The Day's Necktie

Choosing the day's necktie is an art, and like any other art coordinating a tie with a shirt and a jacket benefits from practice. Three elements to keep in mind are pattern, textures and colors.

Patterns

Neckties have degrees of formality and your choice of patterns should be in tune with the rest of your clothing. Solids and designs with small figures complement city worsteds and patterned shirts. Pair stripes and larger patterns such as paisleys with flannels, tweeds and summer jackets. When you mix pattern and pattern they should be of different scales, like the smoking guy to the left.

Textures
Be careful to keep textures and weaves in harmony, that is, smooth with smooth and rough with rough. A satin tie is incompatible with a tweed suit but fine with twill. A tweed jacket marries well with cashmere, wool and gummed silk while linen neckties should be worn with a linen or cotton jacket.

Colors
Your tie's color should always contrast with your shirt and usually echo it. For example, the green shirt to the left is worn with a dark green and gold striped tie. One color contrasts with the shirt and the other accents it.

It's reliable but potentially dull to combine tones of the same basic color, such as a burgundy tie with a pink shirt or a navy tie with a light blue shirt. More harmonious effects occur when shirt and tie contain at least three colors, such as a light blue shirt worn with a gold necktie sporting navy figures. Pleasing results can be obtained by combining complementary hues, for example blue and orange or green and red, or by coordinating a primary color with a related secondary color such as red with brown.

The tie can also echo the shirt's colors while contrasting with its patterns. Entering the domain of the expert, still more interesting results are obtained by contrasting designs without repeating colors, such as a light blue shirt with orange stripes combined with a bottle green necktie with red dots.

Above all, remember that practice makes perfect. When you lay out your clothes, choose several shirts and ties and try them against your jacket before settling on your necktie for the day.