How to Make a Homemade Tie Stay

A professional appearance goes a long way in  creating a positive image in business relationships.  One thing that has always bothered me is when someone’s tie doesn’t stay centered and drifts off to the side, up under the suit coat, or blows over the shoulder in a strong breeze.  Since tie pins and metal tie clasps are not in vogue, here is an easy way to create a tie stay that is invisible holds a tie down better than anything on the market.   When I was an art teacher, I followed the old adage that you should dress for where you are going, not for where you are.  Therefore, although I taught middle school art, I dressed in suits and ties.  Invariably, my tie would fall forward as I leaned over the table and would drag through paint.  After a lot of ties were ruined, I came upon a simple solution.

First, a couple of givens:

1. Every tie has a loop of fabric on the back of the large end that everyone tucks the smaller end of the tie through once it is tied.  For instructional purposes, we’ll call this the “loop”.
2. Every shirt has button holes that are spaced a standard distance apart.

Grab a shirt that is worn out and is ready for the trash.  Take a pair of scissors and cut off the thick strip of fabric in which the button holes are cut.  Finally, cut this strip into several shorter pieces, each containing two button holes, one near the top of the piece and one near the bottom of the piece.  You’re done.  Easy, huh?

Now tie your tie as you normally would.  Adjust the way you tie it so the “loop”  winds up between two buttons.  It will sometimes end up right over a button and the tie will have to be adjusted.  Go ahead and tuck the shorter end of the tie into the “loop”.

Take your new tie stay and button it onto the button that is immediately above the tie’s “loop”.  Run the stay through the “loop” and then button it to the button that is immediately below the “loop” on the back of the tie.  Done!

The tie will stay centered all day.  No wind or movement will move it from center.  After a few shirts have been canabalized in this fashion, you will begin to have a lot of different colors of stays so they will match whatever color shirt you wear.

Is this new?  I don’t know.  It is so simple that someone, somewhere has had to have thought of this before, but I haven’t found them yet.  Take, and enjoy!

ILRP

Comments

[Tim]

Great Idea! I've used something similar for years, www.tie-stay.com, but I like the idea of the stay being made of fabric.

[Sam]

There is something similar but it's made out of plastic. It's called "The Invisible Tie Stay". I like yours better. It's simpler and I can do it myself. Thanks for the great idea!

[Matthew Cornell]

Sweet! Sadly, I have no old dress shirts (my old clothing is all university-programmer duds, i.e., old Batman shirts). I can innovate something, though - maybe like the plastic one suggested by Sam.

I also appreciate the idea of dressing for where you're going, not where you are. When I'm doing seminars, I actually enjoy putting on my "costume" - it's part of the ritual that gets me into the groove, and sends a message to my participants that I respect them and take them seriously.

Thank you for the post.

[Kyle]

Hats off to you -- I know what I'll be doing this weekend before my next trip. Very handy... now if I could just keep those loops from tearing loose.

[Tommy]

Oh. My. God. That's simply genius.

[Don]

A lot of missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints use this trick, and for as long as I can remember. Since they wear a white shirt and tie everyday, they have plenty of old shirts that they can cut up. But its a great tip, more people should know about it.

[Brett]

I worked as a representative for my church and wore a shirt and tie everyday for two years (even the weekends). Other representatives had these and loved them but I never felt the need. We called them Tie Buddies, i think.

[Brian]

You have discovered one of my greatest fashion accessories!
I first discovered one of these tie stays in a little tie shop in the Arizona dessert around 1993. I was a sales rep at the time, and in and out of a vehicle a lot, so having my tie stay put eliminated a lot of annoyances in my life.
I have never seen a commercially available version since that time, but I have been makin them myself for years, untill I recently discovered that the little fabric "tags" that some shirtmakers put on their shirts are perfect for this use.
I am now an attorney, and so wear a tie very often, and I use the ones that come on "Michael Kors" shirts, but I've seen some others as well.
And hey, anything that gives me an excuse to buy a new shirt is "A-OK" in my book.

[Charles Martin]

Love this idea! A few additional suggestions related to this:

Go to a fabric/craft store and pick up a bottle of "no-fray" fixative. It will prevent your piece from fraying around the edges and letting loose small threads on your dark pants or tie.

If you don't have any old shirts, go to the thrift store or Goodwill and pick up a few for only a couple of dollars. It's also handy to find that one color to match the odd shirt you have in your collection.

If you make enough to keep one with each shirt, then use a diaper pin to attach the piece to the shirt when washing (if you wash them at home/laundrymat).

[Chris Noto]

What I appreciated about this post was the "old adage", "dress for where you are going, not for where you are", one that I don't remember ever hearing or reading before. Thanks. I'll use that one.