I found an old friend the other day. The current trend towards narrower neckties called for a visit to my long term storage drawer and there I unearthed the 3.25" (8.5 cm) wide gummed silk in the photo that I had put away to wait for its next time in the sun.
Quality neckties don't wear out if they're rolled up and kept in a dark insect-free place so it's only sensible to store them when their width is no longer in fashion. The name on this one's label is Mark Cross, a defunct leather goods chain that was the family firm of Gerald Murphy of Living Well is the Best Revenge fame.
Neckties have grown wider and narrower on a cycle of thirty years or thereabouts, and that's likely to continue as long as men continue to wear the things. On that same visit to storage I took out three ties from Sulka, another legendary source for great clothing, and added them to my rotation as well.
Into the depths went half a dozen Borelli cashmeres. I've never stored Italian ties before, which is probably a statement of some kind but I'm not certain what to make of it.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Resurrecting An Old Friend
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6 comments:
Not to be flip, but how much do you find the width of your ties to be noticed? While I agree that the width of ties in fashion does change, I wonder how much a centimeters difference can be perceived. It seems like an unnecessary restriction to me.
Of course, I really do like this tie, so I may be a bit biased.
Beautiful jacket.
Will, do you also store all of your current rotation of ties rolled in drawers? If so, could you please elaborate on the advantage of that method vs. hanging them on a rack? (I understand not hanging knit ties so as not to stretch them, but I'm not sure about those of other materials.)
I'm of the opinion that tie widths should be governed by the rules of proportionality, rather than the whims of fashion designers, and that any tie about 3-4" wide will always be wearable. I can't think of any time since the '60s when the beautiful tie in your photo would've been considered so narrow as to elicit any special notice for being "out of style."
Will,
I love your site. It is so refreshing to find sensible information on clothing as opposed to the often silly things I see GQ and other magazines.
It's too bad more men wouldn't take their clothes more seriously. I teach Chemistry and Physics in college. I wear a suit or jacket nearly every day, and it seems to command respect from the students and other faculty. The others seem rather apathetic about their appearance, unfortunately.
You do have excellent taste and a nice wardrobe, and I was wondering how many suits and jackets you have. Are you like Willie Brown, in the 100 plus category?
I have one other question about something I haven't seen on this site. Is it true that men's daytime semi-formal wear is dead, at least here in the USA? One sees the formal garb, the cutaway, very occasionally here and a little more often in England. I saw Charles wore one to both of his weddings. However, except on old reruns of "Are You Being Served" where Captain Peacock wears a stroller and striped trousers, I never see this outfit in a long time. An old book I have from Esquire calls this outfit a "Director's Suit", and I think it is especially elegant. Where, however, would I wear one if I ever bought it?
Thanks,
Steve
Johnny, I use racks for my active tie rotation. I use a drawer for the inactive only because I had a drawer sitting empty in the room that houses my out of season clothes.
Steve, I'm probably a half Willie.
I have to say...what a beautiful shirt, just foud your blog....eye opening and refreashing
thank you
Neil
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