Must own ties for a beginner

[financeguy33]

If you could only recommend 5 ties to someone just starting their classic menswear wardrobe what would they be and why?

 

[Woofa]

Blue grenadine grossa
Maroon grenadine grossa
Brown grenadine fina
Subtle medallion wool challis (blue or maroon)
Subtle two color regimental (maybe skinny silk)

These five will make a good base to your collection and the grenadines in particular are very versatile.

If I took out two of the grenadine (get the maroon first) then I could add a solid dark blue in slubby silk and a beige cashmere herringbone.

 

[financeguy33]

Blue grenadine grossa
Maroon grenadine grossa
Brown grenadine fina
Subtle medallion wool challis (blue or maroon)
Subtle two color regimental (maybe skinny silk)

These five will make a good base to your collection and the grenadines in particular are very versatile.

If I took out two of the grenadine (get the maroon first) then I could add a solid dark blue in slubby silk and a beige cashmere herringbone.

Thanks so much! Are there any websites you could recommend for finding these in one place?

 

[dluce76]

I might ask first what environment will they be worn in and what climate?

Personally I'd just go for 5 grenadine Fina ties in the staple colors that can be worn year round in any environment (business or personal). Navy, wine, forest green, khaki/pale yellow (not gold or bright yellow) and dark brown. That'll cover you for almost any occasion. If you have room for a 6th, I'd go for black to round it out (funerals/weddings and can be useful in a grossa weave with brown suits or some more colorful odd jackets).

Many people make grenadine ties - Sam Hober, Chipp, Kent Wang are some of the main places I know of. Note that Chipp only has fina weave and Kent Wang seems to only have grossa.

 

[Caustic Man]

In order from most casual to most formal:

1. Solid navy silk knit tie.
2. Navy and light blue repp stripe.
3. Burgundy and navy repp stripe.
4. Navy or Burgundy small dot tie.
5. Black and white Prince of Wales.

These five will give you a good balance between casual and formal ties and allow you to move from a "dressy" weekend to a business environment to a semi-formal wedding.

 

[dieworkwear]

I'd say the only really useful tie in the beginning is a navy grenadine. Grossa or fina or whatever weave doesn't really matter, tbh. If you wear sport coats often, then I like rep stripes in dark, basic colors (burgundy, dark green, navy, etc). If you wear suits, I prefer those with Macclesfield print ties (same colors)

I would personally avoid running through a list of "must haves." There are some things that are genuinely useful, but the ties you'll like wearing the most are simply going to be the ones that you love. IMO, it's better to develop a sense of personal taste, rather than having a wardrobe full of "must haves" and "essentials." Especially for a beginner, since so much of your wardrobe should be reasonably conservative anyway (in terms of cut and styling), let your tie be the one area where you can inject a bit of personal taste.

 

[Caustic Man]

Not everyone has the time or desire to develop a defined sense of style. Some guys just want to know what basic ties will get them from graduation to grave. Every question has a use. This one might not be totally attuned to the StyleForum man, but it is useful nonetheless. I mean, even Manton used lists to help people start out.

 

[breakaway01]

I can see both points of view. I think at first it is helpful to have a list; later you develop your own sense of style, but everyone has to start at the beginning. It is hard for most people to develop a personal sense of style in ties (as an example) until they actually own some and can then figure out for themselves what works and what doesn't.

I wouldn't recommend starting off of with 3-5 grenadine ties for this very reason. Yes, I suppose they are versatile, but not at the expense of other types.

In no particular order, some ties that I'd recommend:
- a burgundy or navy pindot tie: I am very particular about the dot size and spacing. The Vanda pindots are just about perfect IMO, and the Kent Wang ties are very good (though I haven't seen the latter in person). Burgundy or navy.
- instead of a POW tie I'd suggest a dark navy silk repp -- a good deal more versatile and nearly as formal.
- small-to-medium sized medallions in silk or wool challis, depending on your climate
- yes to a stripe. For now stick with two colors, not multi-color stripes. Also no to shiny ties or complicated jacquard weaves.
- I like knits but they may not be for everyone. If you are not partial to a knit tie, then perhaps something seasonal e.g. a wool donegal for cooler climates, or a linen/slubby silk for warmer climates.

 

[Patrick R]

If I were starting from the beginning:

1. Solid navy silk repp (wear with gray suits)
2. and 3. Navy and burgundy pin dots (wear with gray and navy suits, respectively)
4. Black grenadine grossa (with a charcoal suit for funerals, but also nice with a navy suit/white shirt)
5. follow dieworkwear’s advice re stripes/Macclesfield

But all of the comments above are as good or better than my suggestions.

 

[bc78]

1. Navy grenadine
2. dark burgundy grenadine
3. wedding tie, i.e., silver houndstooth or POW check
4. Navy and white dot macclesfield
5. medium to charcoal gray macclesfield dot or neat pattern (not everyone will agree with this one particularly but I find them to be really useful and versatile)

 

[dluce76]

This thread demonstrates how much of this is personal taste.

Sounds like there are some common themes - solid with texture (grenadine) or pindot, repp stripes, and printed ties. Colors seem to be navy, burgundy, dark green and black.

 

[bry2000]

If you work in finance, go to an Hermès shop and pick out 5 of their geometric ties. They are classic and timeless.

 

[Caustic Man]

Yeah, if you take the solid navy tie, whether it be repp, knit, or grenadine, as one suggestion then there are a lot more similarities than differences in the recommendations.

 

[mercury]

Blue grenadine grossa
Maroon grenadine grossa
Brown grenadine fina

I'm looking at getting these 3 grenadines from Sam Hober. Out of curiosity, why did you recommend the brown in a fina - is it just to differentiate from the two grossa weaves?

 

[emptym]

I'd go with five knits: light blue, navy, black, burgundy, and green.