Rare unlined 7-fold with tipping

[Mulberrywood]

It was suggested that I should post here more often so I thought that LL members might enjoy something very, very unusual that we made a few days ago:

An unlined 7-fold with tipping, made with 200 warp English woven silk.


The drape and knot are what you would expect from an unlined 7-fold yet because of the tipping there is just a bit more weight, a slightly different look and the threads which might snag on the reverse of the large blade are protected.

[Costi]

Wonderful tie! A strong colour that brings a happy smile on one's lips.
I know someone who would argue that it is not a real seven-fold, but a double-four or something similar. I count seven blades and I recognize a construction technique that your tie has in common in Marinella's self-tipped seven-folds. I very much agree with you that the added weight of the tipping makes the tie drape better and gives it a fuller hand, without adding stiffness.

I wonder if you could offer me advice on how to iron a tie after it has undergone dry cleaning (fortunately the stain vanished) so as not to ruin it by flattening the edges... I would be very grateful!

[Mulberrywood]

Wonderful tie! A strong colour that brings a happy smile on one's lips.
I know someone who would argue that it is not a real seven-fold, but a double-four or something similar. I count seven blades and I recognize a construction technique that your tie has in common in Marinella's self-tipped seven-folds. I very much agree with you that the added weight of the tipping makes the tie drape better and gives it a fuller hand, without adding stiffness.

I wonder if you could offer me advice on how to iron a tie after it has undergone dry cleaning (fortunately the stain vanished) so as not to ruin it by flattening the edges... I would be very grateful!

Costi,

Thank you for your kind words.

As for the construction, the tie in the picture is a true 7-fold, not a 6 or 8-fold. We are based in Colorado and no one uses the term double-4 fold here. If a tie has 8 folds we refer to it as an 8-fold. Whether a tie is lined or unlined, tipped or not are variables in the construction of a tie.

The tipping makes the tie drape differently, which will be better for some men and for others no tipping is better. With bespoke ties everything is determined by the silk and client. We provide information on how we think a certain silk will best be used, but in the end the decision always rests with the client.

We do not steam or iron ties as steaming can subtly warp the tie and create water spots. Ironing can effect the surface of the tie and as you have noted it can flatten the edges.

With that said you can very gently touch (Do not apply pressure) the iron (on the lowest setting) to most silks, please be sure to avoid the edges. You should test on the back of the tie first.

[uppercase]

Yes, Mulberrywood, a beautiful tie. Do you make them in Colorado?

Is one measure of the quality of silk, the warp count?

When a tie maker advertises that their tie is a certain weight - for example, I've seen 50 oz. ties, is this important to the consumer as a measure of quality or does it simply say, 'heavy weight silk tie.'?

[Mulberrywood]

Yes, Mulberrywood, a beautiful tie. Do you make them in Colorado?

Is one measure of the quality of silk, the warp count?

When a tie maker advertises that their tie is a certain weight - for example, I've seen 50 oz. ties, is this important to the consumer as a measure of quality or does it simply say, 'heavy weight silk tie.'?

Uppercase,


Thank you, I am happy that you liked the tie.

Yes, our main studio is in Colorado. We make all our ties here, very slowly by hand. We never contract out our tiemaking. We have a farm in Thailand where we grow Mulberry trees to feed silk worms (the leaves). We also have a studio in the south of France in the Luberon mountains where we do some of our design work.

We have been weaving Thai silk by hand since 1886 when Mulberrywood was started.

The silk in the photo is from England. We are going through an English creative phase at the moment.

We are probably the last bespoke tiemaker in the world that actiually makes their own silk yarn which we then weave into silk.

The warp count is a measure of the character of the silk. I am not sure that quality is the correct word. We use silks with warp counts ranging from under a 100 all the way to 350.

A 350 warp count is really high and is approaching upholstery silk. It can be so tightly woven that it is difficult to hand sew.

Keep in mind that a 350 warp silk will tend to be stiffer than a 200 warp silk all things being equal. Some gentlemen prize the feeling of a 350 warp silk others say give me a 150 or 200 warp silk any day. It really is a personal choice.

When a tiemaker advertises 50oz weights it is simply marketing. Lets pause and think about this for a moment:

All LL members are familar with wool suiting weights. Now can you imagine a 50 oz (per yard or meter) silk being made to use for anything other than perhaps a carpet?

No, of course not. When you see advertisements of 50 oz silks they are referring in general to a 10 meter length of silk. However, they are not misleading the public intentionally. The tiemakers generally do not make any of their own silk so they are not as familar as they should be with the silk making process.

[TimMureau]

I've see that tie on styleforum.net

[E. Tage Larsen]

Dear David:

Thank you for sharing with us. When i went to Seigo in NYC last year, we had a brief chance to discuss their work.

Part of the allure of the Seigo is that they have a line of limited edition ties. I like their silk fine (from Kyoto) but found that i didn't much care for the designs that they were currently producing (however, I think their silk pocket squares are quite beautiful.)

Because you control your production from beginning to end, I was hoping that maybe you could share a little about the design process: how you go about selecting color and pattern? Is your cycle seasonal?

Most sincerely,

Eric

[Mulberrywood]

Dear David:

Thank you for sharing with us. When i went to Seigo in NYC last year, we had a brief chance to discuss their work.

Part of the allure of the Seigo is that they have a line of limited edition ties. I like their silk fine (from Kyoto) but found that i didn't much care for the designs that they were currently producing (however, I think their silk pocket squares are quite beautiful.)

Because you control your production from beginning to end, I was hoping that maybe you could share a little about the design process: how you go about selecting color and pattern? Is your cycle seasonal?

Most sincerely,

Eric

Good morning Eric,

Yes, I remember that you shared with me your thoughts on Seigo last year. Thank you.

First general design thoughts:

Very small editions of silk from Asia are indeed very interesting, but the designs and weaves are not always attractive to gentlemen who have grown up in the west.

With that said you are correct in that exotic weaves are very popular when used in pocket squares.

We do not follow seasons very much as we generally make designs that are a combination of what we like and client requests that we hope will sell for a long time. We will have some new plaid pocket squares in May which are seasonal in feeling.

Selecting color is simply a matter of what we want to do. We generally do not follow normal industry practice of looking at what others are doing. Although we do listen very carefully to our clients.

We sit down at a table and draw the pattern in an outline form by hand. Then we fill in the colors with paint or colored pencils. If we have a swatch of silk that matches what we are thinking about we will add that as a reference.

For silks that we make in Thailand Noina writes all the directions for her mother in Thai.

For silks that will be woven in England the beginning steps are the same except that there is one extra step. After about 3 weeks we will get what is called a header or strikeoff. Basically this is a swatch for color and pattern approval.

From completion of the design idea to the silk arriving in Denver takes on average 3 months.

[E. Tage Larsen]

Dear David:

Thank you for the guided tour. When you have a moment will you message me the Mullberrywood webiste?

re Seigo's patterns, my negative reaction wasn't that the designs were fanciful as it was that the limited edition patterns seemed like a pared down, WASPy version of Hermes. A design choice that plays strongly to their walk-in demographic. As a matter of form, it would be nice to give them business as they are a small shop just up the block from me, and frankly who doesn't enjoy the idea of a limited edition (x of 12) tie?

[Mulberrywood]

Dear David:

Thank you for the guided tour. When you have a moment will you message me the Mullberrywood webiste?

re Seigo's patterns, my negative reaction wasn't that the designs were fanciful as it was that the limited edition patterns seemed like a pared down, WASPy version of Hermes. A design choice that plays strongly to their walk-in demographic. As a matter of form, it would be nice to give them business as they are a small shop just up the block from me, and frankly who doesn't enjoy the idea of a limited edition (x of 12) tie?

Good morning Eric,

i will send you a message with the website shortly.

Thank you for the Seigo design information. I misunderstood at first assuming that they were using traditiona Asian patterns. I didn't realize that they use more western themes.

I agree completely with you that it is nice to own a limited edition. When a silk is woven by hand, it is true that it will tend to be stiffer than a modern machine woven silk, but it has a wonderful character that its modern cousins will never have. And you will have a unique work of artisanal craftsmenship, as no two pieces will ever be exactly the same.


Patterns are interesting in that you can make them as simple or intricate as you like, but colors can be tricky at times.

I have been working on custom weaving a simple but elegant striped pattern for the last few weeks with a client and we have the width and stripe pattern completed, but the final colors are proving challenging.

There is a yellow gold which is beautiful, that the client likes but we are going back and forth over how much gold should be in the yellow. A bright yellow is wonderful for spring and summer (and being cheerful in the winter) but the gold gives the color a more elegant and timeless look. Which is what I hope for.

While I am very fond of traditional ethnic designs, there is something to be said for a classic striped tie or very small polka dot designs.

This weekend I will be working on a burnt orange and white custom woven design for a client who is a big University of Texas Longhorns fan. The stripes are almost finished being drawn, but the exact burnt orange is a challenge.

One would think that it is easy, but not really. If you talk to a friend in the office who follows college sports they will probably describe the Longhorns colors as orange and white. Yet the orange is really more of a burnt orange.

We have a burnt orange/rust color Thai silk on hand which our client loved and identified as the correct Longhorn color. Most Universities and corporations have organizational identity offices where they have the organizations colors specified in terms of Pantone colors. Unfortunately, Pantone colors don't translate directly across with silk.

When we dye our own silk in Thailand we are not as exact as the modern silk mills in Europe in terms of colors but sometimes it turns out better as I can use some emotions to describe the colors such as: Please make this orange just a bit more serious than the sample color.

I have never worked with the Harris tweed dyers and weavers but I imagine that I would get along quite well with them.


Note: both of the two silks described above will be woven with 150 warp English shaft silk.

[E. Tage Larsen]

Dear David:

I imagine the rift between Pantone colors and talking with your mill is similar to trying to color correct something on a monitor vs. the swatch books - where the mediums are much more alien than it seems on the surface. In your case not only do you have more texture to work with but also the weave and optical mixing of other silks. It's too bad that color is not more universal but then i suppose Pantone would rule the world.

Often when i'm working on catalogues with my printer, we will color correct with "make it brighter and more like a brick." Rather than calling out photoshop percentages. So, i sympathize with your comment: "Please make this orange just a bit more serious than the sample color."

This forum has changed my thinking about a lot of things sartorially. For instance, my eye for ties is veering away from Gucci and Armani into Kiton and Marinella. I still long for the color and pattern of the former but i'm finding a balance with some fo the more classic tones and textures.

Just last week, i happened onto one of the Brosnan Bond movies on cable ( i think it was "Die Another Day" (with Terri Hatcher, right?)) and Brosnan was wearing a dark brown tie with a small royal blue pattern on it. I'm not a big fan of brown ties, though i have a few, the way it came together with the blue shirt and warm, dark gray suit was magnificent.

Thank you for the email. Off to check out Mulberrywood.

Most sincerely,

Eric