Essentials: The Black Knit Tie

The solid black knit tie is the perfect tie. It’s the no-brainer tie that goes with just about every shirt/jacket/suit combination. It’s perfect with a crisp white dress shirt, a casual gingham shirt or even a good denim shirt. Of all the ties in my constantly growing collection, the black knit is undoubtedly the one I reach for more than any other. As ties go, it has unparalleled versatility.

I recently wrote a piece about the efficient dress code of busy and powerful men. This is the ideal foundation tie for this type of man who doesn’t have time to belabor which tie goes with what. It’s idiot-proof.

My favorite knit ties come in either wool or silk. As nice as cotton is, the finish of a cotton knit tie always looks rather dull to me. In addition to holding color better, wool and silk provide a nicer finish, with the silk variety having even more sheen to it. I have both.

A good width of a knit tie is about two inches, two and a half max. Any skinnier dips into trendy skinny. My favorites are the black silk knit ties from The Tie Bar, which has a dense weave ($15), and J.Crew, which has a looser weave you can actually see through ($60).