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"FacebookPinterest\n\nAlexander Olch\u2014Harvard grad, film director, and accessories designer\u2014on the four ties every man should own, why length (and width) matters, and why being wrong is entirely all right\n\nFollow the seasons: \n\n \"In the fall and winter, I like thick cashmere and wool ties. But  in the spring and summer, we do  a lot of cottons and linens, which look formal and yet almost  casual because  of the material.\"\n\nMy knot: \n\n \"I'm a big believer in the four-in-hand. Always.\"\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nThe four ties every guy should own:  \n\n \"A navy tie with white stripes. Something black you can wear on formal occasions.   A patterned tie with  checks, spots, or  a unique print. And  a tie in a lighter  color for the spring.\"\n\nTie width? \n\n \"Somewhere between two and five-eighths and two and three-quarters of an inch.\"\n\nBut it's not all about the width: \n\n \"It's  about the tie's shape, too. I worked hard  to model ours on  a favorite of mine\u2014  an Herm&amp;amp;#xE8;s from the 1960s\u2014where it's more narrow at the top and wider at the bottom (not just straight-down skinny). A lot of customers don't think they can wear a slimmer tie, but they put it on and are surprised, because the shape's so traditional.\"\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nBow ties? \n\n \"What I like about bow ties\u2014and why we make them with  the point\u2014is that it's impossible to tie them perfectly. They're always a little off.\"\n\nForget the clip-on: \n\n \"I think tying a bow tie\u2014and learning to tie a bow tie\u2014is just so much fun that it'd be a shame not to know how. Plus, an untied bow tie looks great hanging from your shirt.\"\n\nThe long and short of it: \n\n \"Your tie can enter the belt region, and you can even experiment with tying it higher\u2014but it should never go below the belt.\"\n\nMaintenance?\n\n \"Tiecrafters in  New York [www.tiecrafters.com] is the place to go.  Most of the big brands\u2014like Herm&amp;amp;#xE8;s, Ferragamo\u2014send their clients there. They'll press your tie, reline it, shorten it, narrow it, clean it\u2014the works.\"\n\nHow to hang 'em:\n\n \"Any way they can hang freely: a coatrack, a hanger, a hook.\"\n\n When I travel:\n\n \"I put mine in one  of those plastic sleeves that guys on the sidewalk sell ties in. You can just throw it in your suitcase and it'll come out fine. Otherwise, roll it  up and stick it in your dress shoes.\"\n\n Style inspiration? \n\n \"The 1920s, '30s, and '40s. Directors like Fritz Lang are big inspirations.\"\n\nPretty tied up: \n\n \"Big fan of women wearing ties. Literally as a tie, as a belt,  as an accessory\u2014any way she wants.\"\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nDon't be square: \n\n \"The pocket square we do is actually  a pocket round that you can't really  fold in any which way. Just stick it in your pocket\u2014the way  it sits just creates  its own shape.\"\n\nHow a man should dress:\n\n \"I'm suspicious of anyone perfectly dressed; it's not natural. There should be something unbuttoned, or a collar that's the 'wrong' collar. A man shouldn't just dress well\u2014he should  dress with character.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/what-you-can-learn-from-the-man-who-makes-the-perfect-tie>