My favorite ties in the world are silk knits and grenadines. Their dress-to-casual versatility is unmatched by any other necktie I can think of. I could easily survive with a four tie collection consisting of two of each, with one in black and one in dark navy. In fact, since I actually have that four tie collection, I could happily “tie die” now.
As I wrote in an earlier piece about grenadines, these ties were a stock item in Sean Connery’s Bond wardrobe. They’re classic, simple and irrefutably elegant no-brainers. I also wrote that the complex weave of the grenadine fabric can make them more expensive, often blowing past the $100 mark with higher end brands.
With budget in mind, one of my favorite resources for grenadines is Chipp Neckwear in New York City. They import the grenadine fabrics in a spectrum of colors from Italy and make the ties by hand in their New York City atelier. They’re really handsome ties.
One of my favorite features of Chipp’s grenadines is the width, which is 3.25 inches at the widest point. Not too skinny, not too fat. Just right. My other favorite feature is the price, which is an extremely reasonable $55. Happy customer here.
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I have the same navy grenadine tie, which I bought when I dropped into the Chipp atelier on 44th Street a year or so ago. Paul Winston and his father’s original shop was around the corner, near J Press and the Brooks Brothers flagship back in the day. The Wnstons made suits for John F. Kennedy, among others. Having a Chipp neck piece is a tie–pun entirely intended–to the Old School hey day of postwar menswear. I don’t know if you heard but I believe that Mr. Winston is retiring from tailoring suits sometime this year. Thankfully, from what I understand. he will still be doing the neckwear. I may have to drop in later this week and pick up something for spring.
In the Photo captioned “Yours truly in my navy grenadine from Chipp.”, what kind of knot did you tie? It looks similar to the one used by the newscaster Brian Williams. I tie a similar knot, but it sometimes appears “twisted” or uneven. Also the height of the knot looks good. What length/width is the tie? Some of my ties, when I get a good height knot the length is to high above the belt.
I tie a four-in-hand knot, which works on everyone (especially guys with skinny faces like me). Don’t worry about it being too twisted or uneven. Perfection is characterless, and the unevenness just adds charm. When you get dressed, you want to look like you took care when putting it all on and then forgot about it. Chipp Neckwear’s ties are a standard 58 inches.
Great job — love your blog.
Thank you so much!
This is great. I love Chipp. It’s that same commitment to excellence, with a slightly different spin, that encouraged me to curate a collection of high-quality men’s accessories (ties, bow ties, leather bags, wallets, etc) that won’t break the bank. Thanks so much for share.
-Jay
http://www.dappery.us