Once a man has a few solid blue neckties (for a navy oxford weave, knit, pindot and perhaps a midnight blue satin are the place to begin) forming a minimalist necktie wardrobe, he is ready to branch out a little and increase his inventory to about a dozen. I would choose two grenadines next, in silver and in black, and only after I had those would I consider anything patterned, like the buff madder with black and red paisley in the photo that can flex between almost formal and fairly casual, complementing tweeds as well as pin stripes.
Paisleys are more memorable than solids of course, and more of a special occasion tie than something for weekly wear. A less memorable though still unique tie to consider sooner rather than later is a cashmere like the navy with natural overcheck in the second photo. Meant to complement flannel most of the time, it is also plain enough to pair with a worsted suit when the occasion calls for a touch of the dandy.
Add a seasonal summer tie like the shantung silk in the third photo as the warm weather version of the paisley. Pick up three conservative foulards (something in gray, and two more discreeet patterns in navy) to fill out the dozen and that is a solid beginning to a necktie wardrobe. The satin tie is for evening but can be worn with flannel; the shantung, paisley, cashmere, oxford weave and knit will serve for casual occasions as well as the work week; and there are half a dozen choices for office variety.
Photos: Drakes London
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12 comments:
Will
I've always been intrigued by a navy oxford weave necktie but have never been able to source one. Neither Drakes nor Hober seem to stock a navy oxford fabric. Perhaps you could suggest a source or it could be an addition to the ASW store next season.
I got mine from Hober.
thanks. I'll send an email off to david.
What color suits are you assuming one has to go with the beginning set of blue ties? Will those ties look good with a navy suit?
J, suits are generally blue, gray or brown/tan. Navy ties go with any of those.
Love the paisley!
one question--what width of tie should one consider if you don't want them to go in and out of style?
I'd say a tie of medium width - not too wide and not a skinny tie. Skinny ties seem to be popular in certain crowds, and lots of guys are wanting a Windsor tie knot right now, which requires a wide tie. I think these are probably both fads.
8cm or 3.25" has been the most common width these past sixty years.
The only caveats on tie width relate to a man's height and girth. Taller and larger men can look silly in narrow ties; conversely, a tie that's too wide may overpower a, hmm, shall we say, slender and vertically-challenged man.
Even so, most men, including those towards the tails of the bell curves, will do best with a tie close to 3.25". Only young, slender, trendy men should go with anything narrower than 3"--as long as they know that the look is trendy and not classic. (Knit ties are the sole exception to the injunction against ties narrower than 3".) 4" ties are probably too wide for all but our largest brethren, but even a smaller man can wear a 3.75" tie.
Of course, if you button your jacket, no one is going to see how wide your tie is anyway, so it could be argued that the measurement that is more important than the maximum width of the blade is the width of the tie at the knot. If this width is balanced to your face and your collar, you'll probably look good, regardless of the width of the widest point.
I prefer wear 3.5" to 4". But will go down to a 3.3".
Cousette
Will can buff ties be worn year round? Or does it depend on the colors of the pattern places on top of the buff background? If so, what colors would you look for in a year round buff tie?
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