Message in a tie

Colours are a powerful psychological tool and have the ability to convey meaning to those around you. They can send a positive or negative message and different colours are associated with different events that take place in our lives.

The same concept can be applied to ties, “The tie you buy says a lot about you,” says Sidrah Naeem who runs the tie store All Tied Up in Karachi. “If you’re a banker then your tie will not be too bright or flashy and instead you can opt for a muted colour. If you’re in the advertising business and it’s your job to sell things then your tied should speak for you. You can’t tell a client ‘I am a young and dynamic man’ but your tie can.”

Different colours give out a different message and are worn on varying occasions. A joyous event calls for bright colours with the traditional colour of a bridal outfit in Pakistan being red while at sombre occasions such as funerals people tend to stick to black or white clothes that suit their mood. “Popular ties for grooms are generally maroon or red and now because the decor is often gold, we are selling a lot of gold ties as well,” said Nadeem.

“We sell ties for young, old and middle-aged men and it is the 50 to 55-year-olds who wear the brightest and funkiest ties. These are the men who have made it big in whatever field they are in and now they can wear whatever they want and no one can question them,” she added.

In the political arena it is important to keep the colour code in mind as a politician’s tie must support the announcement he is making. “Ties are what vary and convey the mood of the political arena. If you ever see a politician wearing an orange tie and making a speech about the destruction caused by the floods, you know his stylist isn’t doing his job right,” said Nadeem. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik is known for his collection of brightly coloured ties - including jewel green, bright orange and baby pink.

How to use colours together

Monochromatic Colour Scheme: This is the use of a single colour in varying shades. It’s soothing and pleasing to the eye especially in the blue or green hues.

Complimentary Colour Scheme: This is using high contrast of colour by selecting colours directly opposite from one another on the colour wheel (such as pink and lime green). This puts a warm color with a cool colour and is pleasing to the eye.

Triple Colour Scheme: This scheme uses three colours equally spaced from each other around a colour wheel. It allows for a harmonious colour scheme.

Source: precisionintermedia.com

The significance behind the shade

Black: Authority, power, strength, seriousness

White: Purity, neutrality, mourning

Gray: Practicality, solidity, death, depression

Red: Excitement, energy, love, giving

Pink: Romance, calm, gentility, soothing

Blue: Calming, restful, wisdom, loyalty

Green: Growth, nature, money, envy, peace

Source: precisionintermedia.com

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2010.