Put This On

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. If you’re going to “dress like a grown up,” please don’t do it with college student short-cuts. 

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. They might be good things to invest in since the interlinings of ties are made of wool, which can attract moths. 

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)

It’s On eBay

Wine Red Grenadine Necktie by Jay Kos

The solid color and rich texture of the grenadine necktie make it one of the most versatile and elegant ties one can buy.  A good color goes with almost anything and always looks sharp.

Starts at $9.99, ends Tuesday

It’s On eBay

New & Lingwood Woven Tie with “Space Invaders” theme

Don’t say I never did anything for you, geeks.

$30 Buy It Now (Retail about $85)

Harris Tweed Neckties for $30

You won’t get much wear out of them before the weather turns warm, but you’ll be glad to have them come October.  Hats & caps are quite reasonably priced, as well.

(via &)

Q and Answer

Ian writes:

You recently posted about a $60 tie. My immediate thought when I saw it (and whenever I see any shop that sells what I would term expensive ties) was are they really worth it? What do I get for my money? All my ties are £3 jobs from vintage shops or £9 things off the high street. I even bought a plain black tie for 100 yen when I desperately needed one that I still wear.

The second part of my question is this: am I only failing to see the value of more expensive ties because I find it absurd that a tie can cost more than any shirt I own and about half as much as any suit I own? Would you agree that it is absurd to wear a £60 tie if you only own a £120 suit?

Let’s start with this: is there a difference between a cheap tie and an expensive tie?  The answer is an unequivocal “yes.”

The essential component in a tie is a piece of pretty fabric, usually silk.  In a cheap tie, this silk is of poor quality - less attractive, prone to damage, lightweight, poorly printed.  In the best ties, the silk is richer, thicker and more attractive.

In cheap ties, the manufacturers make every effort to use as little silk as possible.  That means wrapping their thin layer of silk around a piece of wool, which provides the heft needed to make a knot.  In good ties, this lining is of higher quality, and the secondary silk which covers the backside of the front blade is made of this same silk.  In the best ties, the whole tie is made of silk, as pictured above.

The quality of these materials is apparent to the eye, but perhaps the most important quality indicator for a necktie is the quality of the knot.  Poor quality neckties tie poorly - their knots lose their dimples, they lack the weight to remain uniform and so on.

Does that mean you should buy expensive neckties?  Like any other piece of clothing, that depends on your means and your will.

Certainly I don’t recommend buying most neckties at full price.  There are inexpensive neckties - like those from Lands’ End - which will give you solid if unspectacular quality and are often on sale.  There are department store brands, like, say, Facconable (usually made by the French maker Breuer) which can similarly be found in the world’s Nordstrom Racks for $30 or so.  And of course, if you have the time and a good eye, the necktie is the one item that for the vast majority of men always fits, so it’s the perfect item to buy at thrift and consignment stores.

Of course, there are challenges to this budget approach.  The main one is that you’re generally picking through others’ cast-offs.  The things at the thrift, the things on sale, they’re always something someone else didn’t want.  That means, above all, that you will find lots of oddities and very few basics.  This is true of thrift stores and sales and discount stores and the whole nine yards.  When you’re dressing with oddities, you will need many more items of clothing than when you’re dressing with basics.

I find though that there are generally two kinds of men.  One has many, many neckties.  Whether acquired through expensive or inexpensive means, they have more ties than they can reasonably wear.  That person would benefit from passing on five or six $10 ties to buy a quality tie in a classic style for $60.

The other is the man with two or three ties.  Again, this is a man who for $180 could assure that he would look good, not passable, for the next ten years’ worth of necktie-required events.  When you’re spending $1000 to fly to a wedding, perhaps it’s not crazy to spend $60 on a nice tie.

It’s On Sale

Grenadine ties from J. Press

As I’ve explained before, there is no more wearable necktie than the grenadine.  The solid color makes it exceptionally easy to pair with a broad range of shirts and coats, and the texture makes it, well, not dull.  Burgundy, navy and black grenadines are absolute staples - you could, honestly, be well dressed with just those three ties.

$59.62 (from $79.50) from J. Press

The Cordial Churchman makes custom bow ties - for $23 each.  What started as a sewing project for a husband who wanted a seersucker bowtie is now a business, and Ellie Laveer Stager now makes bows in all styles from any fabric you like (or some of the fabrics she has on hand).  Above is the Woolyman.

The silk grenadine tie is so-called for its distinctively textured weave.  It’s typically (though not exclusively) manufactured in solid colors.  The value of the grenadine tie is that its solid color makes it easy to pair with busier shirts and coats, and its texture gives it visual interest.  This makes the grenadine the perfect jack-of-all-trades tie, particularly in simple colors like black, navy and burgundy.  Many designers make grenadines from time to time, but you can reliably find them at J. Press, Paul Stuart and Turnbull & Asser.  For a similar price (but a longer wait), they can be ordered bespoke from Sam Hober, who will make them to your length & width specifications.