Tie question

[AlanC]

The local TJ Maxx has gotten in some quite sharp, heavy woven ties: Prochownick, Bettini & Kenzo. Kenzo I'm somewhat familiar with Kenzo. Any thoughts on any of these?

 

[johnnynorman3]

I really like the Prochonowik ties -- they retail for about $75 and I find some of their patterns very appealing. Make sure they are first quality though, as I've seen a lot of flawed Prochonowik's in discount stores.

I don't know anything about the other two, but like the Kenzos that I have seen.

I picked up a Harry and Sons at TJs last week -- did you have any of those. It appears to be a Venetian men's store, and I thought the silk was fantastic. I was intrigued with buying a tie that virtually nobody in America will have heard of.

 

[johnnynorman3]

Oh, by the way. I also like some of the Bettini patterns. But after examining the silk, while it is substantial and ostensibly well woven, it does not have the richest colors. Hold it up to light and you will see what I mean. It just doesn't have that "translucent" quality that you usually find in good woven ties.

 

[AlanC]

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll keep my eye open for the Harry & Sons; I've not seen them yet. I've also considered getting a Ted Baker, which they've had a few of.

 

[AlanC]

Johnny, did you see any of the "Ital Seta" ties or Burma Bibas? Bibas is a brand I'm somewhat familiar with (I have one of their shirts).

 

[johnnynorman3]

I didn't see any of the Ital Seta ties, but did see some of the Burma Bibas. I didn't know anything about the latter so I didn't take a close look. IMO the Ted Baker and Ike Behar ties that TJs seem to have in stock right now are the safest bet in the store.

 

[AlanC]

Nordstrom carries Burma Bibas, although I don't know if they carry the ties. It's likely they do, though. I'd say the Bibas is equivalent to Behar, about a $75 tie.

 

[Zubberah]

I'll 2nd the Prochownick ties - I've got a couple and like the styles and quality of them. Good ties.

 

[AlanC]

That's good to hear. They've marked them down to $11 on clearance. I'd already decided to add Prochownick to the tie collection.

They've also now gotten some of the Harry & Sons ties in. Very impressive ties. I'll be keeping my eyes on those, as well. I've been impressed by the quality of some of the ties coming through there lately. They still have their Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY staples, but they're really adding some higher quality items. A Hilfiger will regularly go for $12.99 while the Prochownick, for example, was only $2-3 more and even cheaper on clearance. Thankfully many are drawn to the wrong ties, thus allowing me to get even better deals on the finer ties.

 

[johnnynorman3]

That's good to hear. They've marked them down to $11 on clearance. I'd already decided to add Prochownick to the tie collection.

They've also now gotten some of the Harry & Sons ties in. Very impressive ties. I'll be keeping my eyes on those, as well. I've been impressed by the quality of some of the ties coming through there lately. They still have their Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY staples, but they're really adding some higher quality items. A Hilfiger will regularly go for $12.99 while the Prochownick, for example, was only $2-3 more and even cheaper on clearance. Thankfully many are drawn to the wrong ties, thus allowing me to get even better deals on the finer ties.

THat is the beauty of a TJs, as opposed to a Filenes Basement or even NM Last Call. WHile the quality isn't as good as those other two, the people that tend to frequent there (1) know the names Hilfiger, Jones NY, etc., and (2) really differentiate between that last dollar or two, not knowing the extra value they are getting. A great example: Marshalls had Jones NY suits and Calvin Klein regular label suits for the exact same price. Two women approached me looking for a suit for their boyfriend for an upcoming wedding (why he didn't come to try stuff on, I have no idea). The Calvin Kleins were much nicer in terms of styling, construction, and fabric quality. But the Jones NY label was actually more famililar to the women (I'd guess because Jones NY is really geared towards women). I steered them to the Calvin Klein.