"Essential" Ties?
While I've hit a bit of a standstill/landing spot in my casual wardrobe, I've definitely got room to improve in the tailoring realm. I'm pretty clueless here and honestly don't see myself wearing a tie too often, but my current selection is lacking...
Looking to pick up a few ties heading into the end of the year for future weddings/special occasions/etc. Curious what people might consider 3~ish ties that would cover the bases.
I currently just own a champagne tie that I purchased for my own wedding, and a burgundy (?) patterned tie I got at a vintage market.
58 Replies
Ok, I'll propose something for people to argue over. 😄 1) solid navy or burgundy grenadine 2) repp stripe 3) wildcard, something that appeals to you.
sth dark would be nice to add first since your current pair are pretty light
It's always important to get some "basics" first and then over time you can get something more playful and more unique ones. You always need some that you can combine with everything.
If it’s not part of your everyday wardrobe I disagree
You can get stuff that’s fun
And that you will want to wear
Like I wouldn’t say get like 3 plain color ties because they go with everything
If it's not part of your everyday wardrobe, you still need some classic ties to not raise eyebrows certain events. However, it does depend a lot on your social circles, geographic area, career, etc.
But there is no "you MUST have THIS tie" unless you go to white tie events. :P Anything else, there is room to make decisions!
It honestly depends on the occasion. It's always good to have some for formal events where you need the right attire.
I think the average American wedding guest has no clue whether a tie is particularly formal or informal
I would suggest that in general, your "essential" ties need to fit into the following events:
- Interviews
- Weddings
- Fancy parties similar to or adjacent to weddings
- "High society" events, if you attend any
- Funerals
- Your job requirements, if relevant
But if we break that down, you will find that each one has a wide range. Interviews? May require a full and rather severe suit and tie to match, or may require just a decent shirt and trousers and no tie. Same for each thing. In the US, funerals rarely see people in full suits and ties, from what I have (unfortunately - due to attending) seen. Weddings, again, you may wear a tie as a groom, a groomsman, a guest, some of the above, or none of the above, and in each case the tie can depend a lot on the circumstance.
And ties of course vary significantly in intent and formality. One man's wedding tie is far too casual, or far too formal, for another.
If I were to try to build up the absolute smallest set of ties that will fit all events and offend nobody, I'd go for:
- Two ties considered adequately formal, where one or the other fits with anything you wear
- Two ties that are less formal
And that's it.
Examples:
- Formal: solid, darker colors, with either physical texture, perceived texture, or small repeating designs (usually on a diagonal grid pattern). Think navy and burgundy first. Other classic colors are dark purple, dark gray, brown, forest green, etc. But navy and burgundy will go with any suit you pick - one or the other or both - and any shirt you wear with it. Classic options are grenadine and pindot/pois.
- A bit less formal: stripe (repp, regimental, etc, though none are entirely correct names). Still formal enough for many or most events. As usual, seems more formal if you pick a darker solid color as the base, with a complementary or contrasting stripe(s) that doesn't offend the eyes.
- Knit ties if you like are kind of in-between-ers. Less formal than grenadine by a fair bit, but a solid dark color still feels somewhat formal.
- Less formal than that: various louder ties. Myriad options. Think bold colors, multi-paisleys, etc.
- Alternatives for less formality without being too loud: non-silk. Think wools for the winter, cottons/linens for the summer, sometimes blended with silk, sometimes not.
In my job, a tie would probably be seen as overly formal in any context other than an annual event or maybe interview. I'm mostly looking for a couple ties to round out a very limited tailoring wardrobe - I've thought about a knit tie, and I like a solid grenadine.
I think this might just be a case of browsing Kent Wang and random vintage markets til I find something I actually have to have
Realistically it would be limited to weddings and parties with a self imposed dress code, like new years or something
For example, from my own collection, these four would do the job:
https://imgur.com/JbH5chh
https://imgur.com/5ScswXl
https://imgur.com/0aei6Cc
https://imgur.com/qEqIjsf
1. One burgundy, small repeating pattern
2. One navy, pindot
3. One dark purple, black paisley
4. One dark, with eye-catching stripe
Adequately formal for pretty much any event, yet can be worn for less formal events without looking too out of place. I could pick one brighter bolder one to replace one of the last two, of course, but that gets really into matters of taste and preference.
You can wear a tie that's too formal for an event, but it's harder than wearing one that's too informal for an event. So I'd lean on more formal + somewhat less formal, if creating a core of the fewest possible.
I personally came to the conclusion that it's important to have a plain black tie. There are always occasions where you need one, like funerals for example. In general the color black matches well with every other color, meaning that you can wear with nearly everything to nearly every occasion.
The only plain black tie I really like is a grenadine (eg, Kent Wang) or a knit. Otherwise I'd prefer either charcoal, or a pattern.
The problem with solid black is that it can be funereal or party, and you really don't want to mix them up (especially in one direction.)
So I'd purposefully ensure it's one or the other with pattern etc.
I've got a plain black tie that I wore for graduation but it's probably terrible. I have a skinny floral one I got from I think h&m circa 2014 too
EG, one of my favorites: https://imgur.com/x4j7n1M - 7-fold from an unknown maker, no tag - definitely not intended to be quite formal
Yeah so actually, buying advice. Luxeswap does great ties every week. Don't bid against me! Just kidding. Anyways, used ties are a great deal because they are almost always like-new in any way that matters, though I have gotten a couple that needed help.
With that strategy, your best way to get good ties for cheap is to bid on ties you like that have either no brand name due to missing tag, or a brand name nobody cares about. Sometimes substantially the same tie will sell for $45 with a good brand, and $22 without.
You can also search eBay for "ties lot" and buy a bunch at once to experiment with.
Even if your hit rate is 50% it can still be a good deal.
For example, the above tie was $23.50 but if it said "Drake's" on it it would have been $75
Yeah, that's a good point, people dump like 50 brooks brothers ties for like $75... it's a great deal if you keep even a few, and you can dump the rest back on ebay
The black-and-pink stripe tie I sent above I paid $13.50 (Garrick Anderson) but a very similar tie from RL purple label sold for, I don't remember, like $60+ just a couple weeks before that
Yup...I just bought 10 BB ties for $80: https://www.ebay.com/itm/386116065456
eBay
Brooks Brothers Tie Men Silk Variety Of Color & Designs Lot Of 10 M...
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Brooks Brothers Tie Men Silk Variety Of Color & Designs Lot Of 10 Makers USA 346 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
You do have to spend time looking for assortments that appeal to you. Some of them are just dumping grounds for awful ties.
Kent Wang virtually never shows up second-hand, and when it does its resale value is so strong I'd probably just buy new
For my groomsmen, I got them all the kent wang navy grenadine tie
they pop up on grailed rarely. I found the brown cashmere herringbone and blue wool ones there
More eBay searches to save 😎
Yeah, try "ties lot (brooks, ralph lauren)" if you want some generic variety.
You won't find anything amazing, but you might find a cheap assortment you like.
I just want some options, and not to wear the same 2 ties with the same shirt and suit to any formal event ok
eBay can definitely give you options to try out.
Someday I'll get a grey/charcoal suit to round things out
3ish ties to cover the bases? A grenadine in your favorite dark color, a black knit, and a wildcard
Ty bby
dark grenadine will cover your bases for business, semiformal/cocktail weddings, or funerals
you could probably wear any of those to a wedding though unless they're super stuffy about the dress code (or if it's black tie or something)
Burgundy is probably THE most versatile formal color, because you probably don't own a burgundy suit or jacket, whereas you may not want to pair a navy tie with navy jacket (especially if they're close in shade.)
^that's true, forest green or eggplant are also good colors if burgundy's not your thing
What color is this guy?
red? bordering on burgundy maybe
I would find it hard to imagine that in the US anyone really cares about the Wedding Tie, which to me says that, unless it's black tie, a grenadine burgundy is probably a winner everywhere. If anyone minds, I almost think it's not that they are "stuffy" but rather that they want you to participate in some sort of color scheme or something
I'd call it burgundy but I'm also colorblind
That is an interesting tie. I'd call it cherry red maybe, but in the meaning of "actually like the color of cherries" as opposed to "bright red hot" like many people use it
The unusual thing about it is that it's a darker red with brighter red detailing
Which overall just sort of smooths it out to a "mid-dark red" ...
Yea I think I'm leaning toward a forest green or similar grenadine, a black knit, and maybe something else TBD for now
Bright maroon or bright burgundy, maybe
Should cover my bases, and if I feel the need to play more with it I can always branch out
I can dump a set of my favorite "wildcard" ties if you want ideas or inspiration
I like the first two you linked gimp, with the window-frame detail and polka dots
Those are classic, definitely not the wildcard ones :P
Yea that was a "I like those too", not meant as a response to wildcard options
haha gotcha
Always open to options if you wanna share. Don't feel obligated to be my personal shopper though
I felt like I was answering so many tie questions that I needed to illustrate, so I uploaded all my shit to imgur over time so I could illustrate. Makes it easy
while we're on the subject, silk knit ties are often pretty slim, right?
Looks like Drake's are ~2.5" and KW's is 2.75" while their standard ties are 3-3.5"
eBay
NEW NWT Fall/Winter R Derwin Men's Black Solid Silk Knit Neck Tie...
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW NWT Fall/Winter R Derwin Men's Black Solid Silk Knit Neck Tie $125 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
this seems like a nice tie but the width being 2.25" is putting me off
Oh yeah I'd prefer a wider knit than that
I don't like anything sub-3, but then I just don't really see eye to eye with knits
Here's a curated list from what I own that you may find value in:
https://imgur.com/H9BJz7V - paisley + madder
https://imgur.com/8b2uWwT - paisley + madder
https://imgur.com/wY18drw - paisley
https://imgur.com/ZAq1B3A - paisley
https://imgur.com/cgGT4cb - multi-paisley
https://imgur.com/sY2ckVL - stripe
https://imgur.com/WcbpHmo - stripe
https://imgur.com/yxGzdc6 - stripe + shantung
https://imgur.com/4HUwLvA - herringbone
https://imgur.com/KszVAGq - geometric
https://imgur.com/3LtdPhQ - silver grenadine, hoping it works as a wedding tie
https://imgur.com/rFZx8ik - bright red grenadine, hoping it ... works at all
actually #2 is cheating because I bought it as a gift for someone else. it looks great on him though haha
I will say that one nice thing about "wildcards" is that if you like them, there's a good chance not a lot of other people like them enough to bid, so I got almost all of these for dirt cheap. Nothing over like $26 or so I don't think, and several for $10-15
Classic ones tend to sell for more because, well, everyone can use one, ish.
FYI to anyone looking for a good knit tie: Drake’s sources their knits from a German company called ascot. If you’re in the EU, you can buy direct (you can buy direct from the US but shipping was nuts when I asked them).
Instead, buy kamakura’s made in Germany knit tie or Jay Butler’s knit tie as they are the exact same as drakes.
@rej you’ve gotten some good advice but I haven’t seen anyone mention chipp for grenadines. I haven’t tried wang but I love my chipp ties. For 20-30 more you can buy from sam Hober and their grenadines are top notch. My favorite brands to shop on eBay are brooks brothers and polo. Polo has a ton of repp stripe ties that use bolder colors like Drake’s while BB is great for more subdued stripes and foulards.
I wouldn’t suggest going all navy, but if I was limiting myself to ~10 ties these three would definitely make the cut
I’m a huge fan of my black knit tie
The black often provides a nice contrast against navy items and is very grounding which I like in an accessory
Mine is the Kamakura tie from Ascot like loafing mentioned just above
I’m partial to these three ties;
- dark grenadine (wine/navy/chocolate/forest green)
- repp stripe
- wedding tie
With a black knit as a good addition.
I have tons more ties than that due to thrifting and being menswearpilled in the teens. I have an odd amount of tartan wool@ties, for example.