Cuff links and tie clips

[Rusty Blade]

I have recently become obsessed with cuff links and tie clips. I have a small collection of vintage CLs and TCs and a few moderns. I notice however that tie clips are rarely worn these days. I tend to dress old school so a tie clip is standard attire for me.

How about you? TC or no TC?

 

[Tokyospike]

Tie tack. The kind that have a short chain at the back with a bar that goes through shirt button hole. I find these allow a natural play to the hanging tie, but never let it stray into unwanted territory.

I like them small and discreet. I usually wear a monogram tie tack from the '50s I inherited from my father. Recently bought a gold "sailor's knot."

I do occasionally wear a plain, narrow silver tie bar if the occasion seems particularly nerdy. (Sorry! No offense! I am a total geek.)

 

[Komboloi]

I like the retro look they offer. And they are functional. Ties look goofy under a buttoned suit- or sport-coat if they wander off to the side. And in the wind, a tie over the shoulder is not a good look. Plus there's the soup thing....

I rarely wear a tie now that I'm retired. Maybe I'll get a tie clip though. I've got some weddings coming up. Thanks for raising the issue.

 

[musicman1951]

Cufflinks can be fun. I've used tie tacks and they work quite well and can be very unobtrusive, but put holes in your expensive ties. I suppose if you use them every time you could just use the same hole.

Tie chains also work well as long as the chain has small, flexible links.

Tie clips are, I'm fairly certain, generally used with pocket protectors.

 

[strop]

Cuff links whenever I wear a suit. I mostly wear bow ties, so no use for tie bars. I do have some vintage ones that came with cuff links I bought. 90% of my cuff links come from antique stores. Usually $5, and rarely above $10.

 

[NinthSphere]

I use a tie tack when I need to wear a tie.

I have cufflinks, but no shirts to use them with. I was going to remedy that last year, but I don't have need of dressing up often, so it got knocked down on my list of priorities.

 

[gwsmallwood]

I only have one tie clip. I wear it as long as the tie doesn't have diagonal stripes. Something about the diagonal stripes and the horizontal tie clip that I don't like.

 

[Rusty Blade]

Tie tack. The kind that have a short chain at the back with a bar that goes through shirt button hole.

My only concern is the hole they make in expensive silk ties...I will stick with a tie clip. I also wear a lot of vests (yes...very retro)...so there is no need for a tie clip.

 

[Doc4]

Another bow tie guy here, so yes to cufflinks and no to tie clips (and if and when I do wear a long-dangly tie, still no clip.)

 

[derekstanggt]

What's the issue everyone has with tie clips? I wear a suit a few times a week and always wear a tie clip. Functionally, I'll never go back to not using one. I hate having my tie just free hanginging since it could go sideways, flap around in the wind, and gets in the way when I bend over to tie my shoe. Aesthetically, I really like the look of them. I have mostly silver clips, but also a black, gold, and even a clip with a dark wood overlay. Depending on which suit/belt/shoes I wear, I can mix up the clip to add another pop of detail. I also have different lengths depending on which tie width I wear (I hate skinny ties, but "slim" ties seem to be all I can find lately). I just cringe at the thought of punching a hole through my ties with a tack. I'm also a bit younger than probably many of you though, I'm 30. I wonder if it's a generational thing?

 

[BSAGuy]

Cuff links, yes. Tie clip, no. Bow ties most of the time.

 

[Tokyospike]

Cuff links, yes. Tie clip, no. Bow ties most of the time.

You can't fool me. You are a giraffe.

 

[BSAGuy]

LOL, Spike. You must remember one of my subtitles that I earned a while back for a very keen social bon mot.

You can't fool me. You are a giraffe.

 

[cegadede]

I have recently become obsessed with cuff links and tie clips. I have a small collection of vintage CLs and TCs and a few moderns. I notice however that tie clips are rarely worn these days. I tend to dress old school so a tie clip is standard attire for me.

How about you? TC or no TC?

Tie clips (tie bars, in fact. I find tie clips very unwieldy). I'm 38, if it matters. My favorite is a silver one I've bought at Thomas Pink.

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[strop]

I'm also a bit younger than probably many of you though, I'm 30. I wonder if it's a generational thing?

In a way, I think you may be correct, as with many things discussed here. My Dad wore them in the 50's and 60's but stopped when the ties started getting wider. Got my first suit in 1969, so never wore them. Thought they looked funny with wide ties. Now that tie width has come down, they look much better.

 

[gwsmallwood]

Since I got my first tie bar, I've tried to follow the GQ rules. I'd post the link, but not sure about the whole duplicate content thing.

Basically, 3 rules. It goes between the third and fourth shirt button, it should NEVER be wider than the tie (ideally about 3/4 the width) and it should clip the tie ends together, and both to the shirt.

 

[tsellati]

I have one or two tie tacks, but never wear them because I cannot bring myself to poke a hole in a tie. I do have perhaps a dozen tie clips and I wear one to work everyday, M-Thur, during Fall-Spring season. I usually dress down and go tie-less on Fri, and go short sleeve and tie-less and sport jacket-less during the summer season. Too darn hot here in Birmingham when the sun is 'full-on'.

I have a few pair of cuff links as well, but only 3 or 4 dress shirts with french cuffs. I like using them when I get dressed up for a night out or an important business meeting, but they are a little too fancy for a regular work day (at least in my academic profession).

Tim

 

[JRRIII]

I wear cuff links when I am wearing a suit. I pretty much always use a tie bar, I use mine to make a slight arch in my tie at the top near the knot. Basically all of mine are antique store finds. I used to be a exlusive bow tie guy but tie bars made be switch back. When I was working at a menswear store quite a few guys I knew always used a tie bar

 

[Thu'umhammer]

I've always been interested in tie tacks, but was worried that the hole would increase in size over time as the tie moved around. Can anyone confirm or deny this fear? Also, regarding cufflinks and shirts being hard to find (other than in white) I've found convertible cuff shirts to work well. They don't have the distinctive French cuff look, but they work well and as a plus you can wear them as a normal dress shirt too.

 

[Tokyospike]

So here's my experience with tie tacks. A dark silk tie with a vibrant pattern (I wear a lot of dark blue/purple/black ties with micro dots or tight floral patterns) will probably never show a tie-tack hole. I have never noticed the hole or holes to get bigger, as it's hard to even find them.

A light-colored tie with a broad stripe or a solid color will show a tie tack hole, so it's necessary to tie it the same length every time and always have a tie tack in the hole. Then the hole does become a little more pronounced over time, but if there's always a tie tack in it, it's no biggie.