Cravates en tartan

Ties, bow ties, cravats and cummerbunds. Ties and bow ties follow the jacket, so a standard tie with a turndown collar and an Argyll, and a bow tie with a wing collar and a Prince Charlie. Cravats are a softer daytime alternative. Cummerbunds are formal evening only.

At a wedding, an exact match reads as deliberate and works. Otherwise a solid colour pulled from the sett usually looks better, since two identical patterns close together compete. What never works is a different tartan that almost matches, which reads as a mistake rather than a choice.

A pleated sash worn around the waist with formal evening dress, covering the waistband where a waistcoat would otherwise sit. Pleats face upward. It is an alternative to a waistcoat rather than an addition, so wear one or the other. Evening only, never daytime.

Yes, and it is one of the easiest ways to carry a family sett into ordinary dress. A tartan tie with a plain dark suit and a white shirt reads as a considered detail. Keep everything else free of pattern. See brooches and pocket squares for the same idea.

Never wash it. Ties are lined and cut on the bias, so washing distorts the shape permanently and pressing will not recover it. Spot clean with a barely damp cloth or send it to a dry cleaner. Untie it fully each time rather than pulling it off over your head.

It covers the waistband in formal evening dress, doing the same job as a waistcoat. Wear one or the other, never both, and always with the pleats facing upward, which is the correct orientation.