The black grenadine tie (with a brown suit)

A black grenadine tie has recently become one of my personal favorite type of ties. And that was one of the reasons we also included it into our DLA range. It is much more versatile piece than you could think in the first place. Actually you should think it as a alternative for the classic navy grenadine tie.

In brief, there are three neckties that every man should have. A blue, silver and black grenadine tie. The black grenadine tie is the one of these you should first of all own for those most unfortunate events. But keep in mind, the black grenadine tie is a piece you can wear in many other occasions as well.

The black necktie - not only for the funerals

The black necktie is not the most common piece nowadays. But I assure that it can be almost as versatile choice as navy. It is dark, conservative and restrained. And it is also professional. So you can wear it with your business suit. Just make sure that there is enough contrast and variation in your outfit.

I will start from the benefits of a black tie. A plain, dark tie provides a classic base for any outfit. A simple and solid ground to build the attire. Navy is the most versatile option, and a navy grenadine is particularly good at bridging formal and informal.

Compared to navy, black is almost as useful. Although it is obviously darker. And a touch more dramatic. But when you wear a black tie, try to minimize the risks. First of all, make sure that your tie is not too thin. A black suit with a thin black shiny silk tie is an outfit you see on trendy commercials. Don't go with that. In terms of materials, avoid plain printed silk and especially satin. You can use navy blue in any of those materials for a variety of situations, even for business wear. But in this case black is not as versatile.

Go for grenadine or knitted silk

When you choose the material, start with knitted silk or grenadine silk. The latter is my personal favorite but you can wear both with suits or sports coats and trousers.

Naturally a black grenadine tie is more formal than a knit tie. Therefore I personally prefer to wear the black knitted tie with sport coats. And the grenadine one with suits. But of course if you want to dress down your attire, knitted tie is a good choice.

Both knitted silk and grenadine silk have a particular texture. And the advantage of ties that are both solid colored and textured is that you can combine them with multiple shirt and jacket combinations. If you have a patterned jacket, the solid color of your tie will keep things from looking too busy. And if you wear a solid white shirt and suit, the textured weave will give you a little bit of contrast. These kind of ties are the easiest to put on especially when you don't want to think too much about what to wear.

A black grenadine tie is a sophisticated choice for formal and business occasions.

Sum-up - the black grenadine tie with a brown suit

Black color has for quite long been underrated especially in the #menswear-scene. Personally I have started to like it more and more. If you want to read more about that, take a look at my older post regarding black shoes and the evolution of style choices.

Black is in fact quite an easy color. Especially when it comes to ties. For example you can wear black ties with tan cotton or linen sport coats in the summer. The look will still be rather light and cheery. During fall and winter you can wear them with grey flannel suits or brown tweed jackets for a more restrained look. And sometimes a black tie can bring a little color variation to a navy jacket and a white shirt.

Still, one of my favorite attires nowadays is the brown suit with a black grenadine tie. Combined naturally with a white shirt. The particular combination you can see in the pics of this post. Some of you might have heard an old "rule" that you should not combine black and brown. But that is a rule you can easily break, if you know how to do it. Black is in fact a great pair for multiple shades of brown. A black grenadine tie with a dark brown wool suit or a black knitted silk tie with a camel colored linen suit are in my opinion perfect pairs for each other.

So my advice is, don't be afraid of wearing black and brown together. And start by adding a black grenadine tie into your rotation.