Working List of Mid and High Range Tie Makers/Labels

[Kitontini]

I think Domenico Vacca and Dolcepunta should be in the Top Tier. The Domenico Vacca tie that I own is a 9-Fold, ties a great knot, very well constructed and I get lots of compliments.

 

[Made in California]

Can we get some more of that non-SF-approved mainstream ****? Brands I would like to see on this list that come it at a very high price point:

• Jil Sander
  
• Alexander McQueen
  
• Gucci
  
• Pucci
  
• Dsquared
  
• Fendi
  
• Dolce & Gabbana
  
• Prada
  
• Lanvin
  
• Raf Simons
  
• Roberto Cavalli
  
• Moschino
  
• John Varvatoes
  
• Christian Dior / Dior Homme
  
• Armani Black Label
  
• Etro
  
• Valentino
  
• Versace
  
• Neil Barrett

I'm assuming most of these make at least the bottom least, but obviously curious if they scrape the top as I see them in the store all the time (unlike most of the brands mentioned on the top-tier list).

 

[Sam Hober]

Originally Posted by phxlawstudent

What exactly separates the high end from the mid end? What exactly is better quality? How can the uninitiated determine which has better construction? I don't ask to criticize. I ask because I have absolutely no idea how to tell a good tie from a great tie. Other than how one holds up and the feel I suppose. Also, what about the XMI Platinum sold at Nordstroms? I don't own one, but I've read a few very positive reviews about them. I like my RT's BOC.
Your question is a good one and there are many points of view. A quick summary: Almost all well known good ready made brands will have good constructions. Some brands use thicker interlinings or other small construction variations. How a tie knots is typically a matter of preference All hand made ties will have a better fit and finish and hand made - custom ties will have the best fit and finish and are in a higher class of tie construction than what you will find in a store. With that said a classic Brooks Brother tie (especially if purchased on sale) works well. If you have been wearing ties for a while gradually experiment with what you like - new textures and shapes and sizes - you will end up with what works best for your style. Robert Talbott use very good quality silks and has good tie constructions. XMI is also a good brand with some nice silks.

 

[HRoi]

Of the designer labels I find the ones by Lanvin, Louis Vuitton and Tom Ford well made. Dior is nothing to write home about

 

[Macallan]

Originally Posted by jrd617

How about Kilgour and Gieves & Hawkes? Are they on par with Drake's/Turnbull & Asser?

Gieves' ties are(/were) better then RL Polo ties.

Hugo Boss ties made for the UK/European were made to a good standard, cannot comment on any recent stock. I have two ties, purchased in 2004 and 2007 respectively, and both have held up well.

 

[jrd617]

High End: Attolini Ballantyne Barba Barbera Battistoni Ben Silver Bizzocchi Borrelli Breuer Brioni Canali Charles Hill Charvet Corneliani Cucinelli Drake's Duchamp Dunhill Hermes Holliday & Brown Isaia Jay Kos Kent Wang (SF member Kent Wang's line) Kiton Lorenzini Marinella Matuozzo Nicky Panta (SF member Edmorel's line) Partenopea Paul Stuart Richard James RL Black Label RL Purple Label Robert Talbott Best of Class Robert Talbott Seven Fold Rubinacci Sam Hober (SF member Sam Hober's line) Stefano Ricci Stile Latino (an Attolini line) Tie Your Tie (rare, from the shop in Florence) Tom Ford Turnbull & Asser Wayne Edwards Zegna Couture Mid-Range: Altea Aquascutum Bert Pulitzer Brooks Brothers Burberry Church’s Ferragamo Forsyth Hart Schaffner Marx (made in USA) Hickey Freeman (made in USA) Ike Behar J. Press Lochcarron Paul Smith Robert Tablott (non BOC) RL Polo Yves Saint Laurent Zegna Zileri

 

[Liquidus]

There was a thread about this exact topic in 2009, here's the best post from that thread.

 

[jrd617]

^ Didn't see that one. But it's not as comprehensive

 

[softy]

Petronius

 

[Wongtouski]

Any love for Altea ties here on SF? They seem to be pretty good quality for it's price.

 

[Ich_Dien]

Altea ties are very good for the money, I think.

 

[TheWGP]

Agreed on Altea - they're not the best ties ever but they're readily and cheaply available, which has to count for something, right?

Also, I'd actually submit that the recent Zegna mainline ties should be moved to the top tier - the "selvedge-tip-label" versions. The older ones, definitely lower tier. It's just like how older Brionis often are less impressive than newer Brionis - only the newer Zegnas are worlds above the older Zegnas.

Finally, this was commented on earlier, but I'd mention it again: there's a LOT of variation in your "top tier" as it stands. To shoot fish in a barrel, compare Kiton/Attolini/Marinella/Tom Ford/Charvet with RT BOC or RLBL or Ben Silver.

Oh, and an interesting note: the Church's ties appear to be made by the same factory Zegna uses, or at least share care tags, construction details and sewing styles. Or at least that's been the case for the ones I've compared.

 

[Diversification]

I realize this thread hasn't been touched in a while, but I just wanted to thank those who contributed to it. Familiarizing myself with the different brands isn't an easy task: having a list of highly regarded names makes things a bit easier for me.

 

[unbelragazzo]



High End: Attolini Ballantyne Barba Barbera Battistoni Ben Silver Bizzocchi Borrelli Breuer Brioni Canali Charles Hill Charvet Corneliani Cucinelli Drake's Duchamp Dunhill Hermes Holliday & Brown Isaia Jay Kos Kent Wang (SF member Kent Wang's line) Kiton Lorenzini Marinella Matuozzo Nicky Panta (SF member Edmorel's line) Partenopea Paul Stuart Richard James RL Black Label RL Purple Label Robert Talbott Best of Class Robert Talbott Seven Fold Rubinacci Sam Hober (SF member Sam Hober's line) Stefano Ricci Stile Latino (an Attolini line) Tie Your Tie (rare, from the shop in Florence) Tom Ford Turnbull & Asser Wayne Edwards Zegna Couture Mid-Range: Altea Aquascutum Bert Pulitzer Brooks Brothers Burberry Church’s Ferragamo Forsyth Hart Schaffner Marx (made in USA) Hickey Freeman (made in USA) Ike Behar J. Press Lochcarron Paul Smith Robert Tablott (non BOC) RL Polo Yves Saint Laurent Zegna Zileri

I'd nominate gshen's Vanda ties to be on par with or exceeding anything I own, and I own several within the 'High End' category.

 

[othertravel]

I think we need to add "Anthime Mouley". French-based company that makes hand-made ties for :

Lanvin, since 1960
Cerruti, since 1988
Nina Ricci, from 2000 to 2008
Atelier F&B, since 2002
Dormeuil, since 2004
Yves St Laurent, since 2009

(Above info from their website).