Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette!
Today's video is about five ways to wear a knit tie.
A knit tie is something most men are not always familiar with.
Most men know regular neckties, 3-fold neckties with a pointed tip, on the other hand, a traditional
knit tie is flat at the bottom because that's the way it's knitted and it's also straight
on the sides, that means the top of the tie is as wide as the bottom.
Sometimes you can also find knit ties in a shape of a traditional tie meaning it has
pointed tips and it gets wider as it goes down, however, that's very difficult to make
because you have to manually remove the knots of each line on top to create a traditional
three-fold tie shape.
If you want to learn more about knit ties, the differences between them, what's a quality
knit tie, what's a crappy knit tie, what materials they're made out of, I suggest to check out
our knit tie guide here.
Now today, we talk about why you should wear a knit tie and what it can do for you.
First of all, a knit tie has a fantastic texture.
By that, I mean it's three-dimensional when you look at it but also when you touch it
because of that, it is less formal and it's more casual and therefore, it's very well
suited for most outfits today which are not super formal but more casual and relaxed.
When you go with silk knit ties, I always urge you to go with cri de la soie knit ties
which means the cry of a silk and it gets its name because when you touch it and move
it between your fingers, you hear a crunch.
This crunch means that the tie is thicker, it's not as fluid, it stands up when you hold
it up, and it's just a very sophisticated look.
To get a knit tie in that way, it has to be made on a very old machine and all knit ties
you can see in the video here from Fort Belvedere are made that way.
They are first knitted flat then put on a wooden form so they get the shape, then they're
steamed and sewn together by hand in the back.
It's much more time-intensive then to knit them round like a sock which is what most
manufacturers do today but we believe in quality and therefore, we go the extra mile.
Because they're made from a high twisted silk yarn that really crunches when you touch it,
it won't wrinkle at all so it's a perfect tie for travel or if you are prone to just
throwing your ties somewhere and not storing them properly.
Three, a knit tie is different and sets you apart.
Even though knit ties are popular with well-dressed gentlemen today, I would say the general public
or the average Joe is not quite familiar with knit ties and so if
you wear one, it automatically makes you stand out in a sophisticated subtle way.
The fourth reason you should invest in knit ties is because they're so versatile.
They can be worn with a formal business suit and because of its more relaxed character,
they bring down the formality, at the same time, they can be worn with regular sport
coats, and even if you don't have a sport coat, it might be just
a Harrington jacket or a linen jacket.
So let's look at five different outfit categories and ways you can incorporate knit ties into
your outfits.
First of all, business suits.
Most men wear regular neckties with them, however, a knit tie can
add an element of texture to it, especially if you have a solid business
suit in charcoal or navy.
For a business suit, I'd stay away from wool knit ties and stick with silk knit ties because
the difference in terms of formality is just right.
The wool would be too casual and it would be clashing.
A silk knit tie, on the other hand, is different enough to make it look interesting without
being totally over-the-top and different.
For example, if you wear a knit tie with a rope striped suit,
it definitely softens the look, especially when you go with something like a burgundy
color, or maybe a navy that is a traditional business color.
If you want to be a little more advanced, you can wear something like I'm having here
right now.
It is a tone of purple and pink but the yarns are different in color and similar to tweed,
it's just a very rich color experience.
At the same time, there is a light background and so it can work with a solid business suit
or with a subtle pattern.
Other colors I think are great for a formal business suit are a malachite green, maybe
a bottle green, a rust orange, a pale yellow, or if
you really want to be extra special, you could also go with orange mottled tones, maybe light
blue mottled tones, or something that's very out there such as purple.
Another easy color to combine with blue suits is brown and therefore, a tobacco brown knit
tie is also a great investment, at the same time, you can wear it with a lot of items
in your casual wardrobe.
So definitely a good tie to have in your tie closet.
The second way to wear a knit tie is with a blazer.
A knit tie is the perfect companion for a blazer because it's less formal than a suit,
at the same time, it's still a jacket odd combination.
No matter if you wear with chinos or maybe flannel pants in off-white, and therefore,
the knit tie ties everything well together.
If you like it bolder, you can go with your navy blazer and maybe a striped shirt and
a magenta colored knit tie especially with a two-tone.
It's a pop of color and it definitely makes you stand out from the crowd.
In the summer, I suggest to go with mottled yarn knit ties such as the one I'm wearing
here right now.
Alternatively, you can go with a lighter blue for a more fresher airy look, maybe with some
orange, or with this kind of pink purplish tone.
One thing that's a little more subdued would be to go with a brown mottled knit tie or
maybe even a silver grey one.
That being said, a navy blazer with its solid background is the ideal stage for you to wear
a knit tie in a color at your heart's content.
The third way to wear knit ties and probably, in my opinion, the ultimately best way is
to wear with a tweed jacket Tweed is a wonderful warm wool fabric that is woven in Britain
and to learn more about the history and the differences in tweed, please check out our
in-depth suite guide here.
By definition, tweed is a more casual garment with a nice texture and rich colors.
Because of that, knit ties are the ideal companion because they add a strong
texture and just fit in very well in the overall scheme.
Tweed is an ideal garment for winter outfits and because of that, I urge you to wear it
with more subdued and earthy tone knit ties.
That could be a rusty bronze orange, maybe a bottle green, or a very dark purple, you
could also go maybe with a tobacco brown, maybe a pale yellow, but I would stay clear
of very bright tones and also from very light ones such as the mottled ones in maybe light
blue because it's too summery and too airy.
Also, I'd stay clear of navy ones because they're just more suited to slightly more
formal outfits.
The fourth outfit you can wear it with is a casual suit.
Now some will say, "wait a minute, a suit that is casual?how does that go together?"
Well, there are business suits that you wear to the office but then there are also suits
that you wear not to the office, such as a tweed suit that I'm wearing here right now.
Alternatively, it could be a flannel suit in a Glenn check pattern for example, with
a blue over check.
Unlike a worsted cloth which can be pretty much worn year-round, flannel is particularly
good during the cold months of the year because it has a fuzzy texture, it's
heavier so it makes you warmer, and it's usually made of these mottled tone yarns which means
you have a very interesting color depth.
To learn more about the differences between worsted wool and flannel, please check out
the respective guides on our website.
Probably the most popular flannel suit out there is the gray flannel suit.
It is business appropriate but you can also change the look with your accessories to make
it more casual and informal.
A great color to wear with a grey flannel suit is, in my opinion, a solid burgundy tie,
or a rust orange tie, or even a purple tie.
At the same time, it can also be green, you just need something with enough of a contrast
that is not too strong but overall, that will make you look very very dapper.
For a more casual suit such as the tweed one I'm wearing here right now, or a flannel suit
maybe in a Glen check, you go with something that is contrasting yet ties in with something
else in the outfit.
That could be the pocket square, or for example, with this brown Glen check suit with a blue
overcheck, I'm going with a blue knit tie that picks up that color so everything is
rounded out and harmonious.
With this kind of suit, I would not wear a brown knit tie because it's simply too close
and it doesn't have enough contrast.
The fifth way to wear knit ties is with a relaxed outfit.
Maybe you're the kind of guy who doesn't want to wear a jacket but still wants to be more
dressy and likes to wear maybe vests, in that case, a knit tie is ideal because it closes
the V gap of the shirt and the vest you're wearing and it just ties everything very well
together.
Now the knit tie has an extra texture that is perfect for an informal ensemble of that
nature.
On the other hand, maybe you don't like vests but you like casual jackets
such as a Harrington jacket, or maybe a linen Safari jacket, and you can wear knit ties
with that as well because of the casual nature.
I encourage you to go with bolder colors, maybe two-tone colors and just be playful
and go with something that you enjoy.
Try to pick up colors in your outfit, it could be your shoes, it could be your shirt, it
could be your pants, or maybe even your socks.
Another great relaxed way to wear knit ties is to combine it with a sweater.
Personally, I really like the combination no matter whether it's a cardigan or maybe
a heavy knit cable sweater.
Just bear in mind if you wear ties with a sweater go with a v-neck because they really
highlight the tie knot and a crewneck will simply hide it and it looks bad.
In today's outfit I'm wearing a suit that I acquired not too long ago it is a vintage
suit and I really liked it because it was a tweed suit which is not something you find
too often because tweed has a tendency to wear out pretty quickly especially in the
thigh area simply because the weave is oftentimes much looser than let's say worsted.
it is a grey Donegal tweed that has an undertone of blue because of that I paired it with a
mottled blue knit vest and blue suede boots because the blue color is in the suit it all
looks very harmonious at the same time the vest is contrasting and so are the shoes it's
very unusual to have blue suede shoes but it is ensemble it works quite
well because I pick up the color in other elements my shirt is a light blue dress shirt
I'm wearing it with French cuffs and cufflinks from Fort Belvedere these are silver Monkey
Fist cufflinks my tie is a silk cri de la soie knit tie from Fort Belveder it has these
mottled tones that you can also see in the jacket yet it has enough of a contrast in
purple magenta and pink to make it stand out at the same time it's not too bold and over-the-top
I pick up the color tones of my tie in the pocket square and also in my boot laces that
way everything is tied together and harmonious likewise the socks I'm wearing are grey and
pink shadow strap stripe from Fort Belvedere which goes very
well with this tie my ring, on the other hand, is a silver ring that goes well with my cufflinks
and a blue lapis lazuli stone which picks up the blue tones in my outfit I haven't brought
this suit to the alterations tailor yet and while a jacket is quite okay you can see that
the pants have a little hole in the front so I'll have to get that fixed and I think
I also want them to be less of a bootcut and more tapered at the bottom what other things
do you think I should have changed at this suit please leave a comment below all the
knit ties you saw in this video here can be bought in our shop so please head over and
take a look at our in-depth selection