This one is for Clinton Kelly.

If Mr. Kelly, of TLC's What Not to Wear, has pushed one fashion accessory on the American public it is the pocket square. Unfortunately, very few of the very few men that appear on the show are open to said square. Why not? What's the big deal?

Do people think squares are for squares? Probably. Not us. We agree, Clinton, a bold silk handkerchief in a man's coat pocket can add just the right amount of pop to his ensemble.

Unfortunately for a lot of us, neckties are a mundane part of our 9 to 5 life -- I feel for ya salespeople. But just because they're part of the required dress code at work, that's no reason ignore the supreme power that you can wield by having the coolest necktie in the room.

One way to be sure that your Half-Windsor knot is as impressive as the brilliant things you have to say, is to start with an elegant tie like those made by the design gurus at Sovereign Beck.

Two former pupils of the Rhode Island School of Design, Ryan Sovereign and William Beck are dedicated to creating designs that fall into that narrow space between provocative and timeless. It doesn't hurt that their ties are 100% silk and crafted by hand.

To these guys, each design is a "statement of individuality." Fortunately each design is also a limited run, so you don't end up making the same statement as some other individual at the office party.

Of course, a statement like this doesn't come cheap -- it will set you back about $90. Still, I can appreciate where they're coming from. It's not often that you find a tie that speaks to your inner fashion-geek and you don't feel stupid wearing it.

Most men I know have at least a dozen ties, and about that many dress shirts, just for good measure. You know, in case they end up having to dress up for some random formal function, or for a job that they might get, later, when they grow up. But let's be honest guys -- chances are you wear a tie so infrequently that you have no idea how to match one to a shirt.

And it's even worse when you're shopping. Then you're forced to pick out a cool shirt, plus a cool tie, and make sure they match -- on the spot, with no help, and potentially without access to decent mirrors. Fie!

Fortunately there's a solution. Express Fashion has created a Shirt and Tie Guide, that offers 13 different shirts to pick from, and an assortment of ties that go with each. No more guessing, no more freaking out at the last minute, and no more showing up to dinner with the boss wearing a bold striped shirt and some wacky paisley tie you got from your dad back in grade school.

Plus, let's not forget that ties are coming back into fashion, so you might get more use out of the Shirt and Tie Guide than you think.

Trying to decide what tie to buy? Here's what's hot:

[via Damn I Like That]

Boys, sometimes it's not enough to be mocked just for your Mario tattoo or your elaborate Second Life family of friends and it's important to take that extra step of geekery in the workplace. Never fear, for ThinkGeek's 8-bit tie is here. It's exactly as it sounds: this is a tie made to look like it came straight from an 8-bit word. To maintain the 2-D illusion and avoid the rounded knot, the tie is a clip-on. It's hand-made from a microfiber material and goes for $19.99.

In theory, I think it's a cool idea, but I'm starting to wonder how I'd react if I really saw someone wearing this around the workplace. I suppose it depends on whether the workplace is super corporate or more laidback... or if the company's run by Wario.

I'll bet they have a dress code at your work, and I'll bet it's lame. Unless you work someplace stodgy, it's probably business casual, which means khakis, and polos, and khakis, and polos, and khakis, and polos into infinity. Bleh.

In response to the increasingly casual workplace, many guys are wearing neckties -- even though they don't have to.

But now that it's not required, it's a style statement -- at least, that's according to NY Times, which asserts that all the cool kids at ad agencies, art galleries, and hipster bars are bringing back the tie back big time.

But be careful which tie you choose. If you try to pull off the power tie of yore, you'll look like a douche bag. But if you try something more understated -- like, say, the Psycho Bunny tie I pointed out last week -- you'll look like a man's man who knows how to look good.

If you work in a casual office environment and want to stand out, instead of trying to out-do your colleagues with clever graphic tees, you might trying dressing up a little.

In fact, you may even want to try wearing a tie every once in awhile.

For that, I suggest these Psycho Bunny ties from Neiman Marcus. While they're probably not suitable for the young lawyer on partner track, these would be perfect for an office where you can untuck your shirt, roll up your sleeves, and show up in jeans and your favorite pair of Converse All-Stars.

But be careful -- if you go too dressy, the ties will only look weird. Nobody wants to be the office loser, who sucks up and takes his job way too seriously.

[via NOTCOT]

You didn't really just give your dad another tie for Father's Day did you? I hope you included a gift receipt.

In the past century we've seen bow ties, skinny ties, fat ones, long and short ones ... you name it, guys wore it. And now the latest trend in neckties for guys is ... no tie at all.

E! Online has a gallery of A-list guys who've been seen sans necktie, including George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and John Mayer. While the red carpet scene is (of course) faster to accept the tieless look than Wall Street, it definitely could be a sign of things to come.

Is this the beginning of the end for the old "suit and tie" duo? Before you insist that ties are here to stay, think about this: What purpose does a necktie really serve? A fashion accessory without a purpose is always at risk of disappearing completely (think powdered wigs), or else becoming something that's only worn to look retro or classic (think kids wearing top hats and long coattails to prom.)

These days, with most offices resorting to a "dress casual" dress code (which translates into khakis and a polo shirt), many of us are completely inept when it comes to wearing ties. Sure, we may have been forced to learn how to tie one back in high school, and that comes in handy from time to time, but the real trick is matching your tie to your shirt.

And no, white shirts don't count. Every tie matches with a white shirt. This is for times when you want to get a little adventurous with your color choices, but don't want to look color-blind in the process. For a very helpful answer to this pressing question, we turn to Ryan Sovereign, one of the designers behind Sovereign Black neckwear:

"Generally, a tie should either totally match the shirt, like when you buy those tie/shirt combo's at Kmart, or it shouldn't match at all. I most often go with light pink, light blue or white...the safe route."

And if you want to get really crazy, try matching a patterned shirt and tie. For tips on how to accomplish this Herculean task, check out these tips from style blog omiru.

Recently, my love for dandyism and all things dandy has experienced a strange revitalization. It is because of this that I have started researching more about Lord Whimsy and his book, The Affected Provincial's Companion. Anne wrote about the companion when it first came out a few months ago, but I never really looked into it until a few days ago. As it turns out, the book has a lovely little website with a tutorial page, featuring fourteen fabulous step-by-step PDFs for how to do various tie knots and pocket square styles. There are also two documents about the grooming of handlebar mustaches. Take note, males of all ages! The tutorials are too easy to ignore.