Neckties for Women
September 1, 2010 12:48 PM Subscribe
I love the look of ladies neckties and I want to start wearing them to the office, but I am not sure how to go about sizing them to fit (5' 1") me. I think most men's ties look too wide, and I know there are also skinny ties, but I'm assuming they'd be too lengthy...
I want to the style look tidy, not hanging casually like a scarf. I intend to wear them with pencil skirts and heels, so any style suggestions are welcome. I have to learn how to tie the knots on myself, too!
This looks too thin.
This looks about right in size, but it's not a photo from a retailer.
I can't tell if these ties are specially sized or just have cheesy "women" patterns.
I am mostly either looking for an idea of what dimensions would be best, and where I might find these kind of ties for purchase online.
I want to the style look tidy, not hanging casually like a scarf. I intend to wear them with pencil skirts and heels, so any style suggestions are welcome. I have to learn how to tie the knots on myself, too!
This looks too thin.
This looks about right in size, but it's not a photo from a retailer.
I can't tell if these ties are specially sized or just have cheesy "women" patterns.
I am mostly either looking for an idea of what dimensions would be best, and where I might find these kind of ties for purchase online.
Best answer: This looks about right in size
I would guess that that is about 3" or 3.25" wide (at the widest point). This does fall frustratingly in between the skinny and non-skinny tie widths currently popular, but it is possible to find ties in this size. You might try boys' ties as suggested above.
It's probably overkill, but there do exist services that will alter the width of ties.
I'm not sure why you assume men's ties would be too long -- you have some flexibility with the length because you can alter where the narrow end falls, and you also have flexibility with tie knots — some take up much more of the length of the tie than others.
If I were you I'd figure out what knots I wanted to wear and then go to a thrift store and try on ties until you find a fit you are happy with, and then take measurements — I suspect you'll find a wider variety of widths there than you'll find being sold in any given new clothing store since "standard" widths have varied so much over the years.
posted by enn at 1:11 PM on September 1, 2010
I would guess that that is about 3" or 3.25" wide (at the widest point). This does fall frustratingly in between the skinny and non-skinny tie widths currently popular, but it is possible to find ties in this size. You might try boys' ties as suggested above.
It's probably overkill, but there do exist services that will alter the width of ties.
I'm not sure why you assume men's ties would be too long -- you have some flexibility with the length because you can alter where the narrow end falls, and you also have flexibility with tie knots — some take up much more of the length of the tie than others.
If I were you I'd figure out what knots I wanted to wear and then go to a thrift store and try on ties until you find a fit you are happy with, and then take measurements — I suspect you'll find a wider variety of widths there than you'll find being sold in any given new clothing store since "standard" widths have varied so much over the years.
posted by enn at 1:11 PM on September 1, 2010
Maybe see if any of the tie sellers on Etsy will you do a custom size?
posted by olinerd at 1:20 PM on September 1, 2010
posted by olinerd at 1:20 PM on September 1, 2010
I would go to a thrift store and just try some ties. Even though you are relatively petite ties give you a lot of leeway and I think most women who wear ties (some waitresses for example) make do with "men's" ties.
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:22 PM on September 1, 2010
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:22 PM on September 1, 2010
Vintage ties are often smaller than more recent ones. I'm thinking particularly of the 50s.
posted by cestmoi15 at 1:25 PM on September 1, 2010
posted by cestmoi15 at 1:25 PM on September 1, 2010
You can also adjust the length using different knots.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:36 PM on September 1, 2010
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:36 PM on September 1, 2010
TheWhiteSkull: "You can also adjust the length using different knots."
Agreed. If you're used to using a simple "four in hand" knot (what most people default to), tying a full Windsor will use noticeably more of the tie's length.
posted by xedrik at 2:18 PM on September 1, 2010
Agreed. If you're used to using a simple "four in hand" knot (what most people default to), tying a full Windsor will use noticeably more of the tie's length.
posted by xedrik at 2:18 PM on September 1, 2010
Best answer: First off, your keyword for width is "narrow." Usually "narrow" ties are 3.25-3 inches wide, while "skinny" denotes 2.5-2". This is by no means a universal standard, but works well enough.
Seconding knots that eat up more length. You can also just cut a tie short. A bio-female friend of mine who dresses in men's clothes does this; if you're dressing in a neater, more formal style, you'll be keeping that end behind the front end. I often tuck the short end of my vintage ties into my shirt, but I'm wearing a full-torso undershit; that might be annoying if the layer below the shirt is a bra and you've got a tie-tail rubbing on your skin.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:52 PM on September 1, 2010
Seconding knots that eat up more length. You can also just cut a tie short. A bio-female friend of mine who dresses in men's clothes does this; if you're dressing in a neater, more formal style, you'll be keeping that end behind the front end. I often tuck the short end of my vintage ties into my shirt, but I'm wearing a full-torso undershit; that might be annoying if the layer below the shirt is a bra and you've got a tie-tail rubbing on your skin.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:52 PM on September 1, 2010
Best answer: This guide on ties for short men might be of help.
I particularly like the idea of shopping for ties in the boys department.
posted by cazoo at 3:38 PM on September 1, 2010
I particularly like the idea of shopping for ties in the boys department.
posted by cazoo at 3:38 PM on September 1, 2010
When I was a retail manager our "uniform" had to consist of a shirt and tie. Lucky for me my husband has a huge collection of ties, so I had a ton to choose from. Unlucky for me my husband is 6'4" and his ties were all really long.
My husband would tie the tie for me (his knots were much neater than mine) with the front coming right to my waistband and a really long tail. I would use a tie tack right in the middle and tuck the tail into my shirt between the buttons right underneath the tack. Then I'd just tuck the tie into my pants or skirt along with my shirt. This wouldn't work for you if you aren't planning on tucking in your shirt, but it gives you an option if you find a cute tie that you don't want to cut up. If you aren't planning on wearing a tie tack you can tuck the tail of your tie between the top two buttons.
posted by TooFewShoes at 6:47 PM on September 1, 2010
My husband would tie the tie for me (his knots were much neater than mine) with the front coming right to my waistband and a really long tail. I would use a tie tack right in the middle and tuck the tail into my shirt between the buttons right underneath the tack. Then I'd just tuck the tie into my pants or skirt along with my shirt. This wouldn't work for you if you aren't planning on tucking in your shirt, but it gives you an option if you find a cute tie that you don't want to cut up. If you aren't planning on wearing a tie tack you can tuck the tail of your tie between the top two buttons.
posted by TooFewShoes at 6:47 PM on September 1, 2010
This diy was featured in craftzine.com today. It doesn't seem like a lot of sewing, really.
posted by artychoke at 7:18 PM on September 1, 2010
posted by artychoke at 7:18 PM on September 1, 2010
Seconding tucking in the short end. Add a tie clip, pin or other funky stuff. I love cuff links with a formal shirt. Looks really hot!
posted by chairish at 4:24 AM on September 2, 2010
posted by chairish at 4:24 AM on September 2, 2010
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posted by brainmouse at 12:54 PM on September 1, 2010