What Article of clothing should I match my socks with?
When picking out socks for an outfit there are numerous options. Generally, socks should coordinate with the color of your shoes, but not contrast too strongly with trousers. Black socks with black shoes and shades of brown with brown shoes, but no darker than the shoe itself are appropriate. To have a little more fun with your socks, you can use them to bring out some of the other colors of your selected clothing.

Should my belt match my shoes?
The general rule for picking out the belt for an outfit is to match it with your shoes. Black shoes require a black belt and a brown belt should be chosen to go with brown shoes. A black belt with a solid brass buckle should be a staple in every man's closet. More than likely, this will be required for a dressy suit. With brown, however, you have few more choices to have a little fun. The specific shade of brown does not necessarily need to match the shade of brown of the shoes. Even a wine red can be acceptable. For a more casual look, canvas, grosgrain, cotton, and braided leather belts can be worn with chinos, jeans, and corduroys. Again, colored belts should match your shoes but can also compliment the color of your shirt. Once you have belts in the staple colors of brown and black, along with belts for casual wear, belts of exotic leathers can be added to a wardrobe. Belts of cordovan, crocodile and ostrich add a significant flair to an otherwise overlooked mens' accessory.

How do I pick a tie to wear with a patterned shirt?
Some patterns need not be thought of as patterns, but can be used almost as a solid. In a shirt, very fine line stripes can appear as a solid. Therefore a strong patterned tie will not conflict. However, you cannot assume that a striped necktie would be appropriate with such a shirt. Treat patterns which appear to be solid from the distance as though they are solid in both ties and shirts; a crested tie with a wide repeat - a pattern with a wide setting - can be used as a solid against a busy striped or checked shirting. Striped ties with wide spacing or large block stripes can be great complements to shirts with vibrant grid or plaid patterns.

What type of quality am I looking for in a neck tie?
Fine neckwear is entirely handmade. Originally all four-in-hand neckties were cut from a single large square of silk, which was folded over 7 times to give it body and fullness. Only a few ties are made in this way today, because of the high cost of silk and the absence of many remaining artisans. However, every finely made necktie is still cut on this bias, to assure that it falls straight after being tied, without curling to a side.

The silk for a necktie is cut into 3 pieces to include the back, the front, and the neck, allowing it to conform to your neck; it should have a stitch joining the two sides on the back, called a bar tack, and applied by hand. It should have a slip-stitch, whose end, knotted, can be found loose under the bar tacked area. This stitch gives resilience to the tie and assures that it will fall out to return to its original shape when hung in your closet. All ties, except 7 fold neckties, are lined. The object of the lining is to provide the proper weight for the tie, so that it knots perfectly. With some silk, a heavier lining is needed to accomplish this; with other silks, it is quite the opposite. In fact, sometimes makers of lesser ties will attempt to pass them off as quality materials by adding a thick lining, as an uneducated consumer might think the thickness of the tie indicates the quality of the outer silk. Fine linings today are made of wool, whose weight is denoted by gold bars.