Measuring up: is there a rule of thumb to follow when pairing a tie bar with a tie?

Great point Mr. Clarke. With the prevalence of skinny ties these days, one has to be careful not to use a tie bar that crosses over the side to the tie. You don't want to look like rail road tracks. Funny enough, this wonderful company just landed on our desk and is perfect for such sartorial debacles. http://skinnytieclip.com/ One another note, if you do have a longer tie bar and a skinnier tie, slide the tie bar on at an angle so it fits on the tie without heading off the edge. This was actually a trend in the 1930s so you will be very retro and on point. Tada.