Should You Wear a Tie Without a Jacket? - Casual Style Tips

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Gentleman's Gazette
#tiewithoutajacket #mensoutfits #notsponsored

A well fitting jacket will make your shoulders and your chest look broader and your waist look slimmer thus idealizing your silhouette but these days, as the average daily outfit for a man is becoming less and less formal, the temptation does arise to leave the jacket at home. This does beg the question then, should a man skip the jacket if he so wishes and wear just a dress shirt and tie?

Our short answer here is that this isn't a look we would recommend for most men.

Simply stated, it's because doing this is usually going to make your overall outfit look incomplete. As we stated at the beginning of the video, the trifecta of shirt, tie, and jacket has been the standard for men for centuries and it's still the default in most people's minds. Even though things are getting less and less formal these days, subconsciously, having all three of those elements is still seen as the standard. Therefore, if you remove one of these three key elements, your outfit isn't going to just be less formal, it's also going to feel lacking.

There are going to be very few situations where a man would need to dress formally enough to have a tie on but informally enough to not wear a jacket. In other words, if a jacket is required in a given situation, wearing a tie would almost never be prohibited and if you are still trying to look casual, there are a number of different more casual jacket styles available in terms of colors, patterns, textures, and so on.

You could consider wearing a shirt and tie and then also wearing a sweater as the outer layer.

It's all about the weave. There are a number of breathable and lightweight weaves available for jackets that would keep you just as cool as if you forewent an outer layer.

With all that said, what if you're still dead set on wearing a shirt and tie without a jacket?

In the broad strokes, you're going to need a shirt that fits you well and the appropriate type of tie. Today though, as jackets are increasingly left at home and shirts are worn as an outer layer, it's most important that you buy slim fit shirts.

Turning now to the tie, solid-colored tie with some texture in the weave, perhaps a grenadine, a shantung silk, or a knit would be a good choice here.

As one more related note here, skipping the jacket means that wearing a tie bar in this circumstance would serve you particularly well. Part of the reasoning behind having your jacket buttoned when standing or moving around is that it will keep your tie in place but if you don't have a jacket to accomplish this, wearing something like a tie bar would be even more important.

Finally today, let's talk about the best way to pull off a shirt and tie with no jacket which is actually to have the jacket with you but just to take it off at appropriate times. Stated another way, if you have all three of your core elements on hand at the beginning of the day or when greeting people for the first time, it will cement in their minds that your outfit does in fact have three pieces so you'll be at liberty to take one of them off if you so choose.

Following this strategy pays mind to the classic tenets of menswear and make sure you'll be prepared for different kinds of situations throughout the day but you can also indulge in that wish to wear a shirt and tie without a jacket if you so choose.

[gentlemansgazette]

What's your opinion of the tie-and-no-jacket look? What do you think of our alternatives? Share with us in the comments!

[warden]

Next video, should you wear a tie, without a shirt 😂

[robyn]

A gentleman wearing shirt and tie, has a jacket close by.

[ArchambaultMark]

I spent several years driving a semi. The company had no dress code so, as you can imagine, many of our drivers looked like homeless bums in sweat pants and flipflops. I chose to wear khaki work pants and a tucked shirt with brown tie folded in the shirt midway. The look was similar to US Army or Marine uniforms of the 1940s. I matched this with a waist length leather jacket (in cooler weather) and brown steel toes boots. The look made me feel professional and commanded respect. I am an Air Force veteran and so the look seemed an obvious choice.

[nathanhunt]

Please do a whole video on wearing a vest/waistcoat without a jacket!

I think it can look okay as long as the lining material isn't too odd or is made out of the same material as the rest of the vest.

[RockHudrock]

Love the vintage NASA engineer look. I’m going to get me one o’ dem black skinny ties!

[aPixelcoffee]

9:42 "Sven, do we have a clip of you _undressing_ a suit jacket? We don't? Only clips of you dressing up? Oh well, nevermind — I guess we'll just play that *backwards* !"

[louistoledo]

I think a shirt and tie without the jacket looks just fine. I wear that Mon - Thurs during any season not summer. I work at a gov't office where we don't interact with the Public but the dress code outside of summer is business pro. I would keep my jacket off so often I just stopped wearing it all together and left it at home.

[Tal-wbjn]

You are epitome of “Dorky Cool” 😎...this meant to be complement!!!

[mvfc]

I attended a job interview in my early 20’s on a 40 degree plus day in Summer. I didn’t have the experience for the position, however as I was walking out of the interview, the interviewer asked me where my jacket was. I told them I didn’t bring one as it was too hot, their response, “Gentlemen always wear a jacket.” That advice has stayed with me throughout my life.

[oscarlover]

This is a much more popular look in the working world then you realize- I think it is fine because a jacket can read as too formal. I've been having trouble with getting the right jacket for myself but wearing the shirt/tie with no jacket has worked for me overall.

[JohnSmith-pmzb]

Great video, thanks. I’m a senior hospital doctor (consultant) in NZ. When I was a junior doctor in the mid-2000s, wearing a jacket signified that you were a consultant; junior doctors were more or less required to not wear a jacket with their shirt and tie. 15 years later, both the tie and the jacket have gone out of fashion, and as a consultant myself now, I just wear an open-necked business shirt, with sleeves rolled up, with business pants and dress shoes.

[krishenalexander]

I've always worn a shirt with a tie and no jacket. Then again I live in a tropical country where it is almost always hot.

[rodrigodepierola]

At school I sometimes wear a wool vest under the jacket and a bow tie. When I take the jacket of, it still gets a nice "teacher" vibe.

[SuperBlizzard]

It goes past 40 degrees in summer where I am. Even a shirt feels too much. 🤣

[Islandsoundzz]

Here in the Caribbean, wearing a shirt and tie is very common as formal attire due to the climate and jackets are worn for special occasions

[WayniacKT]

Great video, but let me just say that I appreciate your command of the English language. You actually said "one fewer layer". Today even on newscasts and in commercials, no one seems to know how, when or why to use the word "fewer". :D

[alexfrias]

Oh how great news it is to know that you're getting your clothes tailored, Preston! Really looking forward to that video.

[wowwee]

I'm a woman but just binged a few videos and subscribed 👍 great tips!

[johnnytheyoungmaestro]

I do agree with a few parts of the explanation, but personally, I feel that it could go both ways, with or without a jacket. My thought process, is that as long as you're put-together and presentable, you're good to go. Great video, though!