The Skinny on Skinny Ties

[designprofessor]

I know this has been brought up before, what is the verdict on the skinny tie? Is it supposed to be proportional to the lapel and /or cut of the suit?

This last weekend going through Ralph Lauren made me cringe. I thought the patterns were overall uninspired and the tie widths were decidedly narrower.

Any thoughts pro or con?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by designprofessor

Is it supposed to be proportional to the lapel
Yes.

 

[itsstillmatt]

My personal rule of thumb is the same width to slightly narrower than the lapel.

I saw a stunning collection of very narrow ties this week. They are unlined seven folds in very vintage looking silk. They are the softest ties that I have ever seen and make a beautiful, small knot. They have nothing in common with the seven folds that are used for placing baseballs beneath chins.

 

[Get Smart]

I only wear narrow-lapel'd suits (around 2.75" lapels) so nearly all of my ties are thin (2.5" is my preference). But the lapel width is def important...skinny tie with a normal lapel'd jacket looks mighty awkward.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by designprofessor

Any thoughts pro or con?

Con--although I'm the first to concede that tie/lapel width is a matter of personal preference. That said, I favor ties that are 3.75" wide, although on occasion I'll dip down to 3.5". There's something about this width that conveys substance while keeping things reasonable enough to avoid garishness.

 

[designprofessor]

Thanks for the responses gentlemen. My apologies if this question has been asked many times before. It really only hit home as I was out browsing this last weekend.

 

[Dragon]

Skinny lapels with skinny tie:

 

[MrRogers]

Don't forget to match that skinny lapel and skinny tie to a small-collared shirt. Nothing looks more disproportioned than a nicely matched slim lapel and tie overwhelmed by a large point, spread collar shirt

MrR

 

[Joel_Cairo]

Originally Posted by MrRogers

Don't forget to match that skinny lapel and skinny tie to a small-collared shirt. Nothing looks more disproportioned than a nicely matched slim lapel and tie overwhelmed by a large point, spread collar shirt

MrR

+1 on that! the whole reason I won't go slimmer than 3 inches is that I cant find shirts with a mod enough collar. That, and that I'm not cool enough.

 

[MrRogers]

Check out RL black label shirts, they offer great proportions to wear with a skinny tie.

MrR

 

[Joel_Cairo]

Originally Posted by MrRogers

Check out RL black label shirts, they offer great proportions to wear with a skinny tie.

MrR

black label, eh? got a link?

 

[sygyzy]

Wore a skinny tie recently. It was a PITA to get tied to the correct length and also to keep the knot properly tightened and covered.

 

[MrRogers]

Originally Posted by Joel_Cairo

black label, eh? got a link?

unfortunately not, sorry. I picked up my first BL shirt this weekend at the Polo shop in manhasset long island. 250 reduced to 190 which somehow rang for 122. Very slim cut and as I said matches well with their skinny neckwear.

MrR

 

[Jovan]

Originally Posted by Dragon

Skinny lapels with skinny tie:

Such wonderful, classic tailoring that holds up even today. I miss the days where Bond wore unique suits made just for his body. I personally wouldn't go slimmer than 2.75". I have a cheapo tie that wide and its width is perfect for me.

 

[impolyt_one]

A.P.C. makes slightly skinny ties. I think the one I have is about 2.75" or so, it's probably not up to snuff with the board's standards for ties but I like it's width and taper. I'm not a really big guy and feel that standard 3.5-3.75" ties usually look a bit too big for me, especially with my slimmer waistline.

The A.P.C.'s aren't exactly cheap though. They have a square-bottomed knit one that looks nice, a prince of wales check, a couple solids this season. I think they carry over the tie widths every season.

Which of the Ralph lauren lines is doing narrower ties?