The size of a necktie is a personal thing constrained by custom and aesthetics. Hipsters wear ties that are 2" (5 cm) wide, when they wear them at all, and some men still wear them 4" (10cm) wide, the fashionable peak width of a decade ago. The mainstream today wears them 3 1/4" (8cm) to 3 1/2" (9cm), about the width of today's jacket lapels, which is as it should be for a tie the same width as the lapel is one of the things that keep a chest in visual harmony.
In addition to width there is the matter of length. The triangle of a necktie's tip is about the height of a trouser waistband, and, when tied, the tip of the necktie should reach the bottom of the waistband like the tie on the man in the photograph. Men of course are not stamped from cookie cutters and differ in length, which makes accomplishing this objective with standard length neckties easier for some than for others. And for those for whom tie length is an issue, there are two customary alternatives. The first is to tie the necktie so that the front blade is the proper length, leaving the rear shorter or longer than the front (and tucking any significant excess length into the trousers). The other is to have one's neckties made to the precise length required. And, generally speaking, men for whom the rear blade is more than 3" (8cm) too long or too short should consider made to order neckties.
There are a few silks for made to order neckties by E&G Cappelli of Naples, one of the world's best tiemakers, on the ASW store this week. The designs have been set aside exclusively for us. They will be offered for about two weeks and then replaced with other choices. And, once gone, they will not be repeated.
Specify the fabric, select standard construction (lined three-fold with tipping and a keeper) or lined six-fold construction for a $30 surcharge if that is your preference, and specify length and width. Your tie will be ready in about six weeks.
And, by the way, there are also two new colorways of my favorite socks, those cotton dress hose with a contrasting vertical rib.
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5 comments:
Thanks for the reference to matching tie width to collar width, an easy rule to follow!
There is a third way to deal with over-length that is actually more effective than tucking in excess length, which is having your RTW ties altered by a decent tailor. He will open up one of the two seams from the tie's middle part and cut away a proportion and then skillfully sew everything back together. Never let him simply cut off the tie's short end.
Speaking as an ill-proportioned chap, there is a third way to ensure a necktie's correct length and that is to employ a knot other than one of the 3 most well-known varieties - the four-in-hand, Windsor and Half-Windsor - and which uses more material while still retaining a decent front-to-back blade ratio. I would recommend seeking out Thomas Fink's and Yong Mao's authoritative work The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie which, as the title suggests, has a plethora of tie knots some of which can be found here:
http://www.lordwhimsy.com/trifles/tutorials.html
From my own experience I have found that the Cavendish, the Victoria and the Plattsburgh all produce excellent results for the short-bodied gentleman, who may not have the means to buy bespoke.
Yeah, tie/collar width was precious advice.
What about tie length with low rise trousers? I have got short legs and longer upper body and it just doesn't look right when I wear the tie down to the bottom of the waistband.
I don't really worry about width or length for my ties. I keep them pretty much forever, and if some of the older ones are out of style, so be it. I'm particular about having an appealing knot, and if that means the front blade comes out a little short sometimes, I won't make an effort to correct it.
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