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Q and Answer: New Life For Old Ties

Justus writes to us to ask: My family has been divvying up my grandfather’s clothes after he recently passed away. Most of it is too large for me, but he did have some very nice silk ties. The problem is, they’re all very wide – about 5″ or so. Can I get them narrowed, and if so, what should I expect to pay? And is the amount worth it or should I just buy new ties?

You can definitely narrow a tie, and the good news is: it’s not a difficult job. You just have to find someone with experience (make sure they don’t flatten the tie when they press it). Expect to pay anywhere from $10 to $25 for the work. A small price, we think, if the tie holds sentimental value. 

Many tailors will alter ties, but if you can’t find someone local, I’ve had great success sending my ties to TieCrafters, a specialty shop in NYC. They have over sixty-three years of experience in the trade – cleaning, repairing, and altering ties and scarves – and were recommended by Alan Flusser in his book Style and the Man. Shipping back and forth will add to your cost, but they do great work. 

Other notable services from TieCrafters, which can help breathe new life into old ties:

• Alterations: In addition to narrowing, TieCrafters can also widen and shorten ties. The only issue with widening is the material. Andy Tarshis, president of the company, tells us that woven silks can be more stubborn than printed silks, wools, and linens. “Woven silks have a tendency to show lines where the tie was previously creased,” he says. “It can also be tough to widen a tie if it’s been hard pressed, but we can take a look at a tie before starting a job.” 
  
• Repairing: Ties can break down in any number of ways. The interlining can stretch out and curl (making it difficult to get a good dimple); the back of the blade can start to fray (from years of rubbing against your belt); and the neckband can start to thin out. Any of these issues can be repaired, although with thinning neckbands, you can wind up with a seam under where you typically knot (and about three inches less off the length). That’ll require a bit more playing around when you’re tying your tie – so that the seam is buried under the knot – but the extra effort might be worth it if the tie is special to you.
  
• Cleaning: You often hear that a tie’s life ends when a meatball rolls down the front, but that’s just because most dry cleaners aren’t equipped to clean ties. They throw them in big cleaning machines, which in turn ruins the silk. TieCrafters, on the other hand, spot cleans with special equipment – and although they can’t get all stains out, they’ll be a lot better than your local cleaner. “Alcohol can pull color and ink can be stubborn,” says Tarshis. “But most food stains are fine – so long as we get a tie sooner, rather than later. Time sets stains.” 

Q and Answer: How to Properly Untie a Tie

Shawn writes: I feel like I’ve read a million articles on ways to tie a tie (I stick to the trusty double-four-in-hand), but none on the proper way to untie one. Any suggestions? Haphazardly yanking the back blade through the knot is starting to take its toll on the stitching.

You’re right to not want to yank it off. Hastily pulling on your ties not only ruins the stitching, but more importantly, the interlining sandwiched inside. If done enough times, you’ll find that it can be increasingly difficult to get a good knot and dimple. 

The best way to untie a tie is to simply reverse the process you used to tie it. I personally loosen mine a bit until I can slip it off of my head, and then manually undo the knot with my fingers. Once done, I hang it on a hook for a day or two, so that the wrinkles fall out naturally. 

Granted, this isn’t as sexy as what you see in the movies – where some suit and tie guy comes home and throws his jacket on the bed, then rips his tie off in a seemingly reverse lasso move – but it helps preserve the tie until a meatball rolls down it and ruins it for good. 

If you do find that the interlining is starting to give way, there are some services you can use to replace it. Some makers, such as Drake’s, will replace the interlining for a small fee (although, I’ve heard this is only done for their best customers, as it’s a time intensive process). For men in the US, there’s also a TieCrafters, which is the best tie repair and recrafting service I know of. They’re not inexpensive – especially if you have to account for shipping – but they can be a good way to help preserve your favorite pieces of neckwear. 

(Photo via Mr. Porter)

eBay Roundup

Jesse and I found some great stuff over the weekend, including some Loden Barbour coats (sizes 38 and 40), Quoddy mocs, and a striped raw silk tie that you can get narrowed at TieCrafters for about $25. I’m also selling some striped canvas totes from the Hudson’s Bay Company at a holiday discounted price of just $22 (down from $30). They’d make for a nice stocking stuffer this season, and would work great as beach tote, something to help carry groceries, or just as a general carrying bag. Hard to go wrong for $22. 

If you’d like to find more great auctions on eBay, try using our customized search links. We’ve made them for high-end suits, good suits, high-quality shirts and fine footwear. 

• Brown flecked tweed, 36
• Light blue linen sport coat, 40

eBay Round Up

We have some really nice ties today in the neckwear section, but a few of them may need to be narrowed. You can get that job done at your local tailor’s or Tiecrafters for about $20. Also, just for fun, check out these balmoral boots by John Lobb. I’m certain they’ll end at some incredibly high price, but they’re still awesome to look at nonetheless. 

If you’d like to find other good auctions, remember that you can use our search links for excellent suits, good suits, and high-end footwear. 

• Herbert Johnson fedoras (6 7/8, 7, 7 ¼)
• Unfinished pocket squares
• Abercrombie & Fitch watch
• Dobbs brown fedora, 7 1/8
• Vintage Ullyse Nardin Chrono watch
• Pineider station set
• Pineider key case
• Phineas Cole pocket square
• SAB black case
• Derek Rose pajamas, various sizes
• Begg charcoal scarf

If you want access to an extra roundup every week, exclusive to members, join Put This On’s Inside Track for just five bucks a month.

eBay Round Up

As Jesse noted over a year ago, a basic, navy, silk necktie is one of the most versatile and classy ties you can own. We found two or three, and we’ve put them in the tie section. If you need them slimmed, you can take them to TieCrafters. Don’t bother bidding too high, however. You can always get a brand new navy grenadine from Paul Winston for $47.50. 

Finally, if nothing here strikes your fancy, remember that you can search eBay with our customized links for excellent suits, good suits, and well made footwear. We’ve filtered out the obviously terrible brands so that you can at least only sift through the well-made stuff.

Suits, sport coats, and blazers

• Rising Sun sweatshirt, S (pictured above; details at Orvis)
• Buzz Rickson white sweatshirt, L

eBay Round Up

My favorites today probably include these belts, some of the men's Barbour jackets, and this Borrelli tie (you can get it slimmed at Tiecrafters). To find more good stuff, use our special search links for excellent suits, good suits, and well made footwear. 

Suits, sport coats, and blazers

The Necktie Series, Part VIII: Taking Care of Your Collection

For the final installment of my special series on neckties, I thought I’d end by talking a little about how to maintain your collection. At this point, I’ve hopefully convinced you that quality ties are worth purchasing over cheaper ones. So let’s talk a little about how to make your purchases last. 

Removing your tie: Always untie your tie in the same way you tied it. Never yank on the tail until it comes through the knot. If you do this, you will stretch out and misshape the interior and exterior fabrics, which over time will cause warping. Also, make sure your nails are nicely trimmed when you reverse the knot. Especially for some silk ties, such as diamond weaves by Charvet, a loose nail can pull the silk when you dig your fingers in. 

Every once in a while, some new member on StyleForum will confess that they leave their ties knotted and just hang them up by their loops. This is terrible. First of all, it robs you of the pleasure of tying a knot, which is really enjoyable once you become good at it. Second, by keeping your ties knotted, you misshapen the blade and create really nasty wrinkles that will be hard to get out. 

Removing wrinkles: Some people iron their ties with a towel between the hot iron and silk. I’ve seen a few ties ruined this way, so I can’t imagine ever doing this to one of mine. Instead, I recommend just hanging up your tie after you wear it. If you buy quality ties, the interlining will be made of wool, so the fabric will naturally relax. If you’re in a pinch, try hanging the tie up in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. The soft steam from the shower should help the process along. 

Storing your ties: For most of my ties, I hang them up after I wear them so that the fabric can relax. Then the next day, I fold them in half, so that each pointed end is touching each other, and then loosely roll them up. For knit ties, I skip the hanging part because they don’t wrinkle, and are more likely to warp if they’re hung for too long. Those just get loosely rolled up when I get home. 

You can store your rolled up ties in a drawer with or without an organizer (I personally use one like these). Woodlore also has some nice cedar equipment, which you can buy for pretty cheap through Meijer. 

If you have a large collection of ties, or don’t wear yours that often, it may be better to just hang your ties up instead of rolling them. I’ve found that when ties have been stored rolled up for too long, they can retain a bit of a curve once you unroll them. It falls out within about an hour’s wear, but I suppose the problem can be avoided altogether by just hanging your pieces. 

Cleaning: Jesse wrote a great post about how to clean ties. I strongly agree with his TieCrafters recommendation. They’ve done wonders for the ties I’ve accidentally damaged. They can also do alterations on your ties - making them shorter or skinnier - if you need them to. Just remind them that you don’t want your ties pressed, otherwise you’ll lose the nice soft edges. 

Traveling with your tie: I’m a graduate student, so I only need one tie when I travel. As such, I wear mine on the plane. For people who need more ties when they travel, you can try rolling up your ties and putting them in your shoes, which you then pack into your luggage. This can be unpleasant if you have stinky shoes, however. For those people, try these leatherette roll cases (with or without a button clasp) or Col. Littleton’s No. 12 tie case. I’ve never tried any of these products, however, so I can’t attest to their quality. 

So that’s it. I’ve talked about how ties are constructed and what makes for a quality piece. I’ve also recommended the basic styles that you should start with and talked about how to best tie a knot. With this final post about how to maintain your collection, I think you should be well on your way to bettering your collection. To review the previous installments of this series, click here. 

I’m currently working on a similar series for custom shirts, and I’m really excited to say that it’s even better than this tie series. Keep an eye out for it. 

(photo credit: Sartoriana Antiquitus)

Q and Answer: How to Clean a Tie

Norm writes: I recently bought a lovely cornflower blue silk tie. I first wore it about two weeks ago, but it was only today that I discovered several small spots near the point or unknown origin. Do you have any recommendation on how to clean a silk tie? All I have ever heard is to not use water. Is it even worth cleaning a silk tie or should I just buy a new tie (assuming I can find a similar tie, of course)?

First, the bad news: you’re probably screwed.

There are, however, some things you can try should you happen to stain a necktie.

First of all, you can take it to the professionals. Don’t send it the cleaner unless you have one you trust absolutely to spot clean without dry cleaning or pressing. Send it to a necktie specialist. Tiecrafters, in New York, have been specializing in cleaning ties for more than fifty years. They take ties by mail, and they will spot clean your ties and refresh them, without pressing them flat as most dry cleaners will. The service costs $11.75 per tie, with a minimum order of four. Not cheap, but worth it if you’re talking about a favorite tie.

If you don’t want to take that route, you can try to treat the stain at home. If it’s a grease stain, first put some talcum powder or corn starch on top of the stain and allow it to sit overnight. Then brush off the talc, which will have absorbed some of the grease. This can be repeated until the grease stain is invisible.

For other types of stains, you can try a standard spray stain remover - spray it on the stain (don’t soak) and blot to dry with a clean cloth. This may remove color from the tie along with the stain, but that’s the risk you must take.
You can treat ties with a fabric protectant like Scotchguard if you like. I’ve never done this myself, but I’ve heard from those that do that they notice no difference in the appearance of the tie.