Your favorite tie brands - Page 3

Steve, Actually, I didn't know--thanks for the tip.

Ahhh...Construction... Forgive me For I have sinned... Here's the deal.  They ties are made in Italy (by hand) from a second generation tie maker going on over 30 years of tie making.  The silks are all Como silks which we select when we are in italy. While he is a men's tie maker we were originally using him to make our children's/young adults ties. As I had normally bought my ties from him when we went there and always received compliments I recently started importing his men's ties for sale here as well.  However I made some mistakes in the men's line.  For example I prefer a thin knot and the europeans prefer the thicker knots (thick knots, shorts ties) so I requested that the ties be lined in a thinner material which is a wool blend instead of all wool.  Additionaly not wanting to scare people away with the price I did not request self tipping.  My feeling was that in order to compete with the Brands I would have to have a price advantage without sacraficing on the product too much.  When you get into the 50-60 dollar range people will already think that for that money they can get a discounted designer tie. I admit I erred.  The price and value are right but I realized that those that are willing to pay 40-55 on a nice tie will pay 45-60 as well, so next season (I am expecting a shipment within the next two weeks) the ties will be lined with 100% wool and the bulk of them will be self tipped as well. On the thicker silk ties its not a problem as the weight of the silk makes up for theat which the lining is lacking, however on the thinner more delicate silks because the lining is very thin the weight of the tie may be too light. Additionaly I am also introducing some seven folds at reasonable prices (also made in Italy by hand from Como Silks) however from a different tie maker. In all the current ties were nice and sold well (and were even rated highly by one of the board members) but there is ALWAYS room for improvement.

Acole: Nice tie.  What did it cost (if I may ask)? JJF PS:  No talk of snags with woven ties please  

About $65.  Way above my usual eBay limit for ties, but it all averages out.  I'm sorry if my choice of words induced an involuntary shudder among woven tie enthusiasts.  That's the one real downside to the whole affair...the slightest roughness on a fingernail can really screw up one of these ties.  I've tried to repair a few pulls, with only moderate success.

(1) Richard James - if you need to ask why you haven't lived (2) Leonard - some of mine have 22 colours. (3) Gianni Versace - some really beautiful stuff here I have many others that I love like Duchamp, Katherine Hammett, and Lacroix.

I have no real loyalties when it comes to ties as I buy on a very individual basis. Talbott is by far the most represented brand in my collection. IMO the Estate ties are probably the best on the market and Best Of Class can compete with most anything else. Other standouts: Bullock & Jones - lot's of them in SF, they sold GREAT ties Ike Behar (early on they made wonderful ties, but I don't like their recent stuff as much.) Purple Label Kiton (yes there are some funky ones, but there are some great ones as well.) Massimo Bizzochi Battistoni Charles Hill Audrey Buckner Zegna Napoli Couture I go almost exclusively for wovens - stripes, grenadine, polka dots, plaids and houndstooth. One of these days I'm goign to have to swap Chuck for some of his Carlo Franco ties. I'm betting they will best the majority of my collection.

Here is some of my thinking about ties and, particularly, about expensive ones.   I almost never wear the same ensemble twice.  Probably many others on this forum are that way too.  Why?  Because dressing is a creative act and after one has put together and worn an assemblage, it doesn't give the same thrill the second or third time.  A painter would not make the same picture twice.  He or she might do a variation on the theme, but not the identical one. Now, what are the typical components of a man's ensemble available to the creative dresser? suit (or odd jacket and trousers); shoes; cufflinks; sweater; shirt; tie; pocket square; socks. These items are listed in rough order of most to least expensive.  So a well-dressed man, even a rich one, naturally will have many more of the items at the bottom of the list than of those at the top.  It follows, then, that the component of a man's wardrobe most likely to be varied with each new assemblage is the tie, pocket square or socks.   Of these three, the tie has a physical life shorter than others.  It is touched by the hands a lot and also by the chin.  From skin oil or cologne or whatever it gets dull.  Moreover it always is up front, vulnerable to thread pulls, stains and so on.  And, in my experience, a tie never is the same after a dry cleaning. Because of the above facts, I feel about the tie that it is somewhat of a disposable item.  And, perhaps because of that feeling, I soon lose interest in any particular tie.  Indeed it would be rare for me to wear the same tie more than three times.   All this makes me think a really expensive tie is not a good wardrobe investment.  I have a few, but tend to admire them in the closet rather than in the mirror.  Better, methinks, to pick up ties by the dozen at the Zegna outlet store, for example.  Often the creative pop comes into an assemblage from a fresh, bright, tie so one wants as many of them as possible.

My favorites: Carlo Franco: Excellent woven fabrics and construction. Great customer service. Good value for a seven fold. The most interesting wovens I've seen. Kiton: Beautiful fabrics and construction. Easily available on Ebay at bargain prices. Robert Talbot: "Best in Class" ties at Nordstrom Rack for less than $30. Not many woven fabrics, but their prints are quite nice.

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