Bored with my neckties, let's talk about options

[Tobus]

I wear neckties regularly to work, and have done so for many years. I'm the Regional Engineer for the South Region of a commercial construction company. As the manager of our engineering department I don't have to wear a tie, and in fact I'm the only person in the office who does. I just like to, since it maintains an almost extinct sense of decorum and professionalism; it's my small way of rebelling against the trend of casual dress at work. Simply put, I just enjoy the sense of personal style that comes with wearing a tie and shirtsleeves during the workday. A suit, or even a waistcoat/jacket, would be overkill in this evironment.

I also, of course, wear a tie with my kilt when appropriate. Not all my neckties are of a style suitable for kilting, but I do like to have as many options as I can that will do double-duty.

A few days ago I decided to reorganise my ties neatly on hangers, as they tend to become a jumbled mess over time. It's been a while since I inventoried my ties, but apparently I have 55 neckties and 4 bowties. I have skinny ties, fat ties, striped ties, paisley ties, tartan ties, plain solid-colour ties, silk ties, wool ties, knit ties, vintage art deco ties, you name it. I probably only wear about 35 of them on a regular basis, and could get rid of about 20 of them that I just don't care for that much. The ones I need to get rid of just aren't my style or don't go well with my build (I'm on the small side, and super-fat ties don't suit my physique).

What I want to do is rotate out my seldom-worn ties and replace them with something I'll wear more often. But I'm not about to go out and buy 20 brand-new ties. Have you priced neckties lately? My goodness, they're expensive. I need to do this in a budget-friendly manner.

So, with that said, do you have any online sources of inexpensive neckties that are still decent quality? I have some sources I shop regularly, but let's see what you have to share.

Are there others here with neckties in their closets that aren't worn? Is there any interest in an XMTS necktie swap? Maybe we could do some trading, or you have some you'd be willing to sell off. If so, we would need to do it in the swap forum (yes, we have one, which rarely gets used). I just want to see if there's interest here before taking the time to sort them out, photograph them, and post them.

And a question: I have a handful of ties that I otherwise like, but they are just too wide. Has anybody successfully modified a tie to make it narrower? It would appear that many ties could just have a few stitches removed, then be re-pressed at a narrower width (more overlap in the back), but I'm not sure if it's really that simple. I've decided that anything wider than 2.75" just isn't suitable for me. Some of my 3.5" wide ties need to skinny up. Thoughts?

[Father Bill]

Obviously (or not) as a priest, I don't wear ties nearly so often as I did when I was a headmaster, but in my later years in that role, I discovered something important for this discussion of ties:

Simply put, most people who grumble about the "constriction" of wearing a tie are wearing a shirt with too small a collar and tightening the tie to the shirt. In my later years in the office, I upped my shirt size by 1/2 to a full size, tightened the tie NOT to my neck, but to the shirt collar, and both felt, and looked good.

Similar to that, and to buttress the idea, when I was about to be ordained, I asked a friend, a female priest, about clerical collar choice. Now, her husband, also a priest, is probably the most laid back fellow I've ever met - contented, pleasant, quiet, and almost constantly smiling gently. He's also really, really skinny, especially his neck, so shirts that fit his torso are loose around the neck.

Her comment was this: "Collar your normal size or 1/2 size smaller makes an unhappy priest. Preaches hell and damnation. 1/2 to one size larger, makes a happy priest. Preaches love and salvation." Then pointing to her husband lounging in the doorway she added, "Rob wears a collar two sizes too big."

And he does! His neck is absolutely loose inside his collar. He nodded and grinned wordlessly at her comment, but you know, Rob always preaches love and salvation, and he's one of the happiest priests I've ever met.

It works. Whatever your tie, don't get a shirt with too tight a collar!

[CollinMacD]

Yeah, but to you have a Yellow Submarine Tie....my prize tie



Yes a good tailor can cut a wide tie down, but worth the price of the labor? I had it done once, and it cost me more than the tie was worth.

[Tobus]

Valid point on collar sizing, Father Bill. But there's a lot more to comfort than that, as long as we're on the subject!

Shirt makers, like most other clothing manufacturers I suppose, tend to make their shirts in "standard" sizing. And of course, virtually nobody is a standard size. When you buy a shirt off-the-rack, you can choose to either have a correct neck size, chest/shoulder size, or sleeve length, but probably not all three. To get that, you have to buy a more expensive made-to-order shirt. I've gone both routes, and obviously prefer made-to-order. But that gets expensive. To get a comfortable neck size in off-the-rack shirts, I usually end up with sleeves that are too long, or shoulder seams that are just past the points of my shoulders. It feels sloppy and ill-fitting.

The other part of the comfort equation, which I've mentioned before, is collar height. This one aggravates me. Everybody focuses on collar type (spread collar, point collar, etc.), but it's pretty rare to find a maker that offers any variability on the standing height of the collar. I am not a long-necked individual, and most standard collars will ride above the hairline in the back, making them uncomfortable by the end of the day. Yes, a looser collar fit will help here, but still, the top of the collar will rub my hair. Finding shorter collared shirts is tough!

CollinMacD, that's an ...interesting tie. Personally, I don't wear themed ties. I used to when I was younger, and had quite an array of them (Harley Davidson ties, ones with tools on them, and similar). I think my tastes have changed to the point where I have more appreciation for the subtleties (personal flair?) of traditional ties. Even paisley is getting to the reach of my personal taste, when it comes to patterns. That's not to say I don't like patterns - I do love a tartan tie - but I think I like smaller repeating patterns rather than large loud flowery-type patterns or ones with pictures on them.

That said, I do like simple ties that have a small item on the front. An example would be the tie I'm wearing below, which is a rather plain green skinny tie with a small embroidered bird on it. And I have several art deco skinny ties from the 1950s with simple geometric patterns near the bottom. It's kind of hard to describe my tastes in ties, but I know when I like one and when I don't!

The other thing I'm appreciating more and more these days is texture. I'm almost to the point where I'm more interested in texture than colour. Knit ties, wool ties, and the like. I'm bored with silk and other texturally-devoid materials. Weird, right?

[Blaidd]

Tobus, apologies, but I am not totally conversant with many of the tartans displayed across the forum; that one appears particularly nice (on my monitor here) - could you name it for me please. Thanks in advance.

I agree with your texture sentiment regarding ties. Most of my military ties (uniform) are knitted variety and I find them particularly good for kilted attire, as well as when in 'sports jacket' (tweed) in civilian dress. Silk have their place (or quality man made) with business suits, which I also find myself in regularly. Either way, like you, I know when I like one!

Edit: having just caught up with your subsequent posts, the picture of your ties; the one on the right looks very similar to a Royal Green Jackets (now part of the Rifles) regimental tie! A Light Infantry regiment close to my heart - they were my first in the army! Nice to see again. Thank you.

[Tobus]

Tobus, apologies, but I am not totally conversant with many of the tartans displayed across the forum; that one appears particularly nice (on my monitor here) - could you name it for me please. Thanks in advance.

That kilt was made by Barb Tewksbury, using Reproduction Colquhoun tartan material from DC Dalgliesh. It's part of their "reproduction" colour palette, which they can weave for any tartan sett. But the tartan itself is the same sett as regular old Colquhoun clan tartan (which is my clan connection via Kilpatrick).

In this colour palette, greens go to brown and blues go to a faded blue. Reds go to a lighter orangy-red, whites go to cream, and blacks go to dark grey (or dark brown, actually). I believe it's supposed to represent the natural aging of original dyes, although research has shown that this is more fanciful than true. But I do like the general look of it. Visually, it's similar to the "weathered" colour scheme used by another weaver. Here's what DC Dalgliesh has to say about this palette:

"Probably the most historically authentic tartans on the market, derived from fragment of tartan cloth more than two centuries old, dug up from the historic Culloden Moor in 1946. Careful analysis and research into the original dyes by DC Dalgliesh led to a range of tartans designed to be authentic in colour and design to those worn in 1745 and before. They have a soft muted effect reminiscent of the days when vegetable sources such as lichen, moss and alder bark provided the dyer's raw materials."

I'd take that with a grain of salt, but still, the colours are appealing.

In the photos below, you can see the Reproduction Colquhoun next to my Ancient Colquhoun kilt. Same sett, just different colour schemes. But again, you can turn any tartan into this colour scheme by having them weave it in that palette, if they don't already. They do stock some clan tartans in that scheme as stock tartans.

[tweedhead]

The other thing I'm appreciating more and more these days is texture. I'm almost to the point where I'm more interested in texture than colour. Knit ties, wool ties, and the like. I'm bored with silk and other texturally-devoid materials. Weird, right?

I'm a big fan of textured ties myself, and that's what I like to play with. It gives you lots of options for visual interest without getting loud, so I have a few observations I've made while wearing them over the past few years.

Knit ties made of silk, particularly the less expensive ones, are very delicate and threads break or get pulled easily, especially if you have rough hands (I'm a gardener by profession so the skin on my fingers, especially in winter when I wear ties most often, is often cracked and callused). They also don't have a lot of body to them and are quite floppy and thin, so they work best with less intensive and looser knots. I stuck with four in hand or the four in hand with an extra loop if I wanted to bulk the knot up. Pulling the knot too tight makes it lumpy because there's little interfacing, so I try to hit a sweet spot where its just firm enough to hold.

I find that wool neckties are best if not combined with waistcoats because the rougher texture works them up and out over the course of the day and you have to stuff it back down, and I hate having to use a tie clip underneath a waistcoat to hold a tie down in place. That's what the waistcoat is for!

A good grenadine tie has a beautiful texture while being sturdy enough to tie comfortably, so naturally they're the most expensive. If you can find one second-hand, I highly recommend them.

[kingandrew]

Tobus, I did indeed mis-type the address. It should read: www.beautiesltd.com

I forgot the "Ltd" part. But luckily the company is still very much in business.

Have fun exploring. I will admit that although I have a large bag of bow ties, I still don't have "too many" and generally pick up a few more each year.

Andrew

[Tobus]

I'm a big fan of textured ties myself, and that's what I like to play with. It gives you lots of options for visual interest without getting loud, so I have a few observations I've made while wearing them over the past few years.

Knit ties made of silk, particularly the less expensive ones, are very delicate and threads break or get pulled easily, especially if you have rough hands (I'm a gardener by profession so the skin on my fingers, especially in winter when I wear ties most often, is often cracked and callused). They also don't have a lot of body to them and are quite floppy and thin, so they work best with less intensive and looser knots. I stuck with four in hand or the four in hand with an extra loop if I wanted to bulk the knot up. Pulling the knot too tight makes it lumpy because there's little interfacing, so I try to hit a sweet spot where its just firm enough to hold.

I find that wool neckties are best if not combined with waistcoats because the rougher texture works them up and out over the course of the day and you have to stuff it back down, and I hate having to use a tie clip underneath a waistcoat to hold a tie down in place. That's what the waistcoat is for!

A good grenadine tie has a beautiful texture while being sturdy enough to tie comfortably, so naturally they're the most expensive. If you can find one second-hand, I highly recommend them.

Good observations, thanks. It's funny - all the knit ties I have were my late grandfather's, and all are wool. They have a couple of moth holes in them too, but I think it gives them character. Anyway, when I inherited them, most of them were tied in a full Windsor knot and left that way. I guess he had trouble getting the knots like he wanted them in his later years (he was 88 when he died), so he just left them tied. I can't bring myself to untie the knots he tied with his hands, so I have left them that way out of nostalgia and respect for him. Wool knit ties do tend to have a lot of friction in the knot, though, and I can see why he left them that way when trying to tie a full Windsor with a knit tie and not have the knot end up the size of his fist! I'd probably need a marlinspike to get them undone, LOL.

The one wool knit tie he left untied, I usually wear in a Four-in-hand knot. I just happen to be wearing it today, in fact (see below).

I recently purchased a silk knit tie, and it's very much like you describe. Floppy and thin and slippery. I think it will call for a loose knot to avoid lumps, so thanks for that tip!

A lot of my vintage skinny ties are acetate. I must admit, I like the way that material ties. It's low-friction without being slippery like silk, and holds a good knot whether loose or tight.

This is my favourite of my grandfather's knit ties. (Sorry, I suck at selfies.)

[Tarheel]

I have three dozen plus ties in my closet. Here are a few of the examples.

The far right tie is now my widest and favorite without a vest or jacket. 90% are silk with a lining. The far left tie was a 1960's linen monster that I cut down myself. I removed the lining, pulled each side inward to the back, and trimmed the lapped material away. I inserted half the thickness (to the new width) of the original lining and pressed a new seam along the edges.
I wouldn't try this with my silk ties. I like the idea of a tie swap among members.