A Sam (and David) Hober Tie Appreciation Thread

[Skanstull]

I know this is a generic question, but kind of rebuilding my wardrobe right now from scratch, and am looking at some ties from this company. Does anyone have any recommendations for where to begin? I am kind of out of practice in this area, and there are definitely too many options. What would be a good foundation to begin with?

I will need some winter options, so may start there and then get some summer options when spring comes around.

I am thinking along the lines of the following:

1. Silk tie in something in Navy should work with formal suits? Or navy grenadine instead?
2. Are knit ties still in? Burgundy or a colour that goes with a navy suit and charcoal suit?
3. A couple striped ties in silk?
4. Any other ideas?

I know I can't afford and it isn't practical to build an entire collection overnight, but want to get a good foundation going.

A blue or navy tie with white dots is incredibly versatile. I also like the same tie in dark red with white dots. Both work very well both with a suit or with sportcoats in different colours.

Then, a dark navy/midnight blue tie with some kind of pattern is also a very good conservative option together with a dark worksuit.

I wear a lot of regimental stripe ties - white stripes on blue, red and cream, etc.

A navy tie without a pattern, but with a texture, like grenadine garza fine, is also very versatile.

 

[SS 376]

Does anyone here have experience with Hober’s English or Italian satin ties? I feel like I have enough grenadines and so I’m looking for something just as versatile for work. Also thinking hard about the Mulberrywood weaves as well.

 

[bdavro23]

Any suggestions on bow tie measurements? I had them make a formal bow tie for my black tie rig last month and it came in at least an inch, maybe two inches too short to properly tie. I sent my skin neck measurement, but maybe I screwed something up.

 

[kravatorf]

Does anyone here have experience with Hober’s English or Italian satin ties? I feel like I have enough grenadines and so I’m looking for something just as versatile for work. Also thinking hard about the Mulberrywood weaves as well.

I realized with time that Satin ties are not that versatile. They tend to be either a perfect match (mostly on the formal side) or to look quite odd.

I own a few mulberrywood weaves and I love them. They are elegant with something different both noticeable and subtle. On top of it, they are easy to match as texture and (soft) shine seems almost always appropriate.
As noticed by David, its a good idea to order swatches as the lighter colors are very difficult to photograph or describe. You can't go wrong with the darkest ones

 

[MGD83]

New hover order arrived today. I am very pleased with what I received.

 

[archibaldleach]

Does anyone here have experience with Hober’s English or Italian satin ties? I feel like I have enough grenadines and so I’m looking for something just as versatile for work. Also thinking hard about the Mulberrywood weaves as well.

I have a couple of Satin Hober ties. I'd echo the other poster who says they are not incredibly versatile. They're a great choice for the evening when the sheen can really bring an outfit together, but not so much during the day. On the other hand, I love Macclesfield silks and some of his other patterned ties. If you want to stay with mostly solids, the diamond weaves are a good compromise that have a subtle enough sheen to be versatile. I also have a few of his wool ties, a burgundy cashmere grenadine blend, and a brown cashmere tie that I love.

 

[stro]

I realized with time that Satin ties are not that versatile. They tend to be either a perfect match (mostly on the formal side) or to look quite odd.

I own a few mulberrywood weaves and I love them. They are elegant with something different both noticeable and subtle. On top of it, they are easy to match as texture and (soft) shine seems almost always appropriate.
As noticed by David, its a good idea to order swatches as the lighter colors are very difficult to photograph or describe. You can't go wrong with the darkest ones

strongly agree re: the bolded. i have a purple and a sky blue and find myself reaching for both quite frequently.

 

[SS 376]

strongly agree re: the bolded. i have a purple and a sky blue and find myself reaching for both quite frequently.

Thanks, I think I will go with sky blue and the dark charcoal gray mulberrywood weaves.

 

[Moose22]

So, I just ordered some swatches.

I don't really need ties, though I have a couple of colors I like from ebay buys where the quality of the ties is crap, or OK but not long enough. I have a 19.25" neck, so 57" ties mean a four in hand only for me. I kind of thought I might be able to get something similar to one I liked that actually, you know, fits. Buy one now and again and I can eventually have a good complement to the few I currently want to keep, sell the rest on the flea bay where I got 'em.

Problem is, I need like... two ties right now. At most. Then maybe I get another one before summer to go with my sport coat. Yet I ordered 24 swatches. There are so many fabric options I can't decide and really want to see a variety of colors and styles here, where I can hold them up to my coats. So I have a couple of every fabric type that might interest me coming now.

I think I'm most interested in a Shantung for the fabric texture, but I also really like one of the the linen for the color and texture. So, way too many samples are headed my way when all I really need is to replace one stupid purple tie that's just too short.

Oh well. At least it's a chance to learn about tie fabrics without having to buy two dozen ties.

 

[Concordia]

You have come to the right place.

 

[Moose22]

Yeah, I figured. 500 pages of posts (I didn't read them all, but went through a ton and appreciate all the pics people have posted) and it seems like folks have tried more than a few fabrics and styles. That's an excellent resource.

It'll be a process for me. My plan is to measure up my current favorite ties of each type and ping Hober for sizing advice if I have a question. But it is nice to have folks here to ask, too.

I'm GLAD I bought a crapload of ebay and thrift ties, too. I can resell the ones I don't wear and recoup the learning expense, but it was best to have ties in hand to get a clue about them. I only had one tie for years, and now I know more about what I like and what's actually good. I found one nice person clearing his father's estate (a doctor who wore ties every day) and he was kind enough to send me a pretty broad selection of his ties, including some from higher end designers. Frankly, good designer ties really are better, hold better knots, are better fabrics, etc. I have 4 or 5 go-to ties right now and they're Zegna, Massimo Bizzocchi, and a Robert Talbot 7 fold that is a sublime color that magically goes with everything.

Hober should be able to match the quality of these high end Italians -- I think the Maccelsfield is a perfect replacement for my beautiful but too-short Bizzocchi. Though I have been sarcastically joking with a friend that Hober is kind of slow. I ordered samples at midnight last night and had a question. "It was 21 whole minutes before they responded to me. What kind of service is that? Couldn't they get it to UNDER 20 minutes?"

Seriously, I got a straight answer and a note that my order was under way immediately. That makes a wonderful first impression. Isn't it great to be able to ask questions of a company and get a straight, honest response in no time at all? I am really looking forward to seeing these samples now.

 

[Moose22]

Sample set arrived. They sure didn't waste any time getting that in the DHL.

 

[Veremund]

I have a 19.25" neck, so 57" ties mean a four in hand only for me..

It’s the only knot that matters.

 

[Moose22]

It’s the only knot that matters.

That totally depends on the tie. For woven ties, or something with a reasonably girthy lining, it'll do just fine. My Zegna and Bizzocchi make beautiful 4IH knots, but my less substantial print ties make a 4IH that looks too small and slender. I got an Hermes at a thrift store that I wore last night and tied a Prince Albert. That tie is 59" and that worked perfectly for length and, though it was still a slim knot, the extra half wrap helps. A 4IH on that tie is just too slender. If it were 2" longer I'd happily tie a Pratt, in fact. Same with a couple of my Nordstrom ties, which are lovely, but are going up on ebay because the 4IH is just too small for me and they aren't long enough to do anything more so I'll sell the lot and replace them with one or two ties that fit. That's the whole reason I'm here.

When you're as girthy as me, with a beard, a large knot works well. A slender knot can't be seen and looks exceedingly disproportionate.

And I no longer mind the symmetry. I realized recently that I have always worn a crooked 4IH, and still do. But that advice was given me 25 years ago by a young lady who explained that it gave girls an opportunity to get close to you so they could "fix" your tie, so I affected the style. It didn't work when I was 29, it doesn't work at 49, but I still do it! But I can't think of another reason why I wear a crooked knot, so Windsor is also just fine. It's big and square, just like me.

That said, if I was built like a normal person, wore a 42 coat and had a skinny 16.5" neck, I'd wear a crooked 4IH all the time and nothing else.

 

[ericgereghty]

1. Hober far outpaces the brands listed above in quality.
2. V is right. 4IH is the only knot that matters.