact.

Style

There are as many styles of men’s ties as there are men who wear them. From solid to patterned, subtle to loud, conservative to wild, and modest to extravagant, everyone can find the right tie to reflect his personal sense of style. The occasion will dictate your choice to some extent, but there is always room for personal embellishment. Events that require more understated dress, such as political and religious functions, call for conservative classic ties, such as solid blue. However, the choice of fabric is yours. To spice up a basic tie, opt for a luxurious fabric, such as silk or satin. Fun dinners and parties leave more room for colored and patterned ties. Consider dots, stripes, or other bold patterns. Bright stripes in mixes of red, blue, and green, are in at the moment.

Color

A bold tie can go a long way in amping up the impact of an outfit. For instance, a very hot and assertive ensemble for nighttime events is a black suit, black shirt, and fiery red silk or satin tie. An all-white suits

and shirts are offset gorgeously with a red or black ties. Sheeny gray can add a dashing touch of refinement and modernity. Try out unusual colors for spring, such as grass green or punch pink, with light-colored work suits. Out-of-the-ordinary men’s ties can have a real dazzle.

Form

Whatever you do, make sure to tie your ties correctly. A badly-tied ties are as distracting and unrefined as socks bunched around your ankles or pants that are too short. A crooked tie can absolutely ruin an otherwise perfect outfit. It’s right below your face, so everyone will notice it, for better or for worse. You can find thorough instructions on the Internet for tying a variety of knots. Unless you are going for a particular look, avoid very wide or narrow ties. The classic width is generally most flattering.

Bow Ties

Bow ties are appropriate at “black tie” and formal functions. The above guidelines for style, color, and form apply to both neckties and bow ties. Avoid overly large or small bow ties.

Choosing a good tie is rather simple, but choosing a great tie requires a little more effort. Going beyond the basics and experimenting with interesting styles of men’s ties and colors is an affordable and relatively easy way to add some spice to your wardrobe.

4 Men’s Fashion Tips on Subtlety

Here are some of the best ways to avoid being a fashion victim and step up your game for spring.

1. Be Yourself
If the look is perfect on the runway, that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect for you as a complete copy. While you should use designer’s best trends to guide your look and give it some style, mix-and-match your basics. Use your favorites from seasons before for a more affordable style that’s completely on-trend.

2. Look at the Design, Not the Brand
Don’t be a slave to flashy branding. Your clothes can have more defined style without necessarily having a logo on them, and when your pieces are subtly stylish, you can wear them more often. This is essential for those of us who tend to hang onto our favorite pair of jeans.

3. Keep Yourself Balanced
Not everything you have has to be trendy. A good collection of basics will help you highlight major fashion finds, and can give your trendy pieces more polished style. Make it a rule to stock up on plain colored t-shirts before every season.

4. Don’t Overaccessorize
If you love fashion, that doesn’t mean you need to layer on the accessories. Choose a simple pair of shades, a man bag and a great pair of shoes to round out your wardrobe. There’s no need for a watch, bracelets and necklaces worn all together. You can wear your favorite pieces over the course of the week, but don’t use them at once!

3 Rules for Matching Shirts and Ties

Matching your shirt and tie can be a little tough. While it’s a no-brainer to match your most basic shorts ad ties, if you like to branch out into trendy colors, that’s where the problem can begin.

Here’s a study guide to get you on the fast track for matching your shirts and ties:

Work with Dominant Colors

Always choose the shirt first! It’s a lot easier to work with a plain background to gain confidence. Get a tie that picks up the main color in your shirt, like this shirt and tie set from Brooks Brothers.

Follow the Check Rules

If you want to wear one of the checked shirts for spring, choose a smaller check on your shirt than what’s on your body. Using rule #1 as your guide, you can choose a tie that repeats the main color in your shirt for extra matching power. This J. Crew shirt in blue works well with a larger checked tie with similar colors.

Vary Patterns for Maximum Impact

If you have mastered the first two parts, then this is where you’ll get to experiment. If the colors are right and the patterns don’t compete, you can match lots of unexpected combinations. Make sure that one pattern is larger than the other, and try matching tiny stripes like those in this Brooks Brothers shirt with an overstated tie.

Don’t be afraid to try combinations that you haven’t worn before! Dig through your closet and try to discover new ways to wear what you’ve got.

The Season Ahead – A Jean Jacket

We’re half way through August and I’m already planning things in September and October. It’s safe to say summer is done; and so it’s natural that at the moment I’m looking to the season ahead and planning what items of clothing will be added to inventory.

There are two considerations in my own case. The first is that I spend less and less time in an office these days, and sadly as such a suit has become less and less a requirement. Almost as much of my time requires a more casual wardrobe, smart enough to be presentable when I turn up at a shop, tailors or the like, but nevertheless informal and comfortable for hiking around town. Indeed, in many cases a suit would give out entirely the wrong vibe.

The second consideration is simplicity. As I mentioned recently in my recent post on shirt and tie combinations, I’m attempting something which is long overdue; paring down my wardrobe to some key simple looks and core items.

The photos above, which come courtesy of The Sartorialist, are taken from an exhaustive archive of looks and kit I have captured online and filed for future use. The key element, and where my mind is circling, is the jean jacket.

To begin with I have a thing for short jacketing that cuts off at the hip/waist at the moment. My feeling is that while such jacketing looks good on the slim, it also helps those with a little heft around the middle. Longer garments in this latter case tend to accentuate the belly –in part by providing a sort of hooping effect- while the short jacket resting on the hip de-emphasises the torso and lengthens the leg, producing a seemingly taller slimmer silhouette.

The current trend for Trad/American work wear provides a useful frame work for dressing the jacket up and down –particularly so in the case of jean jackets. A suitable mix with crewneck T-shirts and neckerchief for the ultra low key, or soft collar shirt and knitted silk ties with squared ends resting at the waist for an edgy semi-formal approach.

Our friend in the picture on the right highlights added versatility by dressing the jacket with more formal trousers – in his case slim cut flannels - and the potential for layering. I’m not sure I’d layer it with a Covert Coat (although I have thought about it), but a raglan sleeve raincoat, straight cut and three quarter raincoat with a blue polka dot silk scarf and we’re in business.

The other virtue of the jean jacket is that it responds well to any colour of shirting and, as the chap on the left demonstrates, particularly well with chinos. This is the final element. While I’m not only pairing down my shirting choices I’m also considering abandoning jeans in favour of British Khaki chinos. But that’s another post…

Beyond The Pale

A gentleman wakes on an average, overcast morning. He performs his toilet, selects a suit from his wardrobe and flicks through his shirts for a suitable choice. White is the colour of choice for our hypothetical gentleman, simply because it is the default of the masses; were he to select a French collared check shirt, he would have no relevance to the majority. Then he sets about choosing a tie. He opts for a pale yellow plain weave silk, completes a Windsor knot and then turns from his mirror toward the door.

What is wrong with this? Well, not a lot. Something which the masses would echo, en masse I have no doubt. However, when he catches a reflection of himself in a shop window on his way to the office, he notices something rather peculiar; he doesn’t appear to be wearing a tie at all.

His tie is so pale, that from a distance, and in low light, it simply merges with the white; this contrasts sharply with the darkness of his charcoal suit (again, the choice of the masses) and creates a rather odd separation of the ensemble; the suit and the shirt and tie are not in concert, indeed they are not even in the same society. This, I have noticed, is a common problem.

As a style touch, when shopping for neckwear a man should always know there is life beyond the pale.

Darken your tie

If a white shirt must be worn, darker ties will always look smarter than paler ties because they are more restrained, more ‘Monday morning.’ It is possible to pick up some very attractive and discreetly patterned darker ties that flatter not only the white shirt, but the charcoal suit it is worn with; the ensemble appears connected, sober and mature.

A little pattern

When wearing a plain shirt, a little pattern goes a long way as far as neckwear is concerned; don’t follow the politicians with their PR-friendly Lego ties, go for a polka dot, a club stripe, or a foulard.

Go shirt shopping

There is nothing wrong with pale ties. They are certainly brasher than darker ties, so you must be careful where and when you wear them but also, what shirt and suit you wear them with. A cornflower blue is a better companion for a yellow or a pink tie than a white, so stock up on some saturated shirts.

A warning about matching

Resist the urge to match the pocket square to the pale tie. This creates a ‘modern morning dress’ effect and destroys the seriousness of an ensemble; not ideal for client meetings where dignified concern is required. The tie shouts loudly enough on its own. Lower the volume by selecting a more subtle square.

What? No Tie?

Wearing a tie out of choice can provoke some interesting commentary. People tend to nod approvingly, make pleasant-but-commonplace remarks about smartness and pay the neckwear more attention than it deserves, but importantly they place so much consequence on its appearance in an environment in which it is entirely unnecessary, much as an open neck wing-collar would attract attention at a Viennese ball, that they chain you to your choice from the very beginning: “I haven’t ever seen Winston without a tie” they beam, as though contemplating some natural wonder “You’d always wear a tie, right? I mean, you must wear a tie?”

Well, no. I don’t wake each bright morning thinking that the attachment of neckwear to my collar is of the highest importance. Nor do I wear one as a rebellious nose-thumbing to the dying popularity of the accessory; men who believe in ‘standards’ without an appreciation of the aesthetics are no allies of mine. The answer is simple; I wear one because I feel like it. I feel like adding that dash of colour, that swirl of silk to an otherwise lifeless ensemble. That I feel like doing that nine days out of ten is merely a reflection of the fact that I am fortunate, and sufficiently confident, to be able to do what I like doing.

When I don’t wear a tie, it is also a choice; my tie wardrobe is not on strike, my house has not burned down and I have not sold off my cherished strips of silk as I feel a “change coming on.” I am still resolutely a tie man; calling it a “day off” is pejorative as it suggests my daily tying routine is a chore, but it is a pleasant enough change. The question is; how does my appreciation for aesthetics and colour, my preference for maximalism sit with such a choice? In other words, how do I not wear my ties?

No suit, no tie

Ties tend to be associated with the workplace. Many a gentleman have cherished that soothing moment of release when he returns from the office, removes his shoes and unties his tie. Recently, some men have contradicted the formality of a suit by removing the tie and unbuttoning an additional button, a la Tom Ford and Simon Cowell. Personally, I don’t see that this ‘look’ works; the tie is expected, and it isn’t there. It doesn’t look like you never put a tie on, it looks like you have just taken one off; a state of ‘undress’, rather than of ‘dress.’ If I am pulling a suit from the wardrobe, a tie is always coming with it.

Let your pocket square be your tie

Going tieless is the perfect opportunity for grandiose pocket squares. Whether brightly coloured or prettily patterned, they have a golden opportunity to shine in the absence of neckwear. Dashes of colour add spice and interest to otherwise commonplace outfits and when a tie is not selected to perform that function, the noble pocket square steps up.

The Mohair Suit

The tail end of summer, depressing though it is, is here in the northern hemisphere. The flowery optimism of May, the sultry afternoons of June, the silent heat of July somehow, they all feel a lifetime ago in this bizarre period of autumnal descent. Neither warm nor cold, the climate confuses gentlemen; frowning on their commute with a woollen suit jacket draped over their shoulder, sweat patches salt-stain their shirts. “Funny” they think “it was quite chilly this morning.”

I have often had one of those should-have-gone-with-the-linen moments in summers past; sweating away in an inappropriate double-breasted number, studiously disguising my envy from parades of smiling seersuckered solicitors. However, there are days when dressing down for the climate renders a suit inferior; when cotton is not cutting it, when linen is lacking, mohair is more. Of all the warm-weather suits, mohair is the maharajah.

The Angora goat obliges with its hair, producing a stiff, silk-like fabric that is cool enough for the summer, warm enough for the autumnal transition. It is also more boardroom-friendly than linen as it doesn’t crease or stretch and has a high lustre. Rarer than any other summer fabric, mohair is comparatively more expensive than linen and ranks alongside cashmere and silk as a ‘luxury’ material; don’t expect to find it in cheap high street suits or fashion shops. Good made-to-measure and bespoke tailors will have swatchbooks of mohair in a variety of colours and quality – younger goats are thought to make a superior yarn – and will provide the necessary standard of manufacture and fit.

Because of the almost pearlescent sheen, some traditionalists scoff at mohair suits as being too flashy; the same traditionalists also decry silk suits for the same reason. In light-to-mid grey, the effect is that of a polished oyster. Paired with a white shirt and black shoes, it creeps towards the ‘lucky’ ensemble worn by a Las Vegas hopeful; all tack and no tact. I would personally plump for a less-sheeny mid-blue. It is a less common colour, has a soothing, aqueous quality and looks perfectly delicious in early autumn with a brown paisley wool tie, a white cotton square, sky blue shirt and brown suede brogues.