Choice of tie?

[David Thornton]

I know I'll get a bit of difference just based on posters local, and personal preference, and that's great. What tie is to be worn with the kilt?
And does it matter if you have on a tweed jacket vs an argyle ve a PC?
What about different tartans? Bow ties?
Thanks
David

[Bob C]

I can't imagine a PC with anything but a bow tie. There's more lattitude with the others.

[Hamish]

Bob is correct, David. Only a bow-tie looks right (and IS right) with a Prince Charlie, and it is best if it is black.

With a tweed jacket, please only wear plain, woollen ties (or non-shiny ones). The plain colour should match one of the colours in your kilt's tartan. These things are not governed by 'rules', because there really aren't any (apart from those of convention), but mostly it is down to aesthetics or what looks good.

You do not say what type of Argyll jacket. These are usually in tweed (in which case the foregoing applies), but can also be in black barathea for semi-formal wear. If you are thinking of the latter, then you could wear a black bow-tie with an ordinary white business shirt, or a plain, silk neck-tie such as grey for a wedding. You might just get away with some other colours, but the tie must be unpatterned and shiny by nature. Wool ties and black barathea do not mix at all well.

You might be wondering about tartan ties? Well, kilt-wearers of good taste
would probably not wish to be seen wearing a tartan tie with a tartan kilt. Yes, you do see them, and frankly, they look grim! There is just too much tartan fighting one with the other. Tartan ties are best reserved for wear with plain coloured kilts - most effectively with a black kilt, or one that reflects the ground colour in the tie - or for those rare occasions when one might be wearing trousers. Not appliccable to THIS one, however!!;)

Clan ties (those, usually in navy blue polyester nowadays, with small embroidered clan motifs) are fine with tartan or plain kilts and do not need to be colour co-ordinated. They are best worn with tweed jackets rather than black Argylls, however!

I hope that answers your question - and remember, there are no rules, only good taste!!

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

OK, I have a follow on question. I just received my black barathea wool Argyll jacket (wrong size, but I am having that addressed, see my related post), and I also have a solid black SWK HW kilt. I was thinking that the 2 together with a white dress shirt would look very formal, but I am unsure about a tie. Any ideas? I was thinking that I could wear almost any color tie and then wear matching flashes with black hose and shoes. I have not seen anyone else suggest this combination before and wanted people's reactions.

[arrogcow]

And for goodness sakes, make it a real bow tie that you tie yourself. If you are man enough for a kilt, you are man enough to tie your own tie.

Adam

[Rick]

I wear bow ties exclusively when I wear a tie, and never one of those pre-tied impostors. Over the years, I have accumulated about 150 or so bow ties, of which only a few are solid colour. The tie is the last article of clothing I pick when dressing. My general approach is to select the tie that complements the other pieces of clothing. Today I wore a white shirt, black argyll jacket, and my modern Robertson Hunting Kilt for a Thanksgiving dinner at a fine restaurant. I chose a red bow tie. The tie choice came down to a red bow tie with white Polka dots vs. a tartan tie (red on white, with very fine red stripes.) I chose the latter. I normally would not do the mixed tartan thing, but, this was simply the best tie for the outfit. To see the tartan pattern in the tie one would have to be quite close, indeed so close that the kilt would not be in view. The point is, there are guidelines and not rules. Pick the tie that works with the outfit, not the tie you are dying to wear.

Another thread has been dealing with shirt collar selections. This is an area where the bow tie wearer has to exercise some caution. Unlike a long tie, the knot must go through the spread of the collar. I find that button down collars work quite well. However, collars that are too widely spread do not look good. Likewise, collars that are to narrow pucker up at the knot. For formal events, some people like the wing collars with bow ties, but I do not. I prefer a simple pleated shirt with a spread collar for this purpose. Again, not spread too much.

Rick

[GlassMan]

Personally I'm rather fond of regimental stripped bow ties, and yes I hand tie them myself. I've thought of getting a clan bow tie but all the ones I've seen are of the "clasp" variety and I refuse to wear a tie that I didn't get a chance to tie myself.

But then a standard necktie gives you more real estate to have fun with. I'm rather fond of ties that have something different about them. For example, since I like tobacco pipes I have several adorned with that theme. I also have one with images of violins since I'm a violin player as well.

Now I just need to find some with stained glass.

[Rick]

Some tartans are available in silk. While I have not made a tartan bow tie yet, I have made bow ties from other fabrics. It is quite easy to do. Simply use an existing bow tie that is set to the proper length as the pattern. The tie is made in two sections and joined at the point that is at the back of the neck. Thus each section needs to be about 0.25 in. longer than when the two are joined so that the seem can be made. I add some extra material all around and then sew the two sections from the inside-out. I then use pinking shears to cut the excess fabric close to the stitches. The tie is then turned right side out and the sections hand stitched together. For the silks, depending on the weight, it will most likely be necessary to stiffen the tie with interfacing. I do not have much experience here, as I use stiffer fabrics. For wool, I would not bother with the interfacing. The thing to remember when making ties is that the fabric is almost always cut on the bias.

As for stained glass. I purchased a bow tie in Cambridge that looks like a window. Thus, just keep looking.

Rick

[Mike n NC]

hmmmm, bow ties. For some reason the mention of them always brings to mind the goofy professor type, the ones with no life, no social skills. I did wear one as a lad, before I was judged old enough for a tie.
Today I pretty much avoid them unless the specified code of dress for a functions specifies "formal" and even then I frequently use a "puff tie". With a tailored kilt I find, much like when I wore tailored suits, the three piece outfit combined with the right shirt and tie works quite well.

Mike

[David Thornton]

This is bad, very bad indeed. I have a closet full of silk ties. Red, yellow & blue, all with small detail. Wife says they look great to her.
But now I'll have to scour around and find some wool ties.
By the way, how do you tie a wool necktie without having a rather large knot?
I'll wear a bow with the black argyle at dress events, but I don't think I could adopt them for regular use.
David