One reason why James Bond’s style appeals to so many people is that it is aspirational but also appears to be accessible. Bond’s neckties contribute to why his style is accessible, as they make Bond look at ease in his suits. Most of Bond’s ties are easy to wear, and he demonstrates how to wear them stylishly and effortlessly, making Bond a reliable starting place for beginners to ties. Sean Connery’s Bond in particular sets a timeless example of how to wear ties without trying too hard.
001. Simple is stylish.
Tie beginners often go for bolder ties, with the misconception that a subtle tie is less stylish. James Bond, however, wears almost entirely plain ties throughout the first seven films of the series, and since then, he has mostly continued to wear plain ties and ties with subtle patterns. Following example of Connery’s Bond, beginners should avoid bold colours, bold stripes, bold prints and other bold patterns.
When in doubt, choose a plain navy tie. James Bond shows throughout the 1960s how a plain navy tie can work with almost anything. The only formal outfit it does not go with is a black suit, which beginners should also avoid.
002. Texture is taste.
Lacey grenadines. Chunky knits. Slubby shantungs. Ribbed ottomans. These are just some of the kinds of textured silk ties that Bond has worn over the years. Texture can bring sophistication to a tie. Beginners should start with silk ties and avoid linen, cotton, wool, cashmere, and silk blends, as ties made of these have more limited and specific applications. A classic silk repp with its simple ribbed texture—or lack of texture—can also be stylish, but it lacks any kind of interest at all. Shiny silk satin should be avoided in most situations.
003. Perfect the knot.
A taut, neatly tied knot is essential to wearing a tie well. Fancy knots are not required, and a well-tied four-in-hand knot will always do. It’s the only essential knot, and its asymmetry is part of its charm. Knots other than the four-in-hand—like the double-four-in-hand/Prince Albert, the half Windsor, the full Windsor and the Old Bertie—can be useful to know, but they’re not necessary and can sometimes be difficult to wear well. Ian Fleming’s James Bond famously derides those who wear the Windsor knot, but Bond of the films wears it on occasion, including in the first film Dr. No. Bond’s Windsor knot in Dr. No is well tied, being a tight, compact version of it.
The tie knot must comfortably fit in the collar space and not be too large for it. A tie knot does not even need to fill the space in a collar; it just needs to sit at the top of the collar band so the collar does not show above the knot. The tie should always be snug against the shirt collar, and if the shirt collar fits properly, a snug tie should be comfortable. A loose tie looks sloppy, whether the tie is loose around the neck or the knot itself is loose.
A tie should usually be dimpled, and it’s not just an arbitrary style detail. It is important because it is how a tie fits neatly into a tight knot. Skinny ties may not dimple well because there’s not enough width to work with, and it’s okay if they don’t have a dimple.
004. Match the tie’s width to the jacket’s lapels.
Common advice says that the tie and the jacket’s lapels should be of the same width. This offers balance to the outfit. This doesn’t mean that the widest part of the tie and the widest part of the lapels need to be an exact match, but there should be a visual balance between the two. The taper of a tie can make a significant difference to its perceived width, which is why you should use your eye when matching the tie to the lapels, not a ruler. Err on the side of the tie being narrower than the lapels. Knitted ties should always be narrower than jacket’s lapels because they have little taper.
If the jacket’s lapels are very wide, especially with a double-breasted jacket, the tie can be narrower than the lapels. A jacket with 4 1/2-inch lapels can be attractively worn with a 3 3/4-inch tie.
005. The length doesn’t have to be perfect.
Ideally, the length of the tie’s front blade should reach the centre of the trouser waistband or belt buckle, with the rear blade slightly shorter. However, it’s not always possible to achieve this without a custom-made tie. Most brands sell neckties in only one length, usually between 57 and 59 inches long. Some brands offer extra-long ties that are over 60 inches for taller men or for those with larger necks. People come in a large variety of heights and neck sizes, both of which will vary how long the tie will be when worn.
Getting the front blade to be the ideal length is most important, but it does not need to be perfect. If you’re wearing low-rise trousers (which you shouldn’t be with a jacket and tie) or if you’re a larger man, it’s okay if the tie is a little shorter than the trouser waistband, as long as the tie stays tucked inside the jacket when worn. It’s also okay if the tie is a little longer, but it should not be visible below the jacket’s fastened button.
006. Your pocket square is not an extension of your tie.
Some people believe that a tie should match the pocket square, and they purchase matching tie and pocket square sets. This is a beginner mistake. The pocket square is its own, independent garment and deserves to be treated as such. A matching set takes away from the tie, preventing it from providing a focal centre to the outfit. Wearing a matching set means that the set dresses you, when you should be dressing yourself. A matching set signifies a lack of quality, since most better stores do not sell them in sets. A pocket square may loosely match the colour of a tie, but it should ideally pick up a secondary colour in the tie or coordinate with another part of the outfit.
As Sean Connery’s Bond shows, a white linen pocket square is never a bad choice, and it doesn’t need to match anything. As Bond shows on many other occasions, a pocket square is not even necessary at all. Neither are tie accessories like tie bars. Sometimes, simple is more stylish.
007. When in doubt, wear a tie.
When wearing a formal suit, particularly one made of worsted wool, a tie should always be worn. If you can wear a suit for the occasion, you can and should be wearing a tie. James Bond always wears a tie with suits for business and formal occasions, usually only forgoing a tie with a more relaxed suit in hot weather. Even then, he frequently wears a tie. A tie makes any suit or jacket look more polished, and it makes the whole outfit look more intentional. Ties should not be worn if the occasion does not call for a suit or a tailored jacket, unless mandated by a school or work dress code.
Superb.
The tie knots in TWINE are perfection (I guess the collar helps). It looks particularly good in the MI6 office scenes.
I would give more credit to the tie. Better silks and better interlinings help with the knot.
Perfect and sound advice here.
“If you can wear a suit for the occasion, you can and should be wearing a tie.”
Matt I wish this was true but I don’t think it is anymore. I work in commercial law (a pretty conservative profession) and when seeing clients I am expected to wear a suit but if I wore a tie with it I very much risk coming across as ‘too uptight or stuffy’. In my experience the suit no tie is now the corporate uniform for client meetings. For non-client work it is often chinos and a shirt (increasingly, with some form of sneaker).
It would be great to get your take on how a tieless suit outfit can work from the perspective of Bond (beyond the obvious of linen and light coloured suits).
I’m inclined to agree with this assessment, although I’ve seen plenty of actual shoes alongside the sneakers for both “smart casual” and with a full-on suit. For some reason, perhaps because so many sneakers are expensive designer goods now, all but the most strict places accept them with all kinds of otherwise dressy outfits.
Sign of the times from a just a few weeks ago: I was invited to an alumni tea for my university on the very Bondian Pall Mall in London. The invite said the dress code was “formal”. To me, when I read formal, it meant black tie which seemed weird overkill for just a tea on a weekday afternoon. So I contacted the organiser and sure enough, formal just meant a suit and tie. In normal cases, they told me that the chinos and shirt or a suit without a tie was considered the default for such an event. And this is in St. James London: ground zero for British menswear. There’s even a statue of Beau Brummell on the street!
I too have noticed the now ubiquitous suit and no tie combo (and increasingly often with “dress sneakers”). The reasons behind this would itself take a full article, but I cannot say I like it.
It is very difficult to pull off a suit without a tie in business suitings (fine worsted navys, charcoals, etc). This is partly because this outfit was developed to include a tie, it just looks incomplete.
I would suggest, if ties are out of the question, go with a sport coat. A blue blazer and grey trousers would be on the smarter end of the spectrum, but depending on the season, you’d have a variety of combinations across the spectrum. The pattern and fabric texture provides visual interest that a suit without a tie often lacks. And if you keep to more muted colors, the tailored structure of the jackets still provide a professional look. My office sort of has this as the unofficial dress code for better or worse.
James Bond has demonstrated how to wear something about equivalent in formality without a tie: the navy blazer. I don’t understand how it is that one *must* wear a city suit without a tie.
Sometimes I don’t wear a tie when wearing a full suit, but then I make sure to wear a bandana or a silk scarf instead. It feels empty if my neck is not covered, when I wear a suit
I agree, if no tie is the preferred option then a sports jacket looks way better than a business suit. The Navy Blazer is perfect for this and the trousers can be chosen based on the occasion, weather and season.
Thankfully, I am not the only one to find sneakers and suits making for an unattractive marriage.
The shoes dominate rather than compliment, and elegance is the first casualty.
There was a fella over on Styleforum who started a thread some time ago making the case for ‘sneakers’ with a suit. There then followed much debate and many photographs, often using sneakers like those plain white Common Projects ones which to me are just a ridiculously overpriced and less attractive version of adidas Stan Smiths. In every single case put forward by the pro sneakers and suit brigade in their attempts to show a dressed down suit, to me there was a better alternative be they loafers, driving mocs, desert boots, Chelsea boots, bucks, lightweight brogues, monks, etc. it just seemed to me that some people are so fixated on proving their point that they lose sight of the fact that the point they’re trying to prove is not worth the effort, in this case because objectively better alternatives already exist.
(Related – one of my favourite Bond outfits from the canon is the beige linen suit and saturated blue shirt in TWINE successfully worn without a tie. Brozz wore tan monks which were an ideal complement as long as we overlook the mismatched belt! This was a superior rig to the similar version worn in DAD).
Although I have to add that I am now in the poor house having purchased the Bond Demi boot from Crockett & Jones!!