A tie is the fashion statement for men. Nothing should bring out your personality like a tie. However, the simple truth is that people's ties are ugly. Think about it, most despise modern art with its splattering of random colors and shapes, right? So, why do so many men have ties that can only be appreciated while tripping on acid? The answer: that's what the department store sells so that's what his wife and kids bought him.

The lesson, then, is to buy ties made from reputable manufacturers. Of course, if you like your modern art ties, keep them--like I said, the tie should bring out your personality.

HOW/WHERE TO BUY A TIE

Pick a company of some reputation. Typically, these companies will have the best ties. I would suggest fine men's stores like Brooks Brothers, Joseph A. Bank, Ralph Lauren, etc.

This brings us to the issue of cost. A good tie will cost more than $40 (retail). If you are shocked, let me first tell you it's worth it--like so many other things, I would rather have one good tie than two cheap ones. People notice the deficiencies of a cheap tie.

A tie should be made of heavy silk. For an example of what this means, try this the next time you're in the mall. Go to Rich's, assess the "hand" (that is, how the fabric feels) on a $20 modern art tie. Then, go to Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren or at least to the expensive tie table at Rich's (Tommy Hilfigger, most likely) and feel their ties.

The reason to buy ties made of such silk is because, for one thing, they just look nicer, and additionally, the tie "drapes" or falls better once you're wearing it. Since you'll be wearing the tie with a dimple (see the Knots section below), the heavy silk will make the dimple much more pronounced.

Also, a tie should have a wool liner. Liners are wool inserts that run (most of) the length of the tie. To see one, get a nice tie (see above) and open the larger end on the back. As you look up the tie you'll see a, usually white, wool sheet. This gives body and fullness to the tie; it also helps with the draping.

Check on eBay for your favorite tie company. Try searches like "brooks brothers tie" (there are always a fair number). Be wary of outlets--many times (e.g., Brooks Brothers), companies make stock specifically for outlets, i.e., they make it cheaper.

Avoid department store ties except the brand names they sell and even then, be careful. Use the guidelines above.

STYLES

To help the man who seeks a good tie but doesn't know quite what would look good on him, I have chosen some ties that I like. Keep in mind, these are only some ties I like--if you find a tie completely different from these and you like it, buy it. I'm not the ultimate judge of a good tie.

Before we begin with the examples, let me tell you about the different styles. To know more about what to wear with what (i.e., colors), see the Style section. Basically, there are solids, stripes, and prints. The definitions are somewhat vacuous: a solid is solid, a stripe is whatever is striped and a print is anything else. I have not included examples of solid ties since those should be easy enough to identify.

I prefer woven ties, that is, those whose pattern is actually formed by weaving different colors of silk together (see close up on the right). The (cheaper) alternative is to print a pattern onto a smooth silk surface.

STRIPES

PRINTS

KNOTS

Three classic knots exist: Four-in-hand, Windsor, and Half-Windsor. The choice should depend on the collar of your shirt. Mathematicians will tell you there are 85 ways to tie a tie--most of which you would never use. However, a few named knots exist besides the classic three, but almost no one wears those, so I won't cover them. To learn to tie these knots, see http://www.scoutdb.org/h2tat/.

	Windsor: The widest of the three. Wear only with spread collars. I wouldn't wear this if I were a large man--it tends to accentuate one's girth.
	Half-Windsor: Like the Windsor, but smaller. I like this knot for my spread collars.
	Four-in-hand: This is a small, rectangular knot to be worn with regular ("straight" or "point" collars), buttondown, and tab collars. Also, you can wear this with a formal wing collar.

THE DIMPLE

Ties should be tied with a "dimple," that is, an indentation at the top of the tie, right under the knot (see photo). This is created right before you tighten the knot by slipping your index finger under the knot and pinching the fabric together (it's pretty obvious once you play around with it). This is easy in theory but it's difficult to get the dimple in the middle of the tie--keep trying!