Ties - Changing ties

Not a very important topic but definitely something I am curious about.

Because I don't feel like buying anymore suits or shirts, I figured the best way to bring a "different look" to the office every day is by changing ties.

Since there appear to be "norms" of what kind of suits and shirts to wear and not to wear for summer analysts, I am wondering if any similiar such norms exist for ties?

Are all-silk ties (shiny) well regarded in the office? What about colors and patterns? Are purple and pink ties (if worn with the right suit and shirt) acceptable or are they regarded as too much for SA's?

Btw, I'll be in a BB firm.

Thanks

10 Comments
 
Best Response

you shouldn't go for ties that are too shiny or lustrous. ties should complement your appearance, not make you stand out. same goes for unusual patterns and colors. with respect to tiemakers, a lot of people in banking wear ferragamo or hermes ties -- i guess it's all part of the "image" -- but my favorite ties are from kiton, brioni and charvet as i generally believe that their appearance is more polished and elegant (if that is what you're going for). within your price range, i would think that a good bet would be zegna as their patterns tend to be more conservative...and i prefer these over ferragamo prints because i personally think they are too "banker" (even though i still own a few)

purple and pink ties...probably not what you want to do, unless you're very careful about matching them with your shirt. i have a couple of lavender ties (one from brioni and another from nicky) that i thought would be fun to wear to work, but it ended up causing me too much grief every time i tried to figure out what i'd outfit myself with that i only wear them on casual dinner parties and the like

oh yeah...and this probably goes without saying, but don't wear a tie unless everyone else does

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

well, i for one think that ferragamo prints with bright colored backgrounds are the typical "banker" tie...for example, the ties with colorful artifacts or safari animals on them. don't get me wrong, they are nice ties but they are not stylish. it's just that it's become somewhat of a "standard" since a lot of people in banking and private equity wear them (except for me)

anyway, that's just my personal style - could very well be different from others, but i just think that printed ties can be gaudy unless you have a keen eye for them (not to say that kiton, one of my favorite makers, is subtle by any means, but i'm sure you understand my point)

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Devils Advocatenumi,

Perhaps I am missing but why do you think it is difficult to match with a purple or pink tie?

Lets say a dark or light gray suit..white shirt and purple tie...don't really see how you go wrong with that

Virtually any tie will go with a white shirt. No?

A white tie would look bad with a white shirt.

Oh wait, I guess it would look bad with any shirt. Unless you wear a black shirt, white suspenders and a white suit. Then you're looking good.

Either you sling crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot

-------------- Either you sling crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot
 
Devils Advocatenumi,

Perhaps I am missing but why do you think it is difficult to match with a purple or pink tie?

Lets say a dark or light gray suit..white shirt and purple tie...don't really see how you go wrong with that

Virtually any tie will go with a white shirt. No?

no...there are a lot of ties that simply are not attractive, and even fewer among those are appropriate for a work environment. in my experience, i just find purple and pink ties difficult to match -- pink especially so -- particularly if the rest of your ensemble is fairly low-key (as it should be in a conservative setting). maybe it's just that a lot of the ones i've seen are shiny or bright, and i think such ties would be better suited for the country-club or the night-club. however, i have seen lavender ties work well on people with darker skintones because it doesn't wash out their complexion, and sometimes contrasts quite nicely. however, like i alluded to earlier, i think these colored ties generally aren't that versatile and you really have to have an eye for them in order to make them work in a business setting.

anyway, i can't pull off pink or purple ties in the office, but if you can, might as well go for it...at the end of the day, if you like them, buy them.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

personally, i like ties by places like ferragamo, vineyard vines, etc...maybe theyve become cliched, but the truth is, everytime im in an airport, the ferragamos just catch my eye a lot more than any other store.

but then again, im partial to pastels, and generally hate dark colored ties. also, i find that sometimes random dept store brand ties look absolutely amazing--the key is not to look for a brand necessarily, but just look for things that look the way you like.

but yeah, make sure you actually need the ties. for ibd or s&t, you prob wont need too many. for something like consulting though, you might need a full set.

 

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