How to Wear a Tie Clip

Tie clips are designed to keep men's ties straight and neat without damaging the tie or shirt fabric. Wearing a tie clip correctly isn't terribly difficult. The two things to focus on when donning a tie clip are the placement of the tie and the placement of the clip itself. Having a crooked tie or placing the clip too far up or down makes the tie look sloppy, which defeats the purpose of wearing a tie clip in the first place.

Instructions

1. Put on a button-down dress shirt and button all the buttons. Tie the necktie, adjusting it to the appropriate length. Tighten the tie around the neck.

2. Look in a mirror. Make sure that the fabric of the tie is placed directly over the row of buttons on the dress shirt and that the tail of the tie is firmly tucked into the back of the tie. Straightening out the tie first makes it easy to put on the tie clip without snagging the fabric of the tie or the shirt by wiggling the metal bar.

3. Slide on the tie clip, pushing the back leg through the opening between two buttons on the shirt and the front leg over the top of the tie. Make sure the tie clip makes a straight, horizontal line across the tie. The tie clip should be located about two-thirds of the way down the tie. If it's placed any higher or lower, it causes the outfit to look unbalanced.

4. Check the tie clip periodically throughout the day to make sure that it's still straight and holding the tie in place. Older tie clips can lose firmness in their springs, which causes them to slip.

Tips & Warnings

• The length of the tie clip should be equal to about three-fourths of the width of the tie.