Skinny ties: how skinny is too skinny?

TheFoo · May 30, 2008

I'm in the midst of ordering some new ties and need to stipulate a width. Currently, almost all my ties are 3.5 inches across. My lapels are a touch under 3.75 inches wide. I'm tempted to try a 3-inch width, but I'm afraid it will look too narrow. I also realize that skinny ties are trendy right now, and want to avoid picking something will look out of place in a couple of years.

What width do you think I should go with? How do you go about choosing the width for your own ties?

haganah · May 30, 2008

Wouldn't skinnier look more appropriate for your body?

whnay. · May 30, 2008

3.25 is as skinny as I'd go.

TheFoo · May 30, 2008

Originally Posted by haganah

Wouldn't skinnier look more appropriate for your body?

Yeah, that was my thinking, too. But I'm worried that the width of my lapels will be an issue. Also, I'm relatively wide across the chest and shoulders.

mack11211 · May 30, 2008

It's all a matter of proportion to the other aspects of the outfit -- collar points, lapels, pant leg etc.

Also the body of the wearer.

Nowadays, trad tie widths move between 3.25 and 3.75. Rubinacci ties are 3.5.

But the classic ivy league BB ties back in the day were 2 7/8.

Other factor is your smaller size. So, all other wardrobe aspects being proportionate, you could go narrower than some refrigerator-sized guy.

academe · May 30, 2008

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Yeah, that was my thinking, too. But I'm worried that the width of my lapels will be an issue. Also, I'm relatively wide across the chest and shoulders.
I don't think 3" would look too narrow on someone of our stature. If it was 2.5" that would be a different matter, but between 3" and 3.25" might look appropriate... Any chance of trying some on, just to get a feel for it? I noticed that the RL Black Label ties from this/last season were around 3-3.25"; if there's a stockist nearby, you could always walk in and take a look in person... Are you having some ties bespoken?

TheFoo · May 30, 2008

Originally Posted by mack11211

It's all a matter of proportion to the other aspects of the outfit -- collar points, lapels, pant leg etc.
. . .

Other factor is your smaller size. So, all other wardrobe aspects being proportionate, you could go narrower than some refrigerator-sized guy.

So, how do I weigh my wider lapels and spread collar against my smaller body?

Originally Posted by academe

Are you having some ties bespoken?

Yessir. I'm ordering a few from Rubinacci.

mack11211 · May 30, 2008

Judging by your suit pix on your blog, I'd say just go with the standard Rubinacci width.

DocHolliday · May 30, 2008

I am a smaller guy -- 38R -- and I feel perfectly comfortable wearing a 3-inch tie. Of course, I prefer slimmer lapels, so it matches up. Many of my knits are 2.5 inches.

Even on my more conservative stuff, I tend to prefer no more than 3.5 inches. For comparison, this tie is 3.5 inches:

Here's a 2.5-inch knit:

Ties that are 3.75 or larger look huge on me.

itsstillmatt · May 30, 2008

Originally Posted by mack11211

It's all a matter of proportion to the other aspects of the outfit -- collar points, lapels, pant leg etc.

Also the body of the wearer.

Nowadays, trad tie widths move between 3.25 and 3.75. Rubinacci ties are 3.5.

But the classic ivy league BB ties back in the day were 2 7/8.

Other factor is your smaller size. So, all other wardrobe aspects being proportionate, you could go narrower than some refrigerator-sized guy.
Rubinacci ties are not 3.5" as a rule. They vary between 8 ond 9 centimeters depending on the type of silk, the pattern and the construction. Personally, I like that range. Perhaps I like 9 cm more than 8 cm right now, but I go back and forth.

luk-cha · May 30, 2008

IMHO R's ties are the perfect width without looking ether too narrow or too wide - in fact i get all my ties narrowed to the same width as them

academe · May 30, 2008

I take back what I said about 2.5" ties.

This one looks very good on you Doc. What I probably should have said is that you might have to be a tad more careful with a 2.5" tie in terms of lapels, etc. mafoofan - I think 3" or 3.25" wouldn't be so narrow that they would seem disproportionate with the lapels on your coat (and I'm thinking of your Rubinacci here)...I'm a smaller person too (5'8"; 38R) and I try to buy ties between 3" and 3.5"...

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I am a smaller guy -- 38R -- and I feel perfectly comfortable wearing a 3-inch tie. Of course, I prefer slimmer lapels, so it matches up. Many of my knits are 2.5 inches. Even on my more conservative stuff, I tend to prefer no more than 3.5 inches. For comparison, this tie is 3.5 inches:

Here's a 2.5-inch knit:

Ties that are 3.75 or larger look huge on me.

CharlesAlexander · May 30, 2008

Doc, I love the stitching on the handkerchief in the first picture. Do you have a close up shoot of that?

Teacher · May 30, 2008

mafoofan, I think 3" would be okay in the scenario. On me, however, they're too narrow. As others have said, it's all about context.

macuser3of5 · May 30, 2008

2.5 is somewhat skinny to me, I stick with 3" as an ideal. I'm a thin dude, though.

Skinny ties: how skinny is too skinny?

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