Re: The skinny on skinny ties (Style Counsel, Precedent online, November 10)
My friend (and Precedent columnist) Emir Aly Crowne will have you believe that nobody loves skinny ties. This leads me to believe he’s spent little, if any, time in the world’s northernmost capital, Reykjavik. Not that we should strive to make Bay Street look like Sundlaugavegur — if a nation’s economic prosperity were reflected by its sartorial decisions, we’d be seeing Joe Fresh popping up in airports all over the world.
My position on the matter is more matter of fact. That is, wear what you think looks good, as long as it’s professional. Unless your higher-ups are still rocking their khakis with (a cuff and a crease and) a navy boating jacket with gold accoutrements, you can rock a skinny tie from time to time at the office.
I should begin by making a distinction which Mr. Crowne has failed to make, namely between the skinny tie and the narrow tie. Anything under 2″ is a skinny tie, and anything wider than that, but narrower than 3.5″ should be properly classified as a narrow tie. To me, skinny ties are as narrow at the bottom as they are at the top. If there is any perceptible difference between the width of the tie at its bottom and its knot, then it is merely narrow, not skinny.
Unlike Mr. Crowne’s broad acceptance of broader ties, I wouldn’t wear anything wider than 3″ to 3.5″ at its widest point.
Which brings me to my next, well, point: narrow lapels call for narrow ties. Today’s suits rarely sport anything wider than 3.5″ lapels. Your rule of thumb when you’re picking a tie to match your suit is that there should be a congruence between your tie and your lapels. They should be roughly the same width. If you want to look like you haven’t raided your dad’s closet or are still wearing your bar mitzvah suit, steer toward narrower ties and lapels overall. It is a very bold move to sport anything narrower than 2.5″, and anyone who can pack that little width under their outerwear must necessarily also pack a great deal of confidence and swagger.
Ilan Mints is a student-at-law with Chaitons LLP and an alumnus (Class of 2011) of the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. He studied under Emir Aly Crowne.