Cummerbund and Bow Tie made from Black Grosgrain silk woven by Fermo Fossati in the north of Italy. This morning Eric made the order for the above Cummerbund and Bow Tie as he is shortly on his way to the Eastern Coast of Italy and he has a wedding to attend.

If you look closely you will see the ribbon finish made from Thai silk.

We have been having some excitement - an earthquake that had its epicenter in Mandalay, Myanmar which is not far from us - about 300 miles away. Luckily our workshop is solidly built and had no damage. Our staff spent about an hour outside to be sure there were no after shocks and then we were back to work.

Bangkok which is much further away had more damage - partially as they have more high story buildings. And partially as the soil is looser as it is near the water. We have decided to work on being better prepared for the next natural disaster. We already have well water (and a backup source) and lots of space - about 8 acres so we plan to setup emergency shelters for our staff and family. Solar power may be in the plans also...

First, we have been having fun making new patchwork ties.

Next, we have a new tool - a website that is in development that will have better photos and content. We are also testing out some titanium rotary blades for cutting silk. Titanium turns out to be quite sharp for a day or two but not as durable as a good quality stainless steel rotary blade.

We don't like to use scissors as they are not as good as rotary blades at cutting curves and angles on silk. Sort of like a pickup truck vs a Ferrari. We use very small irons by hand for the final touchup phase of making ties. It would be nice to use the industrial pressers that most tie makers use as it saves time. But we do the finishing work by hand and it takes close to half an hour for each tie. Typically only talented staff with years of experience can do this finishing work. The finishing work is not always seen - instead it is felt similar to the way closing the door on a nice car is felt...

Stephen our longtime friend and customer mentioned the idea of Patchwork ties to me recently, and at first I wasn't sure how they would look. Then we decided to have some fun with this project; first we cut
hundreds of squares of silk and then sort of like a jigsaw puzzle we placed the different designs side by side on a big table. As time went by different designs started to unfold. When we finished sewing enough squares together we had enough fabric to make any size and construction of a tie.

We then pinned the fabric together to take photos; by pinning the ties together we have the freedom to make the size and construction that the customer prefers. Each tie is unique and requires two days to make. We are making them in groups of five. This month the first five will be
available and then we will make five more for March.

Possibly we will offer the option to have a custom designed Patchwork tie in the future.

Currently celebrating the New Year with a one week break here on our farm in the north of Thailand. Note: perfect weather - except no skiing.

I have been thinking of our upcoming designs for next year and American universities are on my mind - maybe because my daughter Sam is now a college student?

I enjoy working with Macclesfield Modern Madder twill silk, and will continue with new designs for the first part of 2025. Normally we use woven repp silks for our college designs with a focus on stripes. But I have started working on some designs using classic crests such as our Harvard design that was just woven and was inspired by Frank. He is a very patient customer who has been advising us and waiting for months...

Stephen another longtime customer has been sharing his ideas for a Yale school of management design.

John loves classic designs and has some great ideas for adding a new point of view - I am trying to create a design that works with his color and layout ideas.

Shlomo's daughter is getting married and after some back and forth discussing different textures and shades of white we made a white twill wedding tie for the first time and will be offering it starting this month.

Working with woven repp silks we end up witha nice traditional texture; but printed twill silks have a great sharpness of detail and I am thinking about using prints for our crests.I am also strongly considering using printed twills for our some of our new stripes. The printed twills will provide us the ability to very accurately render colors - woven designs have limitations... We will continue to use Adamley for our prints. For our woven designs we will beusing Bianchi and Fermo Fossati in Como, Italy. Probably in the second half of 2025 the new university designs will be ready.

In 2026 a plan that is still in the beginning stages is to create some
designs with regional motifs based on history and art. Growing up my father Mark Hober taught me that in the fashion world designs should be planned about a year and a half to two years forward.

I would be very grateful if you would email us your thoughts on the use of printed twill silk and other ideas that you may have.

Many years ago we used to raise silk worms in Thailand and weave our own silks using traditional Thai designs at first and later adapting Thai silk to modern designs such as British regimental stripes. We did our own silk weaving by hand and it was a labor of love both fascinating, interesting, and a very difficult and slow process...

We created a small and unique niche in the tie market and all worked well at first; then we started to slowly grow and developed a backlog of orders... that reached 8 months at one point in time after Sam (Samantha) Hober was born (note she is in college now - time flies) and we had moved ourworkshop from Denver to Thailand. We also found that over time our English and Italian silks were very popular.

I remember in college studying about Adam Smith and his theories about about the efficiency of specializing in different eras of production. Turns out there was a reason we were studying him - he was right. So almost without realizing it we stopped hand weaving our own silk. Instead we started to order classic stripes, at first from Vanners in England and then geometric designs, pin dots and paisleys. Closely followed by textured Grenadines from Fermo Fosati and Bianchi in Como, Italy. As time went on we added more types of fabrics and hundreds and then over a thousand designs. We may return to weaving and printing silk in-house in the future - but not soon...

Bryan, recently asked the following questions:

"Your philosophy on knot-sizing. How should the size of the knot look in proportion to the collar blades?" 

it should fit nicely in your collar I prefer not to see much empty space.
We are flexible with creating the knots and can adjust the knot size a small amount but the silk type and knot type are the big variables as is the width at the widest point. The interlining weight and type can also have an influence on the knot size. Of course no interlining at all tends to make the knot smaller.

"What tie knots do you like and/or suggest with different collar styles (narrow vs. wide collar styles)?

As long as the knot fits well, all knots are fine. If the collar is very wide a full Windsor is a good idea.

"Ties & materials that work better for informal sports jacket/slacks & those to be paired with more formal suits?"

This is a cultural question - for formal suits most of the time silk with dark colors and simple patterns. But not always - bright colors in the middle of the winter are a great look to cheer the office up. For an informal look simply be more flexible and try designs that are not always classic and try different fabrics and weaves. As an example we
often suggest Thai silk which is handwoven for an interesting and
unusual look. So anything other than a cartoon unless it is for a holiday or event... Grenadines can be formal or casual.

"Tie materials you prefer to match with certain suit fabrics (i.e. solid, pinstripe, smooth vs. more coarse wools).?"

Silk goes with everything. Smooth weaves that are tightly woven lean more towards a formal suit. Wearing a Harris Tweed jacket gives you room to wear wool and cashmere and textured shantung and grenadine silks.

"How tie thickness impacts visual aesthetics, strategies around optimizing for this when matching with different suits/jackets?"

This is a personal style question which has no correct answer. I can say
that if you are thin a tight knot can look good and if you are a NFL
linebacker a thick full Windsor may be perfect. As for different suits
for the same man let the fabric lead the way. For example a Donegal
Tweed (note they can be hand-woven or machine-woven) might look better with a full knot with a thick fabric for the tie. Overall I let the body
size lead the way for clothes, tempered by fashion and personal style

Let me start by saying that the British term - bespoke ties - and the American term - custom made ties -are exactly the same. We are in the custom made tie business (I am American which is the only reason I say custom made). Which means we stock fabrics; (mostly silk but some cashmere, cotton and linen etc.) and take bespoke orders for ties, bow ties, barrister ties, cummerbunds,silk wallets, pocket squares and other items.

If a customer is in a hurry and does not need a custom crafted tie we will use classic construction styles and measurements by default. Our classic ties are based on the modern man who enjoys eating in nice restaurants... and is not thin like someone in college who frequents
night clubs... Lets, say 57 by 3.75 inches using a four-in-hand knot and
a 3-fold construction or 4-fold for a grenadine. Note, a 3-fold Grenadine construction is standard for the tie industry. We use a 4-fold construction to increase the durability of our Grenadines. If someone is large or small in size we have a tie guideline on our website which is a good starting point. Then, we will answer your questions and sometimes we ask questions if we feel the measurements of your tie can be improved. At times a customer will hold steady with a measurement or construction that we don't agree with - then after a discussion we will usually make whatever is requested.

Custom weaving on the other hand, is required when we don't have a color, fabric or design that a man prefers; in theory we could weave or print any design but in practice we don't do it because the design costs and the minimum amount of silk required by the silk mill are too high. If we are already interested in certain designs and we are about to place an order with a silk mill, sometimes we can do an order for just one tie - with the hope of selling more of that design but this is an unusual event...

I remember around 10 years ago I was talking to Peter Nicholson (one of the two brothers who own Atkinsons Irish poplin) about the decreasing number of silk mills available for tie makers to work with. Sadly the trend continues. Although sometimes bankruptcies are not the issue and two companies can merge together.

Recently two of our favorite silks weavers: Fermo Fossati and Bianchi merged together. They are the only two weavers of real grenadine silk in the world and we love working with the two variations of grenadine silk.

Fermo Fossati weaves Grenadine Grossa and Fina silk; and Bianchi weaves Grenadine Prometeo and Piccola silk. The Grossa and Prometeo have a loose weave. and the Fina and Piccola have a tighter weave. All the weaves are equally beautiful. One good thing that happened is that the colors will be kept in stock more often.

If need be we will start growing mulberry bushes, raising silk worms and weaving silk as we used to do a long time ago...

Our view is that the width of a tie should match a man's height and weight with fashion being an afterthought...

Why? Because our focus is on making beautiful ties that you can wear for many years and not be concerned with fashion. Matching to a suit's lapel is a sartorial myth and not an issue.

In America men tend to have bigger bodies as time goes on and 3.5 to 3.75 inches is a classic width for a tie at its widest. If you are young, or very fit or naturally slim then the width can be narrower. Keep in mind that there are local cultural differences, and men that go out at night to clubs often prefer narrower ties such as 2.5 inches.

As a practical matter the small end of a tie should be about two inches above the big end of a tie when tied. The reason for this is that we plan the taper of your tie to have a good sized knot and where you tie your tie influences your knot size. When your tie is too short your knot will tend to be smaller. To get your correct length measure the length of a sample tie very carefully, then tie your tie with the knot that you prefer. The big end typically will be in the middle of your belt. If there is a two inch gap between the big and small end you are all set, use the length of the sample tie. If not add or subtract as needed. Example the small end is four inches above the big end - add two inches to your tie length.

Very rarely men will ask for us to plan for both ends being the same length after tying your tie. In Europe there are more men wearing their ties this way than in America or Australia or Canada. The look is basically the same as a tie with a two inch length difference but it takes an extra minute sometimes to tie it correctly.

Having the small end be longer than the big end is very rare and not suggested for classic office wear...

A tie's length is also influenced by your knot type: All things being equal a half-Windsor needs two more inches than a four-in-hand knot and a full Windsor needs three more inches than a four-in-hand knot. This is due to the extra looping needed.

Shopping for clothes can be fun - and often it is necessary for developing your own personal style. You can't rely on fashion experts and bloggers etc. You need to buy small amounts of clothes and wear them - then you will have your own personal style. This is why we offer lots of options - so you can focus on what you prefer for your own timeless style rather than changing fashions...

I can remember being a boy (around ten for this memory) in New York and walking with my father Mark Hober on Sundays and he would often stop to look in windows. At this time he had a successful women's fashion business and owned his own factories. So it puzzled me why he was looking at other brand's clothes. He explained that you always have to keep looking in the fashion world.

Luckily for men that like nice clothes we can buy natural fabrics that are well cut and sewn and wear our clothes for many years. As a bonus we can help keep land fills from filling up.

This month I am late with this newsletter as I have been in Arizona - I did not buy any clothes for myself - but bought lots for my daughter Sam (Samantha) Hober as she is starting college. She is majoring in finance and pre-law, but hopefully down the road she will take over the family business... By the way Arizona is very hot (110 and above) this time of year!

Sometimes just for fun we will take on a historical project - in this case we created a modern version of the bow tie pattern that the poet Charles Baudelaire (who was friends with Manet) made popular over a 100 years ago.

This project was inspired by Jonathan our customer from Sant Auban Sur L'ouveze in France who did the historical research for this bow tie which he used for his wedding - note he is very patient it took dozens of emails till we finished the pattern. His bow tie is the only modern version currently in existence.

We used archival photographs to create a modern version using a dark red Fermo Fossati satin silk from Como, Italy with our custom made brass adjustor. The original tie was probably created using silk from Lyon, France. Lyon is a beautiful city which still has some of its original silk looms in operation. My wife Noi (who is our production director) and I visited Lyon around 20 years ago and loved it. Hermes has a production facility in Lyon and they are very friendly to us; recently they introduced us to a small luxury silk weaver from Japan that makes very tightly woven silk which is wonderful for small designs, which until now has not woven for other tie makers. But we will save the currently unfolding story of our interaction with this weaver for another day...

Below is a photograph of the finished Baudelaire Bow Tie - the ends have two different shapes:

Courtroom cases are formal events and ties are normally still worn. Close to 20 years ago The Tie Advocate a friend who's heart lies in the courtroom started a conversation with me about how the colors and patterns of ties effect a court case. We are republishing his article that he wrote for us let us know if you agree with hIm...

TIE-ING A LOOK TOGETHER

OR

TRYING TIES

By The Tie Advocate

Early morning, I have a big day ahead of me. I have a big trial, a big series of meetings, group presentations, you can insert anything that requires that you look good and present yourself well. For me, it’s a trial. Trials are strange things, they can last a day, weeks or months. One thing is for certain, though—you better look your best at all times and you had better be conscious of the message that you are presenting because you are center stage at all times, all eyes are on you, and you have to be careful about your non-verbal messages. That is, what are you projecting by non-verbal cues, your gestures, your facial expressions, your clothes? My tie is the most important non-verbal statement. Early morning, I have a big day ahead of me—what tie am I going to wear?

As a practicing trial lawyer, I know that what is said, is as important as what goes un-said, a half-answer, a sideways glance, a lowered head. Those things are almost as important as what is perceived. I want to be perceived as a guy that is in total control of his surroundings at all times. In addition, I also want to be able to express my personality, but in a way that I’m the only one who is in on the joke. Especially when I wear my Sam Hober College Tie.

The tie, in my humble opinion, is the only item of clothing that can truly be used to project a message, to others and to myself. The tie is the thing that ties, pardon the pun, a look together. In the wrong and uninitiated hands, it can be utterly destructive causing onlookers to ignore the wearer/speaker as listeners tune out in unison thinking: “Where did he get that? Are those whales? Christmas trees? I think I had that tie in 1992.”

In the right hands, the tie is a statement, it’s a palette, and for me, it’s a summary of what I’m projecting that day. Do I take ties too seriously? Maybe, but I think others don’t take ties seriously enough. Don’t care about your tie, whether it’s stained, old, frayed? That could be sending the message that you just don’t care. And in my business, not caring about how you are perceived means you just don’t care and that’s deadly.

In the right hands, the tie is a prop or a conversation piece. In jury selection, you can ask about memory recall by asking jurors if they think they’ll remember six months from now what color tie you are wearing today. There is a famous story where one lawyer gets up during an opening statement and states that the evidence was as certain as the fact that he was wearing a blue tie. His adversary promptly pointed out that his tie was paisley, not blue. Message sent: “blue” tie wearer has no idea what he’s talking about. Message received, “blue” tie wearer lost. Coincidence? Not likely. Moral: if you are going to talk about your blue tie today, today make sure you are wearing a blue tie.

After many years of trying cases, I generally know how long one will last and I can generally anticipate how the presentation of a case will proceed no matter if I’m prosecution or defense, plaintiff or defendant. There will always be days that are light and days that require a whole lot of heavy-lifting and the proper tie will be required. I know that for opening statements and summations I have to look sharp. On the days, I take apart a key witness, the tie will accentuate my look. Other days when there will be a lot of scientific or number driven evidence, a tie that’s more somber may be required or maybe something livelier if it’s my evidence.

Trials that last for months are tricky. I don’t like to repeat my ties, yet I have favorites that are my go to tie that, to me, will always be “that” tie. Proper anticipation means not wasting meaningful morning moments going through ties to find the right one. Failing to anticipate means having that look that’s just not quite right, you’re a little off, and that means your game’s a little off. For me, that’s deadly.

A logical question to ask is: why can’t a nice suit, shoes, shirt, socks or accessories play the same or even a more important role? My answer would be that in modern American culture where I practice, the uniform is set: conservative suit, plain socks, conservative accessories, and yes, on trial, it’s still black shoes. A suit that screams expensive, multicolor socks or shirts, expensive jewelry may cause a jury to tune you out. Even if you’re tuned out because they are admiring your goods, the effect is still the same: no one heard what you were saying. A tie, the right tie, focuses the audience on the wearer. For me, that’s a great advantage.

I take the tie I wear seriously. I feel that the tie I’m wearing during important events gives me confidence. In turn, I project that confidence and I’m able to deliver my message. Does the tie I wear affect the listener? I don’t really know, but I can’t dispute the results. Selecting the proper tie is about planning, preparation and execution of how you want to look. Failing to select the proper tie is failing to plan and failing to plan is planning to fail.

Formal silks range from silver patterns and stripes worn traditionally at weddings and other formal events such as annual horse races to grenadines which men wear at more modern events. We have had our formal silks woven for many years both in England and Italy.

James recently emailed us to ask about making a formal cravat from our wedding silks. The answer is that it is a classic look and we can make different variations such as a pleated ascot or a formal one without the pleats. Below are rolls of our new formal silks custom woven for us by Anna Bianchi in the north of Italy. Ordering by the roll is very important for making luxury ties as the rolls allow you to make any size or construction tie or ascot when requested.

Funerals often call for solid black ties and some men keep one on hand only for funerals, but my view which some may not agree with is that a black silk grenadine tie can be fashionably worn anywhere and is not limited to funerals or waiters...

Ramy recently asked why we pick certain designs for our ties. Part of what we select for new designs is what we like and part are classic designs. Our classic designs are influenced very heavily by British traditional patterns - for example regimental stripes using a repp weave. Or geometric patterns from the Macclesfield area of England. Twill silks make a wonderful printed silk.

Grenadines and beautiful satins are from the north of Italy. At first we worked with smooth formal British satins but over time I have fallen in love with the Italian satins which have texture.

We also like to experiment and in the past we raised silk worms on a family farm and wove Thai silk using classic Mudmee and Shot silk. On occasion we would merge Thai silk with western designs such as a New York Mets stripe we wove for Patrick, or an Ask Andy club tie we wove for Andy Gilchrist.

When I was young I grew up in the fashion business and the method for picking designs was more commercial where the world of current fashion trends ruled our choices. I can remember walking with my father Mark Hober as boy in New York and he would always look in the windows of clothing stores. Curious I asked him why he was looking and he told me that you always learn new things. He also told me that the same design with different color ways is like having a new design. He also explained to me that the best way to develop your personal style is to go shopping and explore new colors, fabrics and designs - rather than relying on others...

Last but not least I listen to customer requests...

For ties a good wool interlining is very important - there used to be a number of luxury wool interlining tie weavers in Italy but the number is dropping to only a couple now. Cheap wool interlinings are still available both from China and Italy - but they are just that cheap - they don't drape well at all.

England and America had some weavers but mostly polyester or a mix. Today we use the best Italian pure wool interlinings in the world, made by Tata Stoppani in a small factory in Como in the north of Italy. Her father Bruno started the firm in the late 1950's, coincidently around the same time the Sam Hober Company was created in New York by my father Mark Hober. Tata, is the rare mix of someone with technical skills and great people skills - it is a pleasure working with her and her team. Her wool interlinings use the best wool; but it is her team's finishing skills that bring out the best in her interlinings.

John asked today about the possibility of an unlined satin tie. It is possible but I am reluctant to make an unlined satin as the drape does not tend to work well. Satin works best with a classic wool interlining.

Cetin asked about "what happened to burgundy silks?" We still have solid burgundy silks but sometimes there are color variations from one roll of silk to another (my apologies - nothing we can do about this...) and burgundy is often confused with maroon. Burgundy is similar in color to a Merlot or Bordeaux wine and is a mix of red and purple while maroon is a mix of red and brown.

Grenadines are an elegant way to use a classic solid color (and occasional patterns and dots) and look elegant - the texture is what attracts our attention; that and the fact that James Bond 007 often wears grenadines.

The weave is a loose one so we need to be careful not to get a snag or pull. If you do get a snag please do not cut the loose thread instead push it into the fabric with a needle. The repair is easy to do but requires patience. Here is a video that we made showing how to make the repair: Grenadine Tie Repair
John had a question today asking if we can make him a knit tie - but we don't work with knit fabrics as they come from the silk mill as a tube (like a sock) which is hard to customize. Instead I described to him an option to use grenadine fabric to make a tie with a square (flat) end.

We normally make the flat edge grenadine ties with a pure wool interlining and the shape of a classic tie as opposed to the flat unlined straight shape of most knit ties. The result is a grenadine tie that is overall similar to a knit tie but the grenadine drapes better and can be worn anywhere - including weddings and formal events.

In an earlier newsletter we mentioned that we have been working on adding more Modern Madder silks to our collection. Our Modern Madders which are printed in Macclesfield, England by Adamley combine the best of classic designs and modern printing and silk finishing. The detail on the Modern Madders is amazing. This year we should have 100+ new Modern Madder designs in addition to reweaving many of the grenadines and other classics in our collection. Our grenadines are woven by Bianchi and Fermo Fossati in the north of Italy. Late last year the two silk mills merged into one company.

We have built our UK and American reppe weave stripe collection each year but have slowed down recently. For weaving regimental stripes in the past we liked to use the Vanners silk mill in England which had been around for hundreds of years but sadly it went out of business during COVID. We are actively looking for a silk mill with a lot of experience with regimentals that can custom weave limited editions.

Our partnership with the Thai Post office continues and they are doing an amazing job. Super friendly and very organized. They even deliver/pickup on Sundays and are open 7 days a week. DHL is used only for weddings and rush deliveries.

We continue to accept PayPal and major credit cards but we are considering adding Apple Pay, and briefly I thought about adding a QR code instant payment system but it didn't work out.

It has been a busy year and just before New Year's we always work 6 or 7 days a week. Then we have a break during the first few days of the year. The New Year's break has become my favorite holiday - quiet, with cool weather but not too cold - no snow here... I go for long walks with my two German Shepherds Ginger and Max. This year while walking i realized that Sam Hober's greatest strength is our staff, each of whom has on average more than ten years experience with us making custom made ties. And of course our customers many of which have been with us for more than ten years - so we don't need to advertise.

Our biggest change is coming soon - Sam Hober (Samantha our daughter) will be graduating from high school and going to college in America. She will be helping us remotely with our computers and software and other projects.

Wishing everyone All the Best in the New Year!

This concise guide to bespoke ties will work well if you have an idea of what you want your ties to look like. There is no substitute for asking questions of your tie maker before ordering and looking at swatches if you need a certain color or texture.

Bespoke ties are custom made with the length, width, shape and construction that you prefer. As well as other details such as monograms, rolled edges and flat edges (instead of a triangle). What in the UK is called bespoke is the same as custom made in America. The best bespoke ties are made very slowly and with a great attention to small details. Creating a custom design is not the same as making a tie. Usually there will be a minimum of at least 12 ties for designing and weaving a custom silk and sometimes much larger minimums as for example with grenadines.

Getting the correct length is very important as if your tie is too short the knot will tend to be too small or if your upper torso is short or long that also can change your tie length. There are different ways to measure for length, but I prefer to put a tie on using the main knot that you normally wear and place the big end where you like it - for example on your belt line. Then you add or subtract to the ties length based on the distance between the big and small ends which normally is about two inches, but there is no firm rule; and some men (like my father) like the big and small ends to be equal in length.

A lined 3-fold tie construction will normally work very well. For grenadines a small 4th fold is added to help with durability. Lined 6-fold tie constructions will add weight and drape. Unlined ties will tend to not hold their shape as well as lined ties and the knots will be smaller. Men who like the craftsmanship of complicated watches will tend to favor unlined 7-folds. It is a sartorial myth that 7-folds are the best construction - the best tie construction will be the one that is perfect for you. The best ties are those that are made very slowly with an attention to small details and a constant review for quality control during all the steps of construction.

Silk is the classic tie fabric as it holds colors very well. There are many weaves used in weaving tie fabrics such as the classic bright and shiny satin with a soft finish - note Italian satin has texture and is slightly stiffer and more elegant. Reppe weave silk is normally used for striped ties and a tight twill weave is very good for prints. Twill silks are my personal favorite for traveling, very strong and wrinkle resistant. The loose grenadine weave made popular by James Bond 007 is perfect for showing off the texture of a solid tie but can be delicate. Grenadines ties normally are woven with silk but also are available in cashmere and a number of other fabrics such as cotton and wool. Knit fabrics have a similar look to grenadines but are more casual and stronger.

Wool has a beautiful texture and matte finish with the added benefit of being wrinkle resistant. Wool is also the ideal tie interlining. Bespoke tie makers will normally have a number of different weights of interlining wool on hand and they will match the correct wool interlining with a tie silk.

In America the traditional tie shape is the one that Brooks Brothers popularized many years ago. In Europe a bottle shape is sometimes preferred. Tie shapes can be customized if you give us the width measurements at around five different widths.

Monograms can be machine made or hand sewn - with hand sewn monograms having a softer nicer look. We like to put monograms on the rear tie keeper loop as that is a strong area without risk of tearing the silk.

John from New Jersey recently asked us about our Mogador fabric: With its 51% silk and 49% cotton the fabric has a texture that many feel works best in the winter. But I am going to take a contrarian stance and say it is a year round fabric. The colors are a soft matte but they are also bright and cheerful. So Mogador ties look good in the Spring and even in the Summer.

What makes a great tie is a question that I am often asked.

A beautiful tie will be made from luxury fabric and be sewn slowly and carefully. A small custom made/bespoke tie maker will create ties that fit perfectly and the ties will be made even slower than normal...

The care put into making the tie is much more important than the type of construction. So a 3-fold tie can be of a higher quality than a 7-fold tie.

A lined 3-fold tie is the classic tie construction and works very well. Grenadines do better with a 4-fold construction as the fourth fold (which is small) helps to stabilize the tie and increases the tie's life. A lined 6-fold tie is used when you like more weight and a bit more drape in your ties. Note that in Italy some tie makers will confuse terms and call a 6-fold tie a 7-fold. I will politely assume that it is a language problem... An unlined 7-fold will be light, have less form and a smaller knot. Often men who like complicated watches will order unlined 7-folds as they appreciate the craft that goes into the construction. Occasionally in Italy you will see 12 fold ties made with very light silk which are only a marketing tactic there is no advantage to a 12 fold tie.

Tie and interlining fabric should be hand cut to provide a better drape, fit and finish. We use a round rotary blade as it is good for small details but some tie makers use scissors.

A tie's tipping (the triangular area on both sides of the underside of the tie) should be the same fabric as the main part of the tie. This is called self-tipping. When your tie has rolled edges tipping is not used - the triangular space on the bottom of the tie has an open look. Rolled edges should be tightly and evenly rolled by hand.

Interlinings should be a high quality of specialized tie wool as wool resists wrinkles. This type of high grade interlining wool is currently only woven in the north of Italy. Occasionally cotton is used as an extra layer to make a tie thicker but not not add extra weight. Polyester and polyester interlinings should be avoided as they do not drape well.

Hand sewn slip stitches go up the back of the tie and hold the tie together and allow it to stretch. Some Italian ties have saddle sticking which is clearly visible as large loose stitches and is an interesting look but is not good for drape and durability.

Luxury ties are gently finished so that the edges are not pressed flat, and have a nice roll. The very best ties are finished with a small iron similar to the way a bespoke suit is finished. This finishing process takes a great deal of skill and time to finish a tie.

Our staff have been with us around ten years on average. They start with expert embroidery sewing skills that they learned growing up and then we train them how to custom make bespoke ties and pocket squares. Our secret is that we work very slowly and check and recheck every step of the way - if anything is not perfect we start again. The feeling in our workshop is somewhere between a library and a party with cool air conditioning and soft Thai music...

We look at each order as they come in and answer construction questions; then we start to make a pattern with the customer's preferences. While making the pattern we compare it against old orders and adjust the old pattern as needed. We keep patterns on file using a combination of paper patterns and measurements stored on a computer.

After the pattern is completed we go into our silk room to get the silk and interlining which is usually wool (occasionally cotton). Then, we cut the silk and wool by hand on a wood table using a rotary blade. Note for grenadines there is an extra step where we paint the wool interlining.

Then we sew the tipping on the tie and connect the tie pieces. Next, we sew the back of the tie and add the keeper loop and any special request such as monograms which are done by hand. Finally, we shape the tie with a small iron. The reason that we shape the tie is to add a beautiful drape that you normally won't find in other ties as the shaping process is a very slow one which requires a special skill.

Ancient madder ties are a classic look, but commercial silk currently does not use real madder, which is made from the root of the rubia tintoruim plant. This is the same root that was used by the British to dye their Redcoat's uniforms, and dating back to 1324 B.C. cloth dyed with madder has been found in Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb - note I'm not sure if the Egyptians used the fabric to make ties...

Alizarin is the main coloring agent of madder and produces a wide range of beautiful reds as well as other colors such as yellow and purple. In 1868 a synthetic alizarin was created by the German chemists Graeme and Liebermann. This spelled the end of almost all commercial cultivation of madder. OK, strike one for ancient madder ties.

Next, ancient madder ties need a special technique of processing silk that uses lime to create a distinctive texture. This process was outlawed many years ago as it polluted local water. Strike two.

Today, modern madder ties use a combination of heat and pressure for the madder finish. This was not part of the ancient madder style - strike three and out...

If you visit a craft fair you can still find small scale artisans who grow madder root and use it to beautifully hand dye fabrics, typically scarves. But you won't find real ancient madder ties for sale in stores. Madder ties use classic paisley designs and geometric patterns with dark reds, greens, blues and other colors. Adamley in Macclesfield, England is the finest printer of madder designs in the world and using a heavy twill weave they print our Macclesfield modern madder silks.

The Thai Post office is part of our logistics team and it is a pleasure working with them. They work 7 days a week and pick up from our workshop. They are very friendly and work hard to help us. Below are the two gentlemen who pickup your registered and express mail orders from our workshop in the countryside in the north of Thailand just outside of Chiangmai.

It has been a long time since we sent out a newsletter, so I thought I would sit down and write a few words, and send you this link: New and rewoven Silks for August As time allows we will send out more newsletters...

Adamley a traditional silk printer from Macclesfield, England, that we have used for many years is working with us to print many designs from their archives which date back around 300 years and include the classic David Evans designs.

After 20 years of printing silks with Adamley using different weights of twill silk we have found that their "50 oz" twill silk has the most beautiful drape and texture and we are using it for all of our new silk designs. The term "50 oz" silk is one occasionally seen on the internet and many years ago had a practical meaning: The weight of silk with a length of 7 yards and a width of 36 inches. Currently it is a marketing term which describes the heaviest and most luxurious printed silks.

A recent email from a customer who loves texture:

"Hi David,

We’re in Edinburgh for an accidental weekend (supposed to be up in the Hebrides, but the Scottish fog decided to have an opinion about that). I’m very excited about these textures, too! I’m only packing linen for the summer; I don’t want to worry about wrinkles and creases. And these ties will be perfect (they look good a bit wrinkled for travel - unlike tweed, flannel, wool or cashmere) to ensure that I don’t end up looking like Burton in Night of the Iguana :)

Ben"

Grenadine Update:

We have always had a solid purple Grenadine Grossa GGT-34 but now we have a Grenadine Fina version GFT-34

Another interesting Grenadine note is that Fermo Fossati (weaver of our Grenadine Grossa and Fina) has bought Bianchi (the weaver of our Promoteo and Piccola Grenadines). These two silk mills are located in the Como area of northern Italy and are the only weavers of Grenadine in the world. They use old looms which weave very slowly and are unlikely to ever be duplicated.