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 Ties can alter your image. A dull suit can be transformed by the right tie. It can show our personality and help shape our image,so its vital to select the correct tie.
Lets start with some basics. There are three things that matter when selecting your tie. Your shirt, other clothes (e.g. a suit) and the occasion. Lets start with the shirt. More often than not a white shirt will work with any color tie. If your shirt is white you need to think about the other clothes your wearing - both color and design. This may mean your suit, sports jackets, pants, shoes etc. Some ground rules when matching ties with white shirts and these clothings:
- For plain colored suits pick a darker colored tie of the same shade. You can't go far wrong with this combination.
For pin striped suits - if the pin stripe is bold use the stripe color as the base color of your tie. If the pin stripe is faint, use the suit color as the base color for the tie. The tie should have a different design to the suit. For example, pin stipes on the suit AND tie are not a good idea. At the very least the stipes on the tie should be larger or smalled than the suit stipes - but never the same.
A step up from the white shirt is the colored shirt - without any design. In general the tie should be a darker color than the shirt. Only wear a lighter colored tie if you are extremely confident and looking to make a bold statement. If you want to pick a different colored tie to the shirt than using opposing colors is quick and easy. Opposing colors match and compliment the shirt rather than making you look like something out of the seventies comedy club. Some opposing colors are
Blue Shirts / Yellow or Burgundy Ties Pink Shirts / Navy Blue or Burgundy Ties Tan Shirts / Any brown colored tie
A handy reference is the color wheel. To use the color wheel below, select your shirt color. The tie color(s) that work best will be The same color but of a different hue Opposing colors across the wheel Colors next to each other.
 When we delve into patterns the matching becomes more complex and more men make mistakes here than anywhere else. When matching patterned shirts and ties begin with the ground rules above for plain colored shirts. If you are unsure what the primary color of a shirt design is look at it from afar and decide which color stands out most. This is the base color that you should use. On top add the following for matching patters:
Tie and shirt pattern should not be identical. If they are of the same design then a least pick a different size stripe or cross, but never the same. Vertical Striped shirts can be worn with diagonal striped ties. Make sure the diagonal striped tie has a thicker stripe than the shirt. Cross shirts can be complimeneted by diagonal striped ties or plain ties. Contrast Patters work well.
 You should never wear three of anything - like a pin striped suit,pin striped tie and shirt.
Irregardless of the shirt color and design, the shirt should be pristine. The best tie will be ruined by a shabby shirt, so wash it, iron it, starch it and care for it well. Finally the occassion has a part to play as well. What you may get away with at the office party may not go down so well at the boardroom meeting the next day. If in doubt stay conservative. Only loosen the tie at semi-formal gatherings or when you want to look stressed out in front of the boss.
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