Sight, Touch The Key To Finding Quality Ties

At tiecoon.com, all woven Jon vanDyk ties are always $9.90. Extra long ties are always $15.90. Our woven silk ties are always $19.90. Click those links to view them!

When searching for quality ties, let some of your senses guide you.

Finding quality ties doesn’t take a great deal of insider’s knowledge of the tie industry. Instead, it takes a good eye and your sense of touch to determine when you’ve found quality ties.

Many manufacturers and retailers can claim to offer quality ties, but only a few actually do. Most tie sellers rely on the consumer not knowing what constitutes quality ties and, truth be told, many do not. Many consumers may be swayed by a brand name or the name of a store into thinking they’re buying quality ties. And, to be honest, some retailers may take advantage of this.

But by relying on touch and sight, an educated consumer can find quality ties in just about any store, if they’re willing to do their research.

When searching for quality ties, use your sense of touch. Feel the fabric. You don’t have to be a fabric expert to know quality material. For instance, silk, of course should be smooth. If you rub your fingers over it and it feels rough or coarse, it’s probably not quality silk. Silk should be smooth, of course, which is one of the reasons silk quality ties are so expensive. Second, a silk tie should have some weight. Lightweight silk ties are often a sign of cheap silk ties, not quality silk ties. Quality silk ties should have some heft and weight to them. Hold them in your hand and feel with weight to determine if they are quality silk ties.

Next, look at the ties to determine if they are quality ties. There are many attributes of quality ties that require the potential buyer to look at them and examine them to determine their quality.

Flip the tie over and take a look at the “V” on the tie at the top and the bottom, the place where the fabric that makes up the tie comes together. These two areas should be sewn together with what tie designers call a “bar tack”. This helps the tie keep its shape and is an essential part of its construction. Ties that do not have this feature are not quality ties.

Now check the lining of the tie. On a quality tie, the lining will be wool, either 100 percent or as close to it as possible. The higher the percentage of wool in the lining, the higher quality ties you have. Some tie manufacturers use a cheap material or cloth, knowing that most consumers won’t check this feature. But a wool lining helps the tie hold its shape, so it’s important that quality ties have this feature.

If you open the tie flap as far as possible, you should discover a small thread hanging in side. This is called a slip stitch and tugging on it should make the tie draw up. This is a feature that is common in quality ties so be sure to look for it.

The sewing of the tie itself is also something that will tell you if you are handling quality ties. Give the stitching a slight tug. You should be able to tell if the stitching is hand-sewn or machine-sewn. Hand-sewing represents a higher quality item and results in quality ties.

Finally, examine the overall tie. There are certain features of quality ties that are common to all of them. The fabric is sewn so that the ends all meet precisely and evenly. The fabric of a quality tie is also cut on a bias to permit it to hang straight and flat.

Finally, after using your senses of sight and touch, use your ability to speak to find quality ties. Talk to the menswear retailer to find out what they know about quality ties.
They should be able to tell you about the construction and makeup of the ties in which you’re interested and help you find the quality ties you seek.