How to wear ties casually

Posted by Rishi Chullani on

Ryan MacMorris

Don't you want to wear your ties casually?

Aren't you tired of having to strut a fully fledged suit everytime you wear a tie?  

Surely it must be possible to flaunt your dapper-ness without having to go fully formal every time? There are ways to utilize your tie collection so that you can wear them casually either at a casual office setting or in a more social environment.

With that great tie collection stored away in your closet, you will certainly be taking every opportunity to show it off whenever you possibly can. The problem is not every workplace is suited to a full suit and tie Monday through Friday, and what will you do on weekends?

You could carry around a picture of your tie collection in your wallet to show people, or you could simply try to work some of your neckties into more casual settings. If you keep in mind a few guidelines, you can wear your ties in all manner of situations, like on weekends or at a casual office, while avoiding seeming overdressed.

Ties in this day and age do not have to be strictly for the workplace and, with the proper outfits, can make you stand out as an impeccably dressed and well put together man in casual situations too.

Things like the knot, the pattern and width of the necktie itself, and the tie’s place in the rest of the outfit can all work to minimize the formality of the tie making it appropriate for all manner of events or activities. With that being said, here is our dive into how to wear ties casually.

The Knot

The knot used to tie a tie is instrumental in how the tie comes off in terms of formality. In addition to the type of tie knot used, in casual situations the tie knot is nearly always loosened by at least a few centimeters and the top button of the shirt should be left open.

This allows the collar to open and makes the tie looser and so it seems less formal. These are nearly requirements of how to wear a tie in casual situations, because without a loose tie and opened collar a tie can make many casual seeming outfits exponentially more formal. While the tie is looser around the neck the tip of the tie should still fall at the belt buckle.

There are many tie knots that are occasion specific, and there are many that the laymen will not know how to tie, but the knots that come off casually are simple to categorize. Smaller knots always lend themselves to more casual situations, this is especially important because the knot will be totally visible as opposed to knots being partially hidden by the edges of a collar.

Knots like the four-in-hand knot are the most common in everyday where, which makes it the easiest tie for most to tie. Thus the four-in-hand knot has commonplace in casual situations. In order to maximize the “casual feel” of your tie, tie a four-in-hand knot and tighten the knot as you loosen the collar and top button.

casual tie knot

The Tie

While the knot is certainly important to the pulling off of ties as casual wear the knot is worth nothing without the proper necktie. The tie should not be overly flamboyant and should avoid busy patterns that will look out of place in a casual outfit.

Solid colored ties, plaids, and simple stripes are a safe way to avoid too much formality and focus on your tie. These ties are easily paired with other articles in both formal and informal settings and so lend themselves to an easier crossover. Use solid, plaid or striped ties to match the tie to the other pieces of the outfit which we will delve into later. These tie types when matched properly will never look out of place.

Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's Solid Ties, Plaid Ties and Striped Ties, so that you have a wide range of options when dressing down and dapper at the same time!

Novelty Ties

Novelty ties are a great way of adding a dapper article to your clothing while still retaining the ability to look casual. Examples of novelty ties include The Dark Knot's Animal Print Ties, that can easily be worn during the day on a weekend, or while out at a friends party! Novelty ties are often great conversation starters, while allowing you to dress dapper & casual at the same time!

To view The Dark Knot's Animal Print Ties, that are ideal for an informal or weekend casual setting, please click here! These ties also happen to be fantastic conversation starters!

Animal Print Ties from The Dark Knot

Necktie Proportions

Tie width is always a question that needs to be kept in mind when wearing a tie, and in casual settings this is no less true. In the case of casual tie wear always err on the side of a skinny tie or slim tie if possible and more importantly never go for a wide tie.

While your standard width ties will certainly look fine with a small knot, a wide tie simply looks out of place and the resulting knot will look bulky and large while the tie covers too much of the shirt front.

A slim tie will create a small knot and help you achieve a put together look while still coming off casually. In order to pull off the look as a whole a balance needs to be struck between the dressy influence of the necktie as well as the casualness of the other articles.

Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's exquisite line of Skinny Silk Ties, that will seamlessly bridge the gap between casual wear and dapperness!

Skinny Ties from The Dark Knot

What else to wear

Wearing a tie in the casual world allows for an increased amount of variety in the textures worn. This increase in variety does not preclude itself to ties as well, in fact the texture of your tie should stand out from the bulk of articles in your outfit.

One texture and type of fabric that not only lends itself to casual environments but also makes a statement of a casual outfit is denim. Jeans or chambray instantly make any outfit much more casual meaning that wearing either with a tie can help you achieve the perfect balance regardless of the other pieces in the outfit. Mixing chunky cardigans with dark denim and a slim tie will hit the perfect pairing of dressy and casual.

Texture is important in the tie chosen to go with a more casual outfit, meaning the more textured the tie the less informal the other elements of your outfit have to be. A casual unstructured blazer along with a rough textured tie can look just as at home in a dive bar as a silk tie and chambray shirt.

Cuffing is yet another way to work texture into any outfit regardless of the garment. Rolled or cuffed sleeves and rolled or cuffed pant legs immediately take the formality of any outfit down a few notches, allowing for a tie to look wonderful when juxtaposed with the exposed inner garment.

The spring and summer seasons allow for all sorts of tie sporting outings because cuffs and sleeves can so easily be shown, letting any onlookers know that the tie is “off duty”.

To view The Dark Knot's range of Spring & Summer Ties that are ideal for casual wear settings, please click here!

casual tie

While these techniques are easy to pull off remember to be mindful of the socks being worn whenever rolling up pants, as well as to always avoid wearing a tie with short-sleeves or shorts.

Additionally, while it may seem like an easy way to informalize an outfit, wearing a tie with an untucked shirt will make you look undressed and unkempt rather than pushing the envelope of what is and isn’t casual. Casual neckties are becoming more and more ubiquitous, so stay stylish while keeping in mind the essentials of the knot, the tie, and the outfit as a whole.

The Dark Knot's range of Skinny Silk Ties, which are ideal for wearing ties casually, can be found here.

Silk Ties & Men's Accessories Sale | Ties & Men's Accessories Daily Deal

Thank you for having read through the whole article! I hope that you have had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it!

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