After years of painfully plain suits and sinfully simplistic formal wear, many men are rediscovering the joys of accessories. Two pieces having a significant moment are pocket squares and tie bars, and with good reason. Elegant additions to any formal or smart casual outfit, these pieces add a splash of colour and texture to otherwise plainer ensembles.
Wearing them together is more than doable – it’s recommended. But like all accessories, you need to be careful in how and where you deploy them to ensure that you achieve the look you want. Read on and make the considered sartorial choice with help from DÉCLIC.
One is jewellery, one is clothing – match them accordingly
You wouldn’t think to match your watch to your shoes (how would you?), why would you match your tie bar to your pocket square? Being traditionally made of metals such as gold, copper, steel or silver, your tie bar is more of a natural complement to your cufflinks, your watch, your rings or your jacket buttons. Selecting a tie bar in the same colour as your wedding ring, or having your favourite blazer upgraded with gold or silver buttons to match can really help to tie an outfit together.
Similarly, your pocket square should take inspiration from the fabric elements of your outfit – being informed by your shirt colour, your tie, your jacket and so on. Whether it matches your tie or makes a bold contrast with your blazer is up to you.
As with any colour matching, the goal is simply to demonstrate a considered approach to your dress – so don’t stress if either doesn’t exactly match its counterparts.
You wouldn’t wear a belt and suspenders…
…don’t wear both a tie bar and a tie pin. Choose one or the other. Both a tie bar and a tie pin perform the same function – that of keeping your tie neatly centred on your chest and firmly against your body – so electing to wear both simultaneously can make one seem either overly fussy or somewhat ignorant of sartorial conventions.
Additionally, it can also make the wearer’s chest seem too busy. Between the tie bar, the tie pin, the tie itself, pocket square, the shirt and the jacket, there are no less than six visual elements within a hand’s breadth of each other – diluting the individual impact of each. Considering that both a tie bar and a tie pin’s purpose is to make your outfit appear cleaner by ensuring your tie hangs straight, overly busy is not what we want. If you want to maintain any air of sprezzatura (carefully studied carelessness) pick one or the other. Both a tie bar and a tie pin are stunning additions to an outfit, each adding their own flair – choose the one that best suits your outfit and enjoy a cleaner, more elegant look that evening.
Shop the DÉCLIC range today and discover a tie bar and pocket square you’ll be proud to wear together.
