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The Three “Status” Accessories in Business

For those men that have the basic business look dialed in to perfection, there are a few accessories that will not only add more style, but will also boost the overall status of your appearance. Below are the top three accessories you should choose if status is important to you.

Your Watch
A wrist watch is not just an instrument that tells time. It is a fashion accessory that embodies tradition, style, status, and elegance. How much you spend is personal preference. If you are looking for a way to get noticed than a Rolex, or over-sized Breitling watch might just be right for you. If money is no issue, but you are looking for something more subtle then other exclusive brands such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger Lecoultre, or Glashuette might be the right choice. These are brands less known to the average population and often times only recognized by other watch enthusiasts.

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars for a nice dress watch. What is most important is that the style of the watch matches your overall look. Never wear a sports watch in combination with a suit. Also, match the watch color to your overall look. For example: Brown leather bands should be worn with brown belt and shoes, and golden watches should be paired with golden belt buckle, cufflinks, and briefcase hardware.

Cufflinks
Cufflinks are purely decorative. Unfortunately most men are either too lazy to wear them, or don’t have the right type of dress shirts. Cufflinks don’t have to be expensive to add elegance to your look. When matching cufflinks make sure the color harmonizes with other accessories such as belt buckle, your watch, ties, and pocket square.

Your Pen
Although any pen will get the job done, there are times when certain pens are inappropriate. If you are going to sign an important contract in front of fellow businessmen and clients then you should use the appropriate writing instrument. Mont Blanc pens are one classic example. They are pieces of art that have been handcrafted in Germany for over a century. Pens are also a great gift idea for any businessman.

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Your Cheap Neckties Team

Jake Gyllenhaal Wearing Black Tie

It is nice to see that come celebrities understand classic black tie dress code. Jake Gyllenhaal shows that he knows what is meant by classic black tie: Black tuxedo jacket with so-called “Peak lapels”, a self tied black bow tie, a finely pleated tuxedo shirt, and black shirt studs – a truly classic black tie look.

Unfortunately not every celebrity understands this type of formal attire. It is not uncommon to see music artists adds their own interpretation on what is meant by black tie attire: Jackets are displayed in bright colors, shoes are come in a variety of exotic styles, the use of fur, and so on. Those are outfits that will definitely get attention, but also “butcher” the classic black tie look. The only time a white, or off-white jacket is acceptable is for so-called warm weather black tie.

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Your Cheap Neckties Team

The Perfect Tie For a Job Interview

By now you might know us by our low prices on quality neckties. We at Cheap-Neckties.com are all about value! How can we offer quality neckties to such a low price you might ask? Well, it is our mission to keep overhead costs to an absolute minimum. We do not have to maintain an expensive store-front, we carry all our own inventory and no commissions need to be paid to third party drop-shippers and order fulfillment houses. In addition, we hire our own fashion designers, that for the most part live in Europe. It is their job to attend fashion shows throughout the year, predict trends, and spot out what colors and patterns are in style. We then produce all our own designs. There are no middle-men from manufacturing to us which helps keep the costs down. All these savings are then passed on to you!

The $5 Interview Tie
For the month of April we will be offering three neckties perfectly suited for a job interview. The colors are classic/conservative, and the pattern is either a foulard (small designs throughout the tie) or elegant stripes. We picked three ties for you that will get the job done! They will add the professional look to your suit and shirt that will make a very competent first impression. And best of all these ties only cost you $5!!! So even if you don’t get your job offer buying any of these ties won’t hurt your piggy bank too much.

The Three $5 Interview Ties – Expires April 30th, 2009
Below are the three neckties you can purchase for only $5 (promotion expires April 30th, 2009). All of these ties will look excellent with either navy blue or charcoal gray suit, white dress shirt, and black dress shoes – the perfect outfit for your job interview! To purchase any of these ties, simply click on the image, add the tie to your shopping basket, and continue with check-out. Good luck on your interview!

Your Cheap Neckties Team

Best Sellers: Featuring Our 3 Most Popular Ties

If you are interested to see what styles and colors are currently popular on mens ties, then we are featuring you a TOP 3 list. All of these ties below are our top sellers so far in 2009. All ties have on thing in common: Lighter color shades and classic designs. It is not surprising to see light blue and orange on the list of most popular ties. Both have been classic tie colors in spring and summer over the last few years.

Number One Best Seller
This is by far our best selling necktie! The sky blue color on this tie is combined with narrow navy blue and white stripes. A truly stunning color and striping combination that will add a classy look to any suit and shirt.

Our top pick to match this tie: Light gray, charcoal, or navy blue suit and a classic white dress shirt. The tie is handmade from pure silk. Also, a slightly thicker lining is used in this tie giving the tie a heavier feel and more luxurious drape. This looks best in combination with a triangular looking tie knot, such as the Full Windsor, and a dress shirt that has a slightly wider collar spread. This tie will turn heads in your office!

Number Two Best Seller
Now this is a bright tie! The color on this tie is a bright pumpkin orange. It matches excellent with tan, browns, blues, and grays. The subtle stripes on this tie are created by a unique weaving technique. One single color yarn is woven in a way to give this tie these fine stripes – similar to the way the grass of a football field is cut.

The tie is made from a stain resistant microfiber fabric. It has the advantage of being very stain resistant, it doesn’t wrinkle, nor will it absorb odors. Nevertheless it drapes, shines, and feels just like our quality silk ties. Best of all, this tie only costs $10!

Number Three Best Seller
Since the beginning of the year, the number two and three spot of our best-seller list are very close together. The light, lime green color on this tie makes it a trendy tie for the spring and summer. This tie should only be worn on a sunny day in combination with lighter, summer-type fabrics. Have a close look at the narrow stripes on this tie. It appears to be one stripe at first, but a closer look reveals that four very intricate stripe make up the pattern on this tie. This tie is made from microfiber, that is unlike silk very stain-resistant and less likely to wrinkle. Nevertheless, it has the shine and soft feel almost identical to silk.

To purchase any of these top neckties, simply click on the image above and add the tie to your shopping cart before continuing with check-out.

Your Cheap Neckties Team

What “Suits” Your Profession – Tips to Find The Perfect Suit

Suits come in a variety of cuts, fabrics, and colors. Designers are constantly changing the look and feel of suits to keep things interesting for working professionals. When you shop for a new suit, evaluate what color will work best for your lifestyle. Don’t assume that you have to buy a traditional navy suit for the office. You can branch out and add some variety to your professional wardrobe if you know what colors are appropriate.

While gray, charcoal or navy suits are the traditional colors, there are many other options to choose from. Some are good choices for the work environment, others are not. Brown, beige, or tan are great color choices, while bright colors of any sort are not. Leave the hot pink suit from your 80s high school dance in the closet! Some television evangelists have sported suits in pastel colors such as powder blue and canary yellow. These colors are actually not forbidden from the workplace but they are much better suited to shirts and ties. If you are determined to buy a suit in a lighter color, choose something neutral and then play it up with great accessories.

Brown is another acceptable color choice, but it is typically best for the summer months when in lighter shade, and for the winter when in dark brown and made from thicker, twill fabric. A good question to consider when choosing a tan suit is whether you can leave your coat at home. If you can wear the suit trousers without the jacket, then the color of the suit is probably acceptable. If the pants would look strange without the coat, then you should probably choose something in a darker color family. Light colored suits are typically more comfortable in the summer heat, as they don’t hold the heat in the fabric as much as the darker suits.

Matching items with a light colored suit is an entirely different task than matching a dark suit. For example, wear brown shoes with a brown suit, instead of black. Black looks extremely out of place with a light suit. Good suit shirt colors include light blue, light pink and classic white. Any of these bright colors will compliment a lighter colored suit. The darker colors of maroon, gray, and navy blue are better suited to dark suits.

Your necktie also needs to be chosen carefully. Look for ties that complement the color of your suit, shirt, and accessories. Sometimes a great tie can blend a sharp contrast between a suit and a shirt. Ties can bring two color families together, to make the contrast more appealing. Look for ties in bright, untraditional colors to add some personality to your suits..

Fabric is an important consideration as well. Avoiding linen is a good idea, unless you want to look like Panama Jack. Besides looking very casual, linen is very care intensive. There are hours of ironing ahead if you want a linen suit. Also avoid heavy wool or twill, as you want a lighter fabric in the summer. Light wool is the best choice. It drapes nicely without wrinkling, and is much cooler in the heat of summer.

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Your Cheap Neckties Team

Esquire Magazine Votes Prince Charles as Best Dressed Man in The World

It is nice to see that even fashion forward oriented magazines value traditional style and class over trendy outfits that boarder on obnoxiousness. A few weeks ago the esquire magazine released the their pick of the Best Dressed Man in The Word, and no other than heir to the Britsh throne, Prince Charles.

His trade-mark look: A double breased suit, a traditional striped tie, and a nicely folded pocket square – a classy and timeless outfit that has not changed much over the last century. It is a look that is sophisticated, classy, and always well accepted in any environment.

Charles, 60, beat President Barack Obama, 47, 33-year-old rapper Andre 3000 and the youngest man in the top 10 – 27-year-old tennis champion Roger Federer – to claim the title.

Esquire described Charles as “perfectly turned out”, adding that “admirably, the prince keeps his wardrobe in appropriate style; we’re told he has a room laid out like a tailor’s shop”. If you are interested what labels Charles primarily chooses, then we traditional British clothing makers Austin Reed, Savile Row tailors, Anderson and Sheppard, and Frank Hall Tailoring make the list.

According to Jeremy Langmead, Esquire’s Editor: “It’s the men who dress like grown-ups who really caught the judge’s eyes this year, as well as those who have developed their own distinctive style.”

If you also prefer this traditional look, than dressing in suit and tie is almost a must. Adding pocket square, cufflinks, and even a vest will complete the look. Just as important: Add your own style, choose colors that match your color profile, choose cuts that compliment your body type, and wear your outfit with confidence. You don’t have to be a heir to a throne to be the best dressed man in your office.

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Your Cheap Neckties Team

How The Necktie Will Get You a New Job

That a suit and tie is pretty much expected attire for a job interview should be common sense. But what suit, shirt and tie you choose can make a huge difference on how well the interview will go. After all, first impressions are made within ther first few seconds on meeting someone, and this first impression will set the tone throughout your interview. Dressing your part will help make sure the interview starts of on the right note

If you are researching what attire is right for your interview, then it seems like you already have a few job interviews lined up – Congratulations! Getting to this step has been getting much harder in recent times. Less companies are hiring and more people are currently looking for work. Getting to the step of a face-2-face meeting speaks for your qualifications and well written resume.

The Suit
Dark colors are best, and pretty much the only choice. Best are charcoal gray and dark navy blue suits. Patterns such as pin-stripes, plaid, and checks should be very subtle, if chosen at all. Best are patternless suits. As far as the cut is concerned, choose a cut the best compliments your body type. To learn more about different cuts and fabric choices on suits you may want to read How to Buy a Suit.

Shirt, Belt, and Shoes
The dress shirt should be bright white in color. Make sure the shirt is clean, and freshly ironed and/or pressed (also read: How to Iron a Dress Shirt. Black shoes are the only choice for a dark colored suit. Although brown shoes will look nice on navy suits, it is less suited for a job interview. Match the belt to your shoe color – that means black is the only choice here. Your socks should be: gray or black for the dark gray/charcoal suit, and midnight blue for the navy blue suit.

The Necktie
Your tie is the piece of clothing that can, and should show more color. It should show color and set a contrast to the white shirt and dark suit. Be careful not to pick a tie that is too bright in color as it might become too much of a focal point and distract from your face (where the attention should be on).

The best colors for a necktie worn for an interview is navy blue, burgundy red, olive green, and in the summer also light blues. The best patterns are solid color ties, and neckties with stripes. Ties you should avoid are novelty ties (they are not suited for business) and bright colored neckties (unless you are Donald Trump).

Your Cheap Neckties Team

The More Casual Way to Wear Your Pocket Square

If you are on the hunt for new ways to add a more style to your “uniform look” of suit and tie, then adding the right accessories will be the answer. Common accessories for business attire are neckties, cufflinks, briefcases, wrist watches, hats, and gloves. One of the more traditional accessories is rarely chosen. We are talking about the pocket square.

Most common is the pocket square for formal attire. When you dress up in a black tuxedo, and solid black bow tie, then a nicely folded, solid white pocket silk will be just perfect. The white color sets a nice contrast to the black suit, and it adds a certain touch of sophistication and elegance to your formal outfit. At Cheap Neckties we have featured the three most common ways on how to fold a pocket square for formal black tie attire. But, a pocket square is not just perfect for the formal outfits.

When dressing for business, the pocket square is just as perfect of an accessory. The type of pocket square chosen, and the way it is folded is slightly different when comparing it to the one you wear with a tuxedo. Both, the pocket square itself and the fold has a more casual look. Best are patterned pocket squares such as stripes, checks, paisleys, tiny polka dots, and more. The best pocket square fold is the so-called “puff fold”. See above for an illustration for this slightly more casual, yet elegant, way to fold your pocket square.

Your Cheap-Neckties Team

A Man of Style: Ashton Kutcher

Whether you like him or not, it is hard to deny Mr Kutcher that he knows how to dress. Fashion is nothing new to him by any means. In fact he started his career, before he got into acting, as a model for Calvin Klein in 1997. Not until his role in “The 70’s Show” did he discover his passion for acting.

When we found this picture of Ashton Kutcher, we thought it is worth a post. His outfit harmoniously combines elegance and tradition with a touch of contemporary style. It is quite evident that his outfit is perfect for the fall and winter, or for the colder months of the year. The jacket is made from a thicker/heavier worsted wool. In addition, a matching V-neck sweater and blueish-gray scarf add style and warmth.

His Necktie
Of course we will spend most of the time writing about his necktie choice. The burgundy, almost maroon color of his tie is a perfect match to the gray jacket and V-neck sweater. In addition burgundy neckties are the perfect piece of neckwear worn during the fall and winter. The color reminds of turning leaves. It is a color that will look perfect with navy blue, gray, charcoal, tan, brown, and olive green suits.

The knot on his necktie appears to be a half Windsor knot. It has a slightly asymmetric, and somewhat narrow shape. It is a perfect knot for a dress shirt with a narrow to medium width collar spread – just like the one worn by Mr Kutcher. Our verdict: 10 out of 10 points. This is the first time we have given this score for any celebrity!

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Your Cheap Neckties team

A Guide to Finding The Perfect Necktie Length

Although a large majority of all neckties have one standard length, this standard length is not the perfect fit for everyone. If you fall out of the 5 foot 2 inch to 6 foot 1 inch range then a special length necktie will be required.

Neckties For Shorter Men
The necktie should be tied so that the tip of the tie ends near the center of your belt buckle. The narrow end of the tie should be completely covered by the broad end. If you are short, have a short torso, and/or a narrow neck, then this might be quite challenging to do. Unfortunately very few manufacturers make shorter ties for men, and if at all, only for kids. Your best option would be to take your ties to your tailor and have the narrow end shortened by an inch or two.

Neckties For The Big & Tall
If you are above 6 foot 2 inches and/ or have a larger neck size, then you should be wearing extra long ties. Especially if you prefer larger necktie knots, such as the Full Windsor Knot, the longer tie will be needed. If your height in inches and your neck size in inches added together is larger than 93 inches, then the XL size tie will be the best option. Extra long neckties are usually between 61-63 inches in length – about 4-5 inches longer than a regular sized necktie.

Neckties For Kids
The Kids ties we carry in stock measure 47 inches in length and are about 2.5 inches wide. They are the perfect fot for kids that are between 4 foot 7 inches and 5 foot 3 inches. If your child is taller, then the adult size tie will fit. For shorter and younger kids, the best option is to take the kids necktie to your tailor and have them shiorten the tie by a few inches at the narrow end.

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Your Cheap Neckties Team