Your opinions please on Grenadine ties!

[Sam Hober]

Dear David,

Thank you very much for your reply.

Thanks for these explanations. If you will indulge me, I have a few more questions:

1) Are all the patterns on your grenadine ties actually woven into the design? Are they ever dyed/painted after the weaving?

2) What is the fundamental difference between grenadine and knitted silk?

3) I so far only have one grenadine tie, that I bought as an XL of I think 63 inches, and that within one year has weirdly expanded to 67 or so. I really don't tug or it or anything. So I wonder if that is the normal trajectory of a grenadine tie? Should I expect them to have only a limited life span?

4) How would you clean a grenadine tie if there is a spot? Or would you pretty much just dispose of these ties if they get a blemish, like from a salad dressing? Throwing them away has been my course of action wit ties until now. I think of a tie as an accent of perfection. And so even the slightest tarnish on a tie makes it lose its value for me. And even normal silk is so delicate. I think grenadine even more so?

More questions to come if you'll humor me with these!

Thanks!

Florian,

You are welcome.

Regarding ties and formality a lot has do do with your personal feelings and preferences. As an example I would not hesitate to wear a black grenadine to a funeral or anywhere. As for the rolled edges that is a personal preference - so if you wear ties with rolled edges often you will feel comfortable with them at any event and look good.

1) Your design question is a good one: All our stripes etc are woven into the fabric. But we offer hand sewn pin dots which are done after the tie is finished. On occasion we also paint the fabric as an example for pocket square edges.

Monograms are also hand sewn.

2) Grenadines are woven normally on older looms at slow speeds. The finished fabric is more elegant for a woven grenadine.

Knits are are usually knitted on a fast machine

3) Your 4 inch stretch is not normal. A 57 inch tie with typically have a very small amount of stretching maybe 1/2 of an inch? Longer ties will stretch more so perhaps 1 inch for your 63 inch tie? Note there are no rules... Grenadines are a loose weave so can get a snag easily. Bu they can be repaired. So they should have a normal life span...

4) All silk can be cleaned with a mild natural shampoo. The danger is that you might create a water spot. an oil stain from a salad dressing should be cleaned by an expert dry cleaner.

Normally I clean tie at home first.

 

[Sam Hober]

Florian,

You are welcome.

Regarding ties and formality a lot has do do with your personal feelings and preferences. As an example I would not hesitate to wear a black grenadine to a funeral or anywhere. As for the rolled edges that is a personal preference - so if you wear ties with rolled edges often you will feel comfortable with them at any event and look good.

1) Your design question is a good one: All our stripes etc are woven into the fabric. But we offer hand sewn pin dots which are done after the tie is finished. On occasion we also paint the fabric as an example for pocket square edges.

Monograms are also hand sewn.

2) Grenadines are woven normally on older looms at slow speeds. The finished fabric is more elegant for a woven grenadine.

Knits are are usually knitted on a fast machine

3) Your 4 inch stretch is not normal. A 57 inch tie with typically have a very small amount of stretching maybe 1/2 of an inch? Longer ties will stretch more so perhaps 1 inch for your 63 inch tie? Note there are no rules... Grenadines are a loose weave so can get a snag easily. Bu they can be repaired. So they should have a normal life span...

4) All silk can be cleaned with a mild natural shampoo. The danger is that you might create a water spot. an oil stain from a salad dressing should be cleaned by an expert dry cleaner.

Normally I clean a tie at home first.

 

[Mark Seitelman]

Sam Hober is the king of ties!

A solid tie has a certain simplicity or purity that is lacking in a tie with a design.

I have some grenadines with stripes and dots, but they are distracting from the purity of essence of a solid grenadine. The color and grenadine weave create enough visual interest, and a design would lessen the power of the solid grenadine.

The late Mortimer Levitt, the founder of the Custom Shop, used to advocate the rule of "two plains and one fancy." This meant that there should be a pattern in either the suit, the shirt, or the tie, but not two or all three. More than "one fancy" would be too distracting. Therefore, the solid grenadine with either a patterned shirt or suit would be very elegant and businesslike.

The early James Bond of Sean Connery knew the power of simplicity. His glen plaids were almost invisible. He often wore three solids. He usually wore a navy grenadine tie.

Here is Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon. A model power dresser who dressed in a very simple manner:

It is a tie for the connoisseur who knows how to dress and have impact with his clothes.

 

[Florian2]

Excellent editorial post, Mr. Seitelman. I completely agree with you on the solids. My father always wore those paisley prints, and I never liked them, I always found them complicated and conventional at the same time. I also thought they looked like amoebas under the microscope. (I know they're considered somewhat elegant and traditional etc. But I rarely see elegant men under 60 wear them now – they usually go for solids). And the regimental/striped ties are attractive, but I think they just have the conformist/group thing going for them. Kind of like we find uniforms attractive. I agree that solids are the way to go. Even 3 solids, like James Bond. Even though if I can't muster the suaveness of Sean Connery, I may risk looking like post-makeover DeSantis.

As an aside to you and the other style experts: why do you think even after a switch from fancy to solids and from Trump-red to burgundy and from cheap boxy suits to bespoke, DeSantis still looks like an oaf? What is he doing wrong?