What the colour of your tie says about you

Whether purchasing a tie for yourself or someone else, the colour of a tie has a lot of social connotations; the implication of personality bears consideration.

Flashy and bold or reserved and businesslike? The question of what adjectives are commonly used to describe certain colours or patterns on neckwear – the garment that bestows the most personality on any business casual or formal ensemble – is an important one indeed for gentlemen looking to craft a deeper understanding of colour co-ordination and complimentary hues and shades.

The Bold and the Beautiful – Pink, Purple, Lime, Aqua

Bright, flashy designer ties for men are de rigueur in many fashion circles nowadays – the previous stigma against such colours having fallen by the wayside in a major way over the previous decade in menswear and men's fashion.

• Pink is easily the most notable pioneer in pushing the sartorial envelope. Pink is a masculine colour when presented in its modern shade, a bright near-neon that speaks to the concepts of urbanity, fun, approachability, and confidence.

• Purple can be considered to be a more distinguished version of pink; unlike the former, purple is excellently paired with navy suits and thus is better suited for day wear. Purple embodies notions of regality, passion, creativity, and empathy.

• Lime green is another extremely modern colour that is becoming increasingly popular both in terms of ties and neckwear as well as in cotton shirts, especially those in a sateen finish. Lime green evokes notions of a renaissance (which it may very well be in fashion terms), nature, virility, and energy.

• Finally, aqua is another extremely popular colour that's being seen in designer collections as well as more traditional fare in consumer outlets. Caribbean colours have really taken off in the past few years, and what is more representative of sun, sky, and equatorial seas than the hue of aqua? Aqua embodies a spirit of freedom, brightness, freshness, and is probably the most emblematic shade of youth.

Business and Pleasure – Conservative, Traditional Shades of Blue, Red, Black, and Gold

More traditional or classic fare is commonly offered in blue, black, gold, and red – usually burgundy or wine coloured reds. Neckwear in these particular shades are typically considered to be acceptable for wear across a wider variety of social situations, which is why it is important to always have a few of these standbys at the ready – just in case.

• Business blue is likely the most common colouration for any tie – designer or no – offered to men at traditional clothiers. It is a no-nonsense, yet non-descript base colour that bears connotations of corporatism, maturity, and uniformity. Royal blue, another popular blue variant, carries with it a much more luxurious and rich set of associations – which is why, more often than not, royal blue should be the choice over staid business blues.

• Gold is what is normally considered to be a power colour for major movers and shakers within the financial or sales industries, although it is also fitting for gentlemen who want to assume properties affiliated with notions of maturity, wealth, prosperity, richness. Gold is a striking colour to pair with nearly any shade of black, and will work distinctly well in an otherwise monochromatic outfit.

• Reds, particularly those in the shade of wine, bespeaks maturity, warmth, intelligence and intellectualism, and love. Red is a beautiful conservative shade that is one of the few that works better, nearly in all cases, in it's conservative incarnation rather than a bold or progressive interpretation.

• Black needs no introduction. Black is classy, formal, sharp, and serious. Black pairs with nearly everything, except colours approaching black – such as navy and deep smoke or charcoal.

Remember, ties are the showcase of an ensemble, and is truly the one item of fashion that can be chosen so personally, so variantly, in nature without disrupting or distorting a sense of convention too harshly.