I believe that us Brits are more conservative with colour due to our weather. Its very noticable that when we go abroad that out come all those brighter shades, our summer is so short and ours skys mostly grey that I guess its an indication of how people feel. In sunnier countries bright colours work well and look brighter, in the UK everything can look grey!
Denise
One thing I've noticed recently, that perhaps I didn't before, Americans like brighter ties than us Brits. We tend to go with darker ties against the shirt, whereas the Americans go up a tone or two.
Doesn't that also apply to the Eurotrash / conservative Euro Lawyer combo of white or light blue shirt and pastel/bright HErmes/Ferragamo tie?
The lawyers we use, at least historically, are like overgrown boy-band members born a couple of years before me. Nice barbecue's now and again, seriously expensive and they look like shit. Hence I am weaning ourselves off them. They wouldn't know a Hermes a tie if it slapped them in the face.
Heppy I have been to Amsterdam for a night yesterday. Amstel Hotel, nice, but empty.
It was better weather over the weekend: freezing, people scating on the canals and very bright and sunny. I was even up at dawn watching the sun come up over the frozen lake and through the local woods. Then it all went pear shaped 4:30PM Sunday afternoon.
A bit tacky around the edges Amsterdam these days, galleries and museums still good, but too many tourists and junkies on the streets. Still beats Den Haag though, although better areas around The Hague than Amsterdam.
I also like to scat on the canals
^ Do Bee, do Bee do....
An unfortunate spelling mistake on my part.
As some of my readers know, I am a firm believer in navy (not black-navy but navy-navy) suits combined with white or light blue shirts. This forms a cohesive background for the tie, in my case ideally something breezy-steely-fresh (lime, orange, cornflower - all edging on the acidy side) or powerful (strong reds, made more palatable by light grey or white patterns). Combine this with a white metal watch/cufflinks, and it is like wearing an ice-cold Gin and Tonic, with fresh slices of lime, and condensation outside the glass.
Actually, I am fed up with lime and orange ties now.
Tried dark green? I'm really into green at the moment.
I have found that for me, the best combo is three-coloured. Suit in charcoal-navy-light navy-midgrey, shirt in white or light blue, tie in red shades brighter than dark Burgundy.
Green is too catchy catchy with navy.
I think in one of the very good "frontpage" articles on FNB forum there was something about green ties. Yes they look fine, and they are complementary to a blue suit. But somehow I don't see them as a real hitter. Too try-hard.
^
In a business context. In my view the only people wearing green ties are "people in the know", the double-monk-kind-of-people, who spend a lot of time thinking about what they should be wearing.
Different story when it comes to green ties (Esp. knitted, or ancient madder a la Eduard Meier) with linen, tweed or cotton jackets.