Neckties: A Discussion Thread

[turkoftheplains]

We've beat stripes, neats, and slubs to death. I want to see some madders.

 

[ericgereghty]



What season would you consider this tie for?

Rules say S/S, but visual texture feels right with fall and some wintery items as well imo

 

[Henry Carter]

^I think you summed up what I'm going for pretty well with a few of the new Shantungs. Definitely a challenge to do stuff for our Australian summer that also appeals to my US/Euro customers as well for fall/winter.

 

[Darkside]

Rules say S/S, but visual texture feels right with fall and some wintery items as well imo

That's what I thought as well. What a beautiful and versatile tie.

#teamslub

 

[white collar]

Hoping someone here owns a Forzieri tie. I have been shopping around for some solid color ties and the prices here seem pretty good, I have searched google and this forum and can't find anything on the quality of their in house items. I'd rather not be the ginny pig and buy one to find out, but at these prices I guess I wouldn't mind. http://www.forzieri.com/ties/forzieri/fz22023-002-00 Thanks in advance for any info!!

 

[QuarantaLocatel]

Nice thread. I'm a big fn o nice ties, too.

I think I can appreciate virtually any tie above a certain quality standard (be it grenadine, wool, silk, linen). There is beauty and style (or at least potential) in nearly every pattern (funny patterns excluded, though).

It is essential for a tie to be beautifully tied. Recently, I've been intrigued by slightly asymmetrical knots that show both ends of a tie. Let me illustrate it with this example (couldn't find anything better):


I suppose that only ties without excessive lining (seven-folds perhaps?) can tie like this. I think that despite looking a bit messy at first sight, it actually sends a message about the wearer: I am a men of refined taste.

I also like (although it's probably incompatible with the asymmetrical knot shown above) tie pins (in the classic sense of the term: decorative needles) - if pinned skilfully, they make the tie look very classy by lifting the knot a little bit. It's a pity they are so uncommon in France (or in Europe for that matter).

May be you are interested in the neapolitan knot.
I found just for case a video showing it, you can see it here:


And -yes- a seven folds tie is better for it!

 

[sprout2]

Was not expecting a soulful house music on how to tie a double FIH

 

[SartodiNapoli]

Was not expecting a soulful house music on how to tie a double FIH

Soulful music, the most elegant music nowadays.

House music all night loooOOOng

 

[raindog]

May be you are interested in the neapolitan knot.

Thanks, but no, I don't think it's this knot (which is a double 4-in-hand in fact) that I'm after. I tried it out on a sevenfold and while it is perhaps not ugly, it produces an extremely fat knot. In the picture I posted the knot seems to be on the thinner side, though. It is true, however, that it may easily be tied in a way that gives this asymmetrical twist that I like so much.

And now it's for something completely different: I'd like to show you the tie that I've been wearing the most recently:



It's a lovely Macclesfield printed silk I bought from Embassy of Elegance.
It's sitting on a cashmere jacket, next to Chefs d'oeuvre poétiques by a certain Lamartine. For no particular reason.

 

[QuarantaLocatel]

Thanks, but no, I don't think it's this knot (which is a double 4-in-hand in fact) that I'm after. I tried it out on a sevenfold and while it is perhaps not ugly, it produces an extremely fat knot. In the picture I posted the knot seems to be on the thinner side, though. It is true, however, that it may easily be tied in a way that gives this asymmetrical twist that I like so much.

And now it's for something completely different: I'd like to show you the tie that I've been wearing the most recently:



It's a lovely Macclesfield printed silk I bought from Embassy of Elegance.
It's sitting on a cashmere jacket, next to Chefs d'oeuvre poétiques by a certain Lamartine. For no particular reason.

Nice color, matching well with the jacket.

 

[poorsod]

Interesting BBC program about why we wear ties.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03999kq#play

 

[SartodiNapoli]

May be you are interested in the neapolitan knot.
I found just for case a video showing it, you can see it here:


And -yes- a seven folds tie is better for it!

I am tiemaker and shirtmaker myself so is my duty to explain certain things that have seen said here. Answering @raindog by the way.

The knot shape comes from the shape that the interlining is cutted/shaped on the part of the knot (central part of the tie more or less), and this has changed in Naples over the last few years, nowadays the standard knot is smaller (for me more beautiful and classic) than the huge/exagerated from a few years ago, obvious example;

a narrow center one as a beauty woman would give a narrow knot, as well as the opposite, the other factor is how many layers of interlining since this “holds” the shape to avoid being curved/diminished/unshaped by pulling the knot when tiying the tie, no matter how many folds the tie has ( as well as interacts the tie outside material, example tie made of linen, wool, silk etc),

In Naples usually are used by the best tiemakers at this time, one layer of wool and usually or optional, another of cotton (or the opposite when needed, (while purists only like one layer to reduce bulk and lighter the tie but this reduces the life/shape of the tie, but in Naples everybody offers a reshape service for a few euros, sadly most got not this luck). I did this task for a time to get trained as well.

I won´t like to open a war or be polemic but just readed some of the brands mentioned from this same poster on other thread as "best from Naples” do use polyamide, petrol derivate, bad/cheap and thick who also gives a lot of heat around the neck since do not perspirate as natural fabrics do, this is avoided by the top arthisans as petrol derivates are in high tailoring, as well as most of those ties are made by machine not by manual needle and fingers and using the manual sewing machine as less as possible, as the top Neapolitan does as per example, always Kiton giving (most of the time) the highest marks of quality.

I am sorry to say the folds have nothing to do with the knot as I do 12 fold ( not 7 but 12) folds as well, and the knot comes the same (if the compared have the same interlining shape, of course) unless comparing a very light tie with a very thick one as a Winter wool with double interlining that would look as a rope instead of a FIH knot.

I prefer doing 7 fold ties because are lovely compared to a basic 3 fold, but (that I know) there is no way to know how many folds a tie has once knoted or wearing on a gentleman you have in front of you ( always comparing between top ties, not bad ones) and even you might look more elegant with a 1 euro bazar tie, than with the more expensive xxx fold in the market, but that is another story...)

 

[raindog]

Nice color, matching well with the jacket.

Thank you, I enjoy it too.

(...)
I prefer doing 7 fold ties because are lovely compared to a basic 3 fold, but (that I know) there is no way to know how many folds a tie has once knoted or wearing on a gentleman you have in front of you ( always comparing between top ties, not bad ones) and even you might look more elegant with a 1 euro bazar tie, than with the more expensive xxx fold in the market, but that is another story...)

Thanks for your contribution, SartodiNapoli, this is what I particularly like about this forum - that we can learn about the craftsmanship directly from the source. However, I'll have to disagree. Needless to say I never made a tie in my life, and I only own 2 seven folds, but I'm sure there are seven folds and 'seven folds'. Let me illustrate it with a picture (click to enlarge):



So, here are my two seven folds sitting on my Drago wool jacket, next to a pair of bespoke amber cufflinks, a vintage German watch and a Tie Rack pocket square. The tie on the left is a bespoke grenadine seven fold made for me by Embassy of Elegance. When I discussed the order with them, they said a genuine seven fold should be unlined and untipped - just a folded piece of of silk with hand-rolled edges (you can even see the edges through the tie). As you can see, it produces a lovely, soft knot that can easily be formed by hand. The one on the right is a relatively cheap Samuel Windsor seven fold, which is self-tipped and lined. I have a gut feeling that it's a seven fold only at both ends . Still, it ties OK, but the knot looks pretty much like on a normal three fold.

Now, you can clearly see the difference in construction between the two ties:

 

[Sam Hober]

An interesting thread and I am enjoying all the thoughts...

I find that some of the comments on tie construction are overly complicated and some I simply don't understand...

There are a number of factors that make up a beautiful tie but going very slowly and paying close attention to details is perhaps the most important one with luxury materials being a close runner up.

After that it is mostly personal choice.

Also there are many sartorial myths floating about - some for years.

 

[QuarantaLocatel]

An interesting thread and I am enjoying all the thoughts...

I find that some of the comments on tie construction are overly complicated and some I simply don't understand...

There are a number of factors that make up a beautiful tie but going very slowly and paying close attention to details is perhaps the most important one with luxury materials being a close runner up.

After that it is mostly personal choice.

Also there are many sartorial myths floating about - some for years.

It's interesting listening to everyhone, but I completely agree with Sam Hober.

We even produce luxury ties, we make our best to be "the best", we make our personal choices, even changing a bit in the years, and stressing the attention to any details is really fundamental.