The Minimal Necktie Wardrobe

[hectorm]

Dear Federico,
your observations are plenty and encourage at least a few responses.
It´s true that the use of a keeper might contribute a little to the stiffness of a tie by holding both blades together, but I don´t think the keeper is the reason for the "kipper" look. The knot and the collar are accomplices in this crime. It´s been many years since I purged my tie collection from those last ones which -despite all efforts- tied up in a way that made me look like I had a dead fish hanging from my neck. Also, in my experience I have realized that even my not so great neckties, when tied in a four-in-hand and placed rather horizontally on the band of a cutaway or widespread collar of the right neck size, spring up and come alive.
I don't mind my tie going a bit out of place or twisting either. Sometimes I even do it on purpose forgoing the keeper (for example, with some knitted ties I wear with sack style tweed jackets).
So, I don´t use other devices for keeping my ties in place (not counting the stitched labels of a few). Not tabs, not paper clips, not pins. Certainly not safety pins, which show disdain for the health of your ties (although they must surely be 18 karat gold).
Maybe someday, when I start to lose my mind, I will use one of these http://www.tiealign.com/tiealign-how-it-works.html
My necktie "mode" changes with my mood, although not widely. There is a limit to what you can express with your tie (not considering, of course, those in which you must use the keeper for turning on the music chip at Christmas celebrations)

[Frederic Leighton]

[...] Also, in my experience I have realized that even my not so great neckties, when tied in a four-in-hand and placed rather horizontally on the band of a cutaway or widespread collar of the right neck size, spring up and come alive. [...]

Dear Hectorm, your notes are always a pleasure to read! Also, the above advice caught my attention and made me want to further investigate the matter.

I did notice that collar-size is an important variable when trying to 'project' the knot and impart some 'movement' to the necktie, but only very recently I dropped my old preconceptions about spread collars My new shirt maker is already working on a replica of the 1930's detachable spread-collar that I provided for reference. You must be very patient when you are a shirt maker - you show the customer 4 shelves packed with collars in different shapes and the customer asks you to start from scratch on a new shape...

[C.Lee]

A collar with adequate tie space is to the tie what water is to a flower. Without it, there can be no life. Discussed eloquently here.

As for keeping a tie in place, a buttoned coat does that handsomely.


Regards.

[Frederic Leighton]

Today I wear the tie that my dad had made for his wedding(*), one year before I was born. As I tie the knot, I notice that ties can be a good investment, if well chosen and well made.

(*) Of course this isn't one of those [silly] silver ties most frequently used today.

[Luca]

...someday, when I start to lose my mind, I will use one of these http://www.tiealign.com/tiealign-how-it-works.html

Oh, for the love of G..!
How fussy is that?

[Frederic Leighton]

After talking of blue ties in this thread, I really enjoyed wearing them this summer, especially with tan suits.

For my second order at Drake's, I was thinking of a black repp tie and a woollen gun-club tie with cloth from an old collection. They say they don't have black repp. Please, can someone remove them from the list of top-three tie-makers? ..so, this is the next one coming in (but with lighter interlining). As requested, here and here the first one. The next will be without Handmade in London label.

How's your neck-tie wardrobe going these days? Preferences, new entries, plans, photos?

Regards,
f

[Frederic Leighton]

1957: The Minimal Necktie Wardrobe.
Recommended: 3 ties for each suit suit.
Three cathegories: city, evening, sport.

[Frederic Leighton]

The very minimal neck-tie wardrobe: my first year of bespoke ties.
All from Sam Hober and Drake's. No.12 on its way

[uppercase]

Very tasteful.

[hectorm]

Very conservative bunch, Federico. I guess it´s a sensible way to start with bespoke where what you look for (at least in my case) is quality and specifications in construction, and not colors or patterns which are widely available.
One question if I may: what´s the reason that keeps you ordering from Drakes at the same time you are ordering from Hober? Is it the mail vs walking in?

[Frederic Leighton]

Very tasteful.

Thank you, Uppercase!

Very conservative bunch, Federico. I guess it´s a sensible way to start with bespoke where what you look for (at least in my case) is quality and specifications in construction, and not colors or patterns which are widely available.
One question if I may: what´s the reason that keeps you ordering from Drakes at the same time you are ordering from Hober? Is it the mail vs walking in?

Thank you for the comments, Hectorm. Yes, conservative indeed. In part this is because I'm learning from my mistakes. At the start of the journey I stopped for one moment to ask myself: what ties have I been wearing the most during these last years?; a slightly different question from what ties do I like the most? and in my personal experience a more useful one. Then my wardrobe was full of nice ties that for one reason or the other were getting very little wear; instead, a handful of conservative ties were regularly coming to my rescue in the moment of getting dressed. In addition to that, my bespoke suits are not so conservative... or, as I put it, they are extremely conservative for the year 1921; conservative shirts and ties are a good complement. I will slowly add less conservative options anyway. All of these bespoke ties get regular wear, which for me represents a big surprise. Also, I listened to the advice of David and forced myself to try grenadines, which I used to hate - now they are among my favourite!

The reason for going bespoke is "quality and specifications in construction", as you say. I like light construction and need short ties to wear with high-rise trousers. Sam Hober has convenient prices and good quality, with the downsides of ordering from distance: having to buy swatches in advance or, as it happened couple of times, taking some risk and ending up with something slightly different from what expected. Also, additions to their collection are less than frequent. Drake's keeps being a pain to deal with - for instance this morning I enquired about 7 recently-made fabrics currently available in their RTW range; only one of them is available for bespoke orders. As a rule, they immediately cut and use for RTW ties the entire length of the cloths that they buy, hence the difficulty to find something available for bespoke. Walking into the shop and seeing ties already made up in those fabrics, talking face to face to the people who make my ties, giving them one of my vintage ties to study and reproduce accurately - all this proved to be 100% successful. Sometimes I see very nice fabrics somewhere else (especially at Vanda's), but I don't feel like starting everything from scratch with a new tie-maker; too much input required to get what I want.

[Luca]

I think the distinction between a tie one "likes" in isolation, per se, and a tie that complements one's clothes successfully is a very valid one. It is equally a well-established thing, which however took me too many years to learn,. That the more unconventional or "interesting" is an item you re wearing, the more conservative the other items should be. I share Leighton's idea that it is far more satisfying to push the boundaries with the jacket/trousers than with the shirt/tie. I have yet to buy the iconic solid black grenadine but the dark blue and dark green ties with very small patterns seem to get the lion's share of wear.

[uppercase]

Conservative all the way - suit cloth, shirt, tie, shoes - gets my vote.

How many pretty ties now hang in my closet - gifts largely - unused.
And many other items …youthful indiscretions, all.

Indeed, maybe only a dozen ties get regularly use because of their classic elegance and ease to wear with any number of suits.

Everything is so expensive now. Why then stray from the classics?
A happy dozen of everything is more than enough for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Two categories perhaps get a pass on conservatism - bright knitwear and cloth for sports coats.

Here creativity and imagination are given more license.

At least that's the theory…

[Frederic Leighton]

I keep ordering at Drake's because not all ties effortlessly do what you see below. Finding a shirt-maker that allows this to happen was the second accomplishment of the year. (Apologies for the blurred photo.)

[uppercase]

FL
what's your secret for getting the arched tie?