Necktie Alternatives

As a piece in formal men's fashion, the necktie is unassailable. There will come a day, however, when you'll want to somehow stand out and look your individualistic best. On that day, you'll want to give your necktie the whole women's jackets day off and leave the house wearing something a little more daring, a little more dandyish. On that day, you'll want to try one of the necktie free style options below.

No Tie
It's generally seen as an after office fashion statement to take off your tie and leave your outfit as is. You could, however, rock this style going into the office, especially if your workplace has a relaxed dress code or some concept similar to Casual Fridays.

Stiffer, more prominent collars are required if you want to omit the necktie from the getgo. Aside from being decorative and cool looking, your tie serves to support the collar to keep it looking full. Without the tie there, the collar will most likely lie flat and lifeless. If you don't have the requisite style of shirt, at the very least pick up collar stays that will do the job of keeping your collar up throughout the day.

Going tie-less is also seen as very casual, which is why you'll want to balance it out with other dressier pieces. Instead of just a sport coat, for example, an actual suit jacket, worn as a separate, preferably, should even out the scales. Throwing in a pocket square is yet another gentlemanly touch that keeps you from looking like the resident office schlub.

After that, it's up to the rest of your outfit to go with the more relaxed, tieless vibe. Dark unwashed denims are a great stand-in for your standard office trousers, while loafers over laceups would be the appropriately laidback and comfortable choice.

Ascot
Here's a style challenge for the man who will eschew the necktie for 24 hours. Ascots fall into the same category of neckwear but take considerably more confidence and panache to pull off successfully. Its Swinging Sixties vogue and childish suggestions of Scooby Doo, however, can be overcome with the right outfit and an accompanying confidence.

Ascots are a lot like neckties in that both are lengths of fabric with tapered ends. They're also similar because of the way they're tied and styled around any outfit. The standard ascot is tied much like your usual four in hand for the necktie, except that the knot isn't done as tightly so that the fabric takes a little more space around the neck.

If you're going to wear an ascot for the day, make sure that the rest of your outfit is made of more classic menswear pieces like a navy or gray suit and a simple white shirt. Ascots today have a somewhat negative and emasculating connotation that the rest of your look will have to counteract. Feel free to choose an ascot in some wild, attention-catching color or print (never both), so long as the rest of your outfit is classic and simple.

Bow Tie
If you know your way around your European fashion, you know that the bow tie makes a comeback every now and then. Stateside, though, it still has several bad associations with the likes of PeeWee Herman. Otherwise, it's a great style item that should suitably fill in for your everyday necktie.

Tying a bow tie is one of those crucial skills every man must learn. If you want to make a fashion statement of individuality with a bow tie, you'd better know how to tie it up by yourself. Those slip on or adjustable bow ties, while having some aesthetic value, are best left to ten year olds who need them. If you're old enough to choose and buy your own clothes, you're no longer qualified to use those cheap slip on ties.

Bow ties take up very little real estate, and are a surprising item to wear by themselves. That makes them the perfect way to bring some color into your outfit. A bright or neon colored bow tie adds drama and life to an otherwise blah ensemble. And because bow ties are so small, there's very little risk of overdoing it if you keep your outfit otherwise basic.