hen dressing up with your favourite suit, there is always a question on the back of your mind. Should you go with a tie, or should you ditch it and go tieless?

Sometimes the tie is just too uncomfortable for you. Or, you may not be “a tie kind” of person. Luckily for you, skipping the tie when you wear a suit has been acceptable for a long time now. Either if you want a more laid-back look at the office, be comfortable when going for a cocktail, or simply don’t have something to hang on your neck all day, you’ll look amazing without a tie.

That is, of course, if you know how to pull off the look! You know that every style has its own secrets to looking good and the same thing applies to tieless shirts.

How to Wear a Suit Without the Tie

One of the best-dressed men in the fashion world is Mr Tom Ford. Although praised for his black suit – black tie uniform, the man knows how to pull off that same look without the tie.

When you decide to skip on the tie, it’s important to keep things simple and let the whole look speak. In other words – don’t have a focal in the outfit, stay away from loud colours and patterns that attract too much attention.

Instead, rely on fit, colour combinations and footwear to make the outfit unique – the way Mr Ford does it.

What Shirt to Wear When Skipping the Tie

When Mr Tom Ford skips the tie, he stays true to his uniform of a black suit and white button-up shirt. If you aren’t a big fan of black suits, you can safely go with other colours. Navy blue, brown and even some lighter colours like beige and white for the most relaxed look.

For the shirt, we would suggest you wear a simple light blue, or plain white button up. As we mentioned above, you should keep things simple and make the whole outfit look great by focusing on fit, colour scheme and your footwear.
If you think you can pull off a floral shirt, as the ones made by GRAND FRANK, then you should definitely try.

The Collar of the Shirt When Going Tieless

The open collar of the button-up shirt should be impeccable. When you don’t wear a tie, the collar is going to be the thing that will frame your head and give a definition of your chin.

The placket of a button-up shirt is not strong enough to keep the collar upright. This results in a gaping between the collar of the shirt and your neck which looks flimsy and can ruin the whole look.

The brand Million Dollar Collar has a great product that can keep your collar stay upright and keep the crisp professional look of the shirt. (No affiliation, we just like their product.)

How Many Buttons to Button

When you wear your suit without a tie, you should follow a buttoning etiquette. Mr Ford is seen sporting his look with his top 3 buttons undone, and that is acceptable in the appropriate environment.

For example, three undone buttons can look good at the club or a coffee shop. And we suggest you keep this style just to the most relaxed atmosphere.

For the office, a dinner or the other places where the dress code is supposed to be more formal, we suggest you stick to two unbuttoned buttons.

Deciding on a tieless look is definitely a bold stylish statement. You can follow this guide to ensure you look your best, however, we suggest you experiment with different styles. Just remember to always wear the outfit full self-esteem and you cannot look bad when you wear a suit without a tie.