Ties

[A Harris]

It very much depends on WHICH Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack you shop. Only a few locations have the good stuff.

 

[mack]

Nordie's was the first store to give me a credit card and having grown up in Seattle, I have followed their fortunes throughout the years and know several people who have worked there.

Yes, location is very important for both the Rack and the regular stores.  The regular stores here in Texas carry more fashion forward items than the stores around Seattle.  The Rack stores carry a lot of junk, but this is no different from many stores that bring in lower quality merchandise just for sales.

The Rack stores in Seattle and Texas have great bargains on Faconnable anything, ties and occasionally suits.  You have to know what you are looking for, and I would guess that anyone on this forum knows enough to spot the dross at a Rack store.

Keep looking.  There are incredible bargains after markdowns, especially in smaller or larger sizes.

 

[Pink22m]

Mata, let us know when your Thomas Pink's arrive and what you think of them. I enjoy mine and I hope you will too.

 

[Steve B.]

MP:

You went to the Rack at Howard Hughes. It is indeed usually awful. Try the one in Woodland Hills, South Coast Plaza, Chino Hills, or Brea instead. And I think the ones in Colma and San Leandro up here are pretty good too.

However, you are also correct in asserting that the Rack carries items not inventoried in normal Nordstrom stores. So does Off 5th and Last Call. And Brooks Brothers, Polo, and pretty much every other outlet store. IMO one of retailing's dirty little secrets.

The best "regular" Nordstrom close to you is at the Grove. Have you tried that one? I think you'd like it. And South Coast Plaza's pretty good, too, but a little bit of a drive. But working in Gary's in Newport Beach and their rack in Tustin might make it worthwhile.

The Nordstroms here in the Bay Area are the best in the country, bar none. The Corte Madera, Walnut Creek, Stanford, and Valley Fair locations are all top notch. Only others in the same league are in Paramus, NJ, Oak Brook, IL, and Michigan Ave in Chicago.

And the San Francisco Centre store is the Nordstrom's best- both in terms of quality of merchandise and sales in the entire U.S.

 

[Pink22m]

To be honest I found the Colma rack to be depressing and messy. They opened one up in San Francisco which is much better organized and seemed to have more merchandise. And on your list of good Nordstroms, don't forget San Mateo

 

[The_Foxx]

My two cents on buying ties.....I do like to get ties from ebay (borrelli, zegna, brioni, kiton) and bluefly.com (great source for zegna ties). The only possible drawback to the great prices is that the colors are not always easy to gauge from online pictures. Personally, I always try to take a jacket (or swatch that sometimes accompanies the suit or sportcoat) to the store when purchasing a new tie-- so sometimes it's a guess when buying online.

 

[matadorpoeta]

foxx, my problem is that i rarely wear ties, but when i do, i prefer solid colors. these are difficult to find at discount.

steve, yes i went to howard hughes. the nordstrom locations at the grove and at the westside pavilion are the only two i know of around here, and i visit both. orange county is a bit far for me to go shopping. besides, the only shops worth visiting down there have rodeo drive merchandise and prices don't they? i'd rather go to rodeo as it's much closer.

i started the tie topic because i recently gave all my ties to charity except for the smooth solid black and the solid silver that i use for formal occasions. i also kept the lavender one. all my other ties were gifts, and they were all quite ugly so i got rid of them. i've ordered a solid black from thomas pink. it has quite a bit of texture to it, so it's appropriate for more semi-formal wear. if i like this one, i think i'll order the same model from them in a couple of more colors. (wine, royal blue, and maybe a sky).

thanks everyone for your advice.

 

[charlestonties]

OP,

I actually started a company specializing in simple but refined 100% silk woven neckties. Our ties are southern-themed but any man can wear them and look great. They showcase things like fish, pineapples, lighthouses, magnolias, etc. I believe they are exceptional and fairly priced but obviously I am fairly biased Still, check them out sometime since they might really hit the spot. Try http://www.charleston-carriage.com and peruse the collection.

I wish you luck finding that tie you're holding out for

charlestonties