His Point of View

“Clean” is a term some of my good friends and I use to describe being dressed well. To be clean in 2009 you should check out these suits and accessories by Ralph Lauren and Stefano Ricci. These designers are hitting hard on the off the rack suits and accessories for 2009.  Ralph Lauren(RL) has always been one of my favorite designers, but this guy Stefano Ricci is really impressing me with his colors and materials used in his accessories.  You should be able to find many of these items at your local Ralph Lauren store, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, or other fine retailer. This post is for the guys who can’t quite afford a $5,000+ custom tailored suit but still want to look  good in what they wear. You can get your hands on a quality Ralph Lauren suit for well under $2000 and get it tailored to fit you for around $100. Stefano Ricci’s accessories are pricey, but their quality is second to none and their bright colors and classic styles work well with RL suits and shirts.

Stefano Ricci Paisley ties $215 each

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Silk Satin Ties – $185 each

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Purple Paisley Tie $250

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Red Crocodile cuff links $970

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

Stefano Ricci Horse Head cuff links $6,930 (ok, these are pretty expensive)

photo from http://www.neimanmarcus.com

RL Black Label Wool Gabradine suit $2,150

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

Ralph Lauren 3 button Charcoal Suit $1,395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL 3 button Navy Striped Suit $1,395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL Purple Label Barrel Cuff shirt $425

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

RL Purple Label Barrel Cuff shirt $395

photo from http://www.ralphlauren.com

OK, this post serves two purposes

Purpose #1 if you know that there is a proper type of know to wear with various shirt collar styles I will simply provide you a link to see videos on how to tie many of the most common types of knots  http://www.youtube.com/user/avvi66

Purpose #2-  If you don’t know the reason why your tie doesn’t quite look right (provided the colors & patterns work well together) with that shirt you are wearing I need to provide a little help with selecting the proper knot for your shirt collar.

photos below are from www.brooksbrothers.com

“Windsor” knots are for shirts with a very wide collar, and traditionally these knots are used for formal ocassions, but I say if the knot fits wear it.

“Half Windsor” knots look very similar to Windsor knots, but they are adapted to fit a shirt collar slightly smaller than one which a Windsor knot would be suitable for.  Notice that the shirt collar above is a bit more wide open than the shirt pictured to the left.

The “four-in-hand” or “simple” knot is probably the knot you were first taught you to tie as a young man.  This is one of the easiest knots and it is the general purpose knot.  Unless your collar is very wide this knot will likely work.  This knot is widely used with button down collar type shirts and with ties that are wide.

If you have a wide tie you may want to consider the “small knot.”  But remember that this knot is not just for fat ties, but if your collar is closed in you may need to consider this knot as well.








This is only a small sample of the many types of tie knots.  These are the few knots which I have found will get most men through most situations… Of notable mention are the “bow tie” knot which I did not cover as you will surely know when you need this type of knot and the “Prince Albert” knot which is useful if your shirt collar is long.  Some of these knots go by many names so read carefully to make sure you are learning about the correct knot.