I rarely have to dress up. That's not to say I don't like nice suits and ties, I do, but aside from the once in a blue moon wedding, or funeral, I have no use for them.
I haven't looked at these services in any detail, but on the face of it I reckon you'll be better off financially if you buy your own. Over the long term it would cost less. Or another way to look at it is that you're paying a premium to be able to choose from a wider variety of ties than you would normally have access to. (On that basis I think it would worsen decision anxiety) Depends on your needs I guess. I would rather buy a small collection of 'standard' ties than rent.
The only way I could see this service being worthwhile is if you only plan to wear a certain tie one time.
Last time I went to a convention I was give a Phantom Menace tie for free. I have now exhausted everything I have to say about ties.
As I said, you don't dress up because you have to. You dress up because you want to. The purpose is to look good. Everybody needs that.
True, but for what I have to do each day, dressing up in a nice suit and tie, or even nice casual clothes, would be far more of a headache than anything else.
I have a TPM tie (Jedi v. Sith with Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on it). I wish I'd purchased one of the others that were out at the time. I genuinely like wearing ties and have done my best to get some unique, interesting ties. It helps when the kids I teach often ask about them, and are excited to see which one I wear on a given day. As such, I doubt I'd go in for any rental. My ties are too ... personal.
Good point. What about if I want to acquire higher end ties major labels, like Pink, Armani, Stefano, etc? These get a little expensive and it would be nice to have more certainty before dropping major coin on one that might stay in the back of the closet.
Good point. But I'll surmise that if you want an Armani tie but you are not sure if you will like it in the long run, you don't actually need an Armani tie. (Yeah, I'm snobbish like that )
I wear a tie maybe once a year. As such, the one simple black one I own suits my needs. I only wear a tie if I'm wearing a suit, so I got one that matches my suit. I generally wear different colored shirts for variety. Even if I decided I need more than one tie, I generally prefer solid colors for clothing so I'd only need a handful of different ties, not nearly enough to necessitate a tie rental service. While we're on the subject of ties, I'd like to recommend the Pratt knot if someone else is around while you are tying a tie, and that person is a condescending know-it-all. It starts with the tie flipped over compared to other knots, and can lead to fun: Person: "You need to flip your tie." Me: "No I don't." Person: "It's going to be backwards if you do it that way." Me: "No it won't." Person: "Here, let me do it." Me: "I know what I'm doing." Person: "Obviously you don't." Me: "I bet you $50 that it's facing the right way when I'm done." Person: "Fine, I could use $50" *Finish tying, and it's facing the right way.* Person: "You used some weird knot just to confuse me." Me: "You should know me well enough by now to expect me to pull things like this. Person: "And you should know me well enough that I'm not giving you $50."
Talking about tie knots, I usually wear a Half-Windsor. Good balance between bulk and simplicity. As a small guy, a full Windsor looks too big on me (except maybe if I'm wearing a wide cut-away collar), and I feel that the Four-in-hand somehow looks sloppy on a suit. By the way, for the love of heaven: do not wear a button-down collar with a tie. Some styles migth be able to pull it off, but most don't. So, don't. Ok, I care way too much about this kind of stuff.
For me, it's just a bulky piece of crap that hangs around my neck and serves no practical purpose. I also have to button the top button on my shirt, which make it hotter, and more uncomfortable, especially in the summer, and even worse at an outdoor wedding in the summer. I'll take a nicely tailored suit with a dress shirt open at the collar over anythign with a tie.
I can see the allure of an open dress shirt, especially in summer, and there are suit/shirt combinations that work beautifully for that (for a classic example, a light grey suit with a white shirt and no tie). If you really dislike wearing a tie, then it's better to leave it at home: better to look relaxed in whatever you are wearing than broadcasting your irritation on a ten mile radius. On the other hand, if wearing a tie is so problematic, then maybe the collar of your shirt is not properly fitted. It's often an issue in store shits. If your neck is just a little bit larger than usual (even by a 1/4 of an inch) the collar will be too tight to be comfortable. On the other hand, if the collar is well-fitted, you can use a even cheat a little and leave the first button open and hide it behind a bigger knot (like a full Windsor). As for it serving no purpose, well, the purpose is to add flair and colour. Man's suits are often on the conservative side colour-wise, so wearing a tie is a nice way to add a touch of colour. Personally it's not my style, but a nice, coloured pochette can have the same effect, without being too constrictive on your neck.
That's an excellent point, and I have considered getting tailored shirts to solve that problem, but honestly in my job right now I can get away without wearing a suit or tie. When the time comes, I will look into getting at least one tailored shirt to wear on the rare occasions I need a tie.
I think I've worn a tie two or three times in the past year, which is quite sufficient. I do, however, need an excuse to wear the Winnie-the-Pooh bow tie I bought several years ago, as part of my character's wardrobe for a no-budget indie movie I was in.