Ask Andy reviews Charles Alexander

[CharlesAlexander]

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/f...ad.php?t=84838

Also, we now have a showroom in NYC's meatpacking district located at:

317 West 12th street Suite #3
New York, NY 10014

Please call @ 9175206766 to set up an appointment. It is open to the public and especially to SF members (who know the secret handshake).

I will be coming out with a ton of fantastic new styles in the next month or so, please join the mailing list on my website www.ca-ny.com to keep up to date with everything. As always, if anyones interested in ordering directly from me, you can call or email me @ [email protected].

 

[stickonatree]

charles, i've always thought your ties were some of the most beautiful i've seen, since the day you appeared on these forums asking for advice on improving your website (and i came up with the "mahogany box" description

). haven't pulled the funds together to purchase one yet, but i hope your business expands and soon we'll see them in some big name stores!

 

[Caomhanach]

What is 'artificial wool lining?' and why no prices posted?

 

[bmulford]

Are the Cashmere / houndstooth ties among the "new styles" ?

 

[RJman]

A review? I think there was a sentence of Andy's positive reaction but that's about it. Tie looks nice, FWIW.

 

[CharlesAlexander]

Originally Posted by stickonatree

charles, i've always thought your ties were some of the most beautiful i've seen, since the day you appeared on these forums asking for advice on improving your website (and i came up with the "mahogany box" description ). haven't pulled the funds together to purchase one yet, but i hope your business expands and soon we'll see them in some big name stores!

Thanks a lot for the kinds words. We'll see what happens.

Originally Posted by Caomhanach

What is 'artificial wool lining?' and why no prices posted?

The website is just a catalog, showing styles from the current collection. Due to changes in my company, I am only doing wholesale right now. I cannot post any prices because it conflicts with what the stores want to charge. If anyone is interested in ordering, they can contact me. I can point them to a store near them, or they can order from me directly. If your able to, I'd recommend visiting the showroom in NYC.

Originally Posted by bmulford

Are the Cashmere / houndstooth ties among the "new styles" ?

Hmmm... I'm not sure what you mean. I don't really have any cashmere blends planned at the moment.

Originally Posted by RJman

A review? I think there was a sentence of Andy's positive reaction but that's about it. Tie looks nice, FWIW.

hehe, Andy's reviews seem pretty short. He did the same for another tie company he recently reviewed. RVR I think. I still love him, I'm glad he took the time to to write anything about it. He didnt have to.

 

[coogie]

not much of a review was it! haha

 

[tlmusic]

OK, Here's a review of a Charles Alexander Tie. A couple weeks ago, I spoke with Charles on the phone--nice guy. It's great to talk to someone who is genuinely enthusiastic. He gave me a bit of information and offered to send me a tie. I picked out a red, white and blue mogador repp tie.

It arrived in a couple days in a cool wooden box. I'm so used to buying ties on ebay and having them come wadded up in a padded envelope. Instead, there was pleasant surprise. The tie was ready to wear with no steaming required, because it was shipped in the box. Box=good. The tie has a nice weight, and drapes well. The choice of fabric was wise. A thinner fabric would have been floppy. A thicker fabric would make an absurdly large knot, which I don't like. Workmanship was outstanding. The stripes were lined up in an aesthetically pleasing manner, not crooked. I understand that this is actually fairly difficult given the amount of folding required to make a seven-fold necktie. The CA tie is 57" long and 3.5" wide. 3.5" is my favorite width. I wouldn't have minded an extra 1" added to the length, but 57" turned out to be fine. Incidently, Charles does offer bespoke options for those who need different dimensions. Being overly obsessive and neurotic, I noticed a miniscule "bump" in the middle of the tie. I looked inside and saw that at the end of one fold there was a tiny piece of extra fabric. A quick surgery with a sharp pair of scissors lopped off the millimeter wide bit of silk, and then the tie looked absolutely perfect. I didn't even mention this to Charles, since it was so easy to fix and I am really picky sometimes. Probably no one else would have even noticed. The choice of colors is classic--red, white and blue. The silk is vibrant and appears much nicer in person than the photographs posted online. I decided to put the tie to the test on SF. Back on July 14, I started a thread http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=71278asking for help matching ties with a checked shirt. One of the ties I posted was the Charles Alexander seven fold (uncredited):

Of the nine responses, four people wrote they liked both ties (the other was a purple Charvet). Five people wrote they preferred the CA tie. I thought it was unusual there was no unfavorable criticism of the CA tie at all. Usually posting a picture on SF draws instant harsh flaming, but the CA has survived unscathed, so far. Overall, I would say the CA tie represents a solid value, and has become one of my favorite neckties. Recommended.

 

[CharlesAlexander]

^ Now THAT'S a review!

 

[dopey]

nvm

 

[porcelain monkey]

Your ties are beautiful! Can you list stores in Boston or NYC that carry them? I will try to get to the showroom if I can. Also, a price range would be helpful - where do some stores price them?

 

[CharlesAlexander]

Right now we are only in NY artificial in the west village. I am in talks right now to get them in other stores. They will run you $150 and up in the retail stores. I usually will be able to give you a better price on what I have on hand. I would recommend coming by the showroom if you can.