Your opinions please on Grenadine ties!

[Florian2]

I love grenadine ties and would like to order a few. But there's a lot of open questions

1) Do you feel they go with everything? Or are there only certain jacket and trousers materials that go with grenadine? (I'm working on the assumption they go with everything) Are there any occasions where you would NOT wear grenadine?

2) Where would I get the best bespoke grenadine ties? I need around a 65 inch length. So I usually can't buy off the rack? I've heard the names Sam Hober, Elisabetta thrown around. But also Vanda Fine Clothing in Singapore; E & G Capelli;Tie Your Tie Florence,

3) Any thoughts on garza fine vs garza grossa? Which of these can you wear with what?

4) How many folds? 4,6,7? Lined or unlined? Rolled or unrolled? I sometimes feel that that see-through look is a little messy? Or does it go against the spirit of the grenadine to have it lined in silk?

5) I see that some people wear them with a square end? Is this still formal? Or is that quite informal?

6) Finally, and this is a real specialist question: would you say it's true that the only good grenadine fabric comes from two mills: Fermo Fossati and Seteria Bianchi?

Curious to hear if you have any answers.

Florian2

 

[Bayou Tiger]

I love grenadine ties and would like to order a few. But there's a lot of open questions

1) Do you feel they go with everything? Or are there only certain jacket and trousers materials that go with grenadine? (I'm working on the assumption they go with everything) Are there any occasions where you would NOT wear grenadine?

2) Where would I get the best bespoke grenadine ties? I need around a 65 inch length. So I usually can't buy off the rack? I've heard the names Sam Hober, Elisabetta thrown around. But also Vanda Fine Clothing in Singapore; E & G Capelli;Tie Your Tie Florence,

3) Any thoughts on garza fine vs garza grossa? Which of these can you wear with what?

4) How many folds? 4,6,7? Lined or unlined? Rolled or unrolled? I sometimes feel that that see-through look is a little messy? Or does it go against the spirit of the grenadine to have it lined in silk?

5) I see that some people wear them with a square end? Is this still formal? Or is that quite informal?

6) Finally, and this is a real specialist question: would you say it's true that the only good grenadine fabric comes from two mills: Fermo Fossati and Seteria Bianchi?

Curious to hear if you have any answers.

Florian2

Grenadine ties are my favorite, and I wear them at least 90% of the time.

Sam Hober has tremendous quality and has unrivaled value at the price. The will also make the ties to your specified length.

For my rotation the black grenadine grossa is formal and good for funerals or versatile with a charcoal suit. I wear the navy grenadine grossa or burgundy grenadine fina for business. There are a variety of other grenadines that I dress down with based on color or pattern.

These ties when I wear them are the subject of compliments and questions from people whose style I respect.

 

[Florian2]

Grenadine ties are my favorite, and I wear them at least 90% of the time.

Sam Hober has tremendous quality and has unrivaled value at the price. The will also make the ties to your specified length.

For my rotation the black grenadine grossa is formal and good for funerals or versatile with a charcoal suit. I wear the navy grenadine grossa or burgundy grenadine fina for business. There are a variety of other grenadines that I dress down with based on color or pattern.

These ties when I wear them are the subject of compliments and questions from people whose style I respect.

Thanks very much. How wide do you feel they should be ideally? 3.5 inches? And do you have the lined or unlined? And rolled or not?

 

[circumspice]

Bullet points:

I don't like grenadines with sport coats, only suits. They feel too formal, generally for SC. I also like knit ties, so this might just be a manifestation of some layer in my mind thinking "He could have just worn a knit instead"

I like grossa, but all work

Width? 3.5 is a good choice, but if you skew wider, 3.75 might also work

Square ends are probably knit ties, not grenadines

Brands/makers - Tie Your Tie can be pricey when Vanda stuff seems to often have more elegant rolled edges. I'll pay the TyT tax when there is something unique from a fabric standpoint, but grenadine is basically a solved question - as you called out, it seems that there a couple suppliers of the fabric, and the output seems to be consistent

 

[Bayou Tiger]

Thanks very much. How wide do you feel they should be ideally? 3.5 inches? And do you have the lined or unlined? And rolled or not?

I go for 3.25" 4-fold and don't specify the other two, so likely unlined and unrolled.

There are different opinions on tie width, but 3.25" suits my frame and lapels. I am 5"9' 170 with a 38 jacket size.

 

[Sam Hober]

1) Do you feel they go with everything? Or are there only certain jacket and trousers materials that go with grenadine? (I'm working on the assumption they go with everything) Are there any occasions where you would NOT wear grenadine?

2) Where would I get the best bespoke grenadine ties? I need around a 65 inch length. So I usually can't buy off the rack? I've heard the names Sam Hober, Elisabetta thrown around. But also Vanda Fine Clothing in Singapore; E & G Capelli;Tie Your Tie Florence,

3) Any thoughts on garza fine vs garza grossa? Which of these can you wear with what?

4) How many folds? 4,6,7? Lined or unlined? Rolled or unrolled? I sometimes feel that that see-through look is a little messy? Or does it go against the spirit of the grenadine to have it lined in silk?

5) I see that some people wear them with a square end? Is this still formal? Or is that quite informal?

6) Finally, and this is a real specialist question: would you say it's true that the only good grenadine fabric comes from two mills: Fermo Fossati and Seteria Bianchi?

Curious to hear if you have any answers.

Florian2

Florian2,

Good questions.

1) You are correct - Grenadine ties go with everything.

2) Capelli makes good custom made ties.

3) The two basic weaves are are both beautiful and elegant. Go with your first thought/preference. Note Prometeo and Piccola are very similar. You can wear both with anything.

4) Go with 4-folds unless you like a heavy tie then a 6-fold go with a good wool interlining.

Normal edges unless you are certain that you love the look of rolled edges with no tipping. The see-through look with no tipping and rolled edges is an acquired taste. Some love it some don't. 99% of the grenadines out there have silk tipping.

5) Very rarely will you see a grenadine with a flat end. Not formal.

6) Yes, you are correct there are only two silk mills that weave grenadines. But they have the same owner.

 

[gimpwiz]

6) Yes, you are correct there are only two silk mills that weave grenadines. But they have the same owner.

Spiderman pointing at spiderman dot jpg

 

[DorianGreen]

Grenadines are my favourite ties and, besides being very elegant, they are also versatile. I wear them with my sport coats, as I don't have any suits, but they are formal enough, especially the "garza piccola", to go with anything.

 

[TomTom]

Love grenadine ties. They go with everything so I wear them with suits, SC, blazers etc. My preference is 3.34" or 8.5cm.
I'm also more partial to garza grossa as it just gives it more texture. The fina is too similar to my knit ties which I also like.

 

[comrade]

Like them, but not for suits sport coats with lots of texture and
pattern, eg tweeds, etc. I wear wide ties around 3.75 in.mostly.

 

[te0o]

Love grenadine ties. They go with everything so I wear them with suits, SC, blazers etc. My preference is 3.34" or 8.5cm.
I'm also more partial to garza grossa as it just gives it more texture. The fina is too similar to my knit ties which I also like.

Where do you get yours at 8.5cm?

 

[pasadena man]

I really like them. I have had a number for a long time. I wear them more now.

With the increasing “casualization” of CM, there has been a concomitant trend towards plain colors in suits, shirts, and ties. Google images of any celebrity on the red carpet and they are likely to be in a plain blue or grey suit with a plain blue or white shirt and a solid-colored tie. There will be far fewer glen plaids, pinstripes, or foulards than twenty years ago. I assume that stars’ stylists have converged on this solution set; if you have got to be “fancy”/CM, make it plain.

As a result, solid grenadines are a nice solution with this kind of ensemble, since grenadine provides significant textural interest and contrast in a solid color.

I am 6’, 180, and a 42 R, I find that 3.5” works better than 3.25” to my eye. I took photos of both sizes and was startled how much I preferred the larger size. If I was a 38 R I think I would prefer 3.25”.

I prefer the texture of grossa, but buy fina because I find them less likely to snag, the one real downside to grenadines in my experience.

Most of my grenadines are from Sam Hober or Kent Wang, with the exception of one Sulka (a great, near legendary, now defunct, label).

 

[TomTom]

Where do you get yours at 8.5cm?

I got a couple of them from Exquisite trimmings website and I also know that EG Cappelli had some in the future.

 

[DorianGreen]

Some nice Grenadines from Marino.

Unfortunately at 8,5 cm they are too narrow for my taste, 9,5 cm is my standard.

Available here:
https://www.woolsboutiqueuomo.com/products/wine-red-regimental-silk-tie-grenadine

 

[Florian2]

Dear David,

Thank you very much for your reply.

2) Capelli makes good custom made ties.

Understood, Capelli it is, then. Thanks for steering me away from those Sam Hober ties (jk)

3) The two basic weaves are are both beautiful and elegant. Go with your first thought/preference. Note Prometeo and Piccola are very similar. You can wear both with anything.

4) Go with 4-folds unless you like a heavy tie then a 6-fold go with a good wool interlining.

Normal edges unless you are certain that you love the look of rolled edges with no tipping. The see-through look with no tipping and rolled edges is an acquired taste. Some love it some don't. 99% of the grenadines out there have silk tipping.

Thanks for this explanation. When I was once in a very elegant menswear store in Italy, because I needed a black necktie for a funeral, all they had was an unlined/untipped/rolled grenadine tie. The very expert salesperson said he would not recommend this one, as it was not formal enough for a funeral. I kind of understood what he meant, because the see-thorugh-rolled thing does have a little bit of a James-Bond-y, lifestyle-y, sprezzatura connotation, which may just not be appropriate for a funeral. Its style seems to say: 'this is more about me than about the occasion.'

Thanks for these explanations. If you will indulge me, I have a few more questions:

1) Are all the patterns on your grenadine ties actually woven into the design? Are they ever dyed/painted after the weaving?

2) What is the fundamental difference between grenadine and knitted silk?

2) I so far only have one grenadine tie, that I bought as an XL of I think 63 inches, and that within one year has weirdly expanded to 67 or so. I really don't tug or it or anything. So I wonder if that is the normal trajectory of a grenadine tie? Should I expect them to have only a limited life span?

3) How would you clean a grenadine tie if there is a spot? Or would you pretty much just dispose of these ties if they get a blemish, like from a salad dressing? Throwing them away has been my course of action wit ties until now. I think of a tie as an accent of perfection. And so even the slightest tarnish on a tie makes it lose its value for me. And even normal silk is so delicate. I think grenadine even more so?

More questions to come if you'll humor me with these!

Thanks!