We’ve been making neckties with our own hands since 2011. Here’s our guide to picking a good one.
Fit is everything
Nothing else matters if the necktie is too long or too short for you. A properly sized necktie ensures a proportionate knot size, and a deeply seated dimple that draws the attention to your face. Our neckties are custom made to your specifications, and you can find our guide to picking the right size here.
Cut on the Bias
A proper necktie should always be cut on the bias, which is tie talk for a 45 degree angle. Fabrics are woven in two dimensions - lengthwise (warp) and widthwise (weft), generally with no stretch in either direction. Cutting on the bias ensures that the fabric drapes and moves in a fluid manner, instead of hanging flat and lifeless.
This short clip illustrates the differences quite succinctly.
Most ties these days, even mass produced ones, are cut on the bias to some degree, though they often twist badly because they aren't precisely cut and made. This illustration presents an extreme example, well, because science.
The handsewn difference
All proper handmade ties are sewn with a continuous slip stitch along the entire length. Silk (which we use) or polyester thread that is used in tie making does not stretch, which causes a problem. If there is no excess thread and the tie stretches when knotted with force, you either end up with the tie fabric bunching strangely, or have the thread breaking.
Handmade neckties are slip stitched with some slack built in, and have an excess loop of thread at both ends, which solves this issue by accommodating the expansion and contraction along the length of the necktie.
Industrially made neckties are sewn in a matter of seconds, with a Liba machine. Unlike a necktie that is slip stitched by hand, these machine made ties have no flexibility for stretching at all.
With very stretchy fabrics or unlined ties (or both e.g. our unlined grenadines), after prolonged use, the tie may stretch and contract so much that there is excess thread in some parts of the tie that does not fully recover, making that portion of the tie appear loose (last image). With the excess loop, all you need to do is to gently tug the excess thread back and your problem is solved. Here is a longer video that describes this more clearly.
A simple and elegant solution to a knotty situation!
Construction and lining
Is a multi-fold (six, seven or more folds) tie objectively “better”? In our experience, not necessarily. A three fold tie made with care and attention to detail can certainly be better made than a seven fold tie that was shoddily made.
However, an unlined or lightly lined multi fold tie, when well executed, is a pure expression of cloth. All the drape you feel in the tie comes from the characteristics of the fabric - which leaves no room to hide in the case of poor quality fabrics. In our case, using an unlined construction celebrates the quality of the cloth that we source from the best mills in the world - think of it as light seasoning for the finest quality produce.
Again, not objectively better - and some may indeed prefer a heavier, lined construction. But for connoisseurs seeking ties that are lively, supple, and comfortable to wear, unlined multifold neckties certainly offer something unique.
A typical commercially-made 3-fold tie (your average departmental store version) may weigh twice as much, which a less astute consumer may mistake for quality. But if all the weight and cardboard-like drape comes from a cheap, stiff and heavy polyester interlining, are you wearing the lining or the silk?
We have also come across many supposed seven or more fold ties that are indeed seven folds only at both ends, with a common three fold construction used with the remainder of the necktie. Running your fingers along the length of the tie, it is easy to feel where the thickness distinctly changes - usually after the bar tack is placed.
Details matter
If a well fitted, well made tie is the cake, the details are icing on the cake - it can’t change a poorly baked cake, but it can certainly add some character.
Industrially made neckties that are overly pressed tend to have a flat, dead feel on the edges, while carefully handmade ties generally are carefully steamed to preserve a 3 dimensional, plump appearance along the edges - and simply feel alive in your hands.
With neckties, there are several finishing options for tipping, which refers to the material sewn on the reverse or inner side of the necktie’s blade and tail. Ties can be self-tipped with the same fabric as the rest of the tie, tipped with a different (usually cheaper) lining, or untipped and finished with hand rolled edges, which is the default and only option for our neckties. Hand rolling the edges gives a refined, three-dimensional appearance that machine sewing simply cannot achieve.
Other bells and whistles include hand sewn monograms, which can add a nice touch of personalisation for yourself, or as a gift.
