The Madras Ties of Summer

Summer's tartan neckties evoking Madras checks, like the cotton original worn by the man on the right in the Esquire illustration, are the featured products this week at A Suitable Wardrobe's Online Haberdashery. Madras, once known as bleeding madras for its tendency for the colors to run during laundering, is an airy patterned cotton from India that has seen a bit of a resurgence recently, in an unfortunately colorfast form, after disappering from American markets for a couple of decades.

But then, my silk neckties are not intended to bleed either. And though they look like they might be a bit loud, when paired with shirts that have a white or cream ground the pattern blends into the ensemble. Wear them with a simple white linen pocket square for a contrast in texture - it's an especially great combination with cotton or linen jackets.