I was at my usual haberdashery--Syms discount clothing <g>--last night and I noticed they had a number of ties said to be 7 fold, for $19.95 and $24.95 each. (The prices are actually realatively high for Syms. They have some amazingly dscounted prices for various well-known brands.)
The brands were Peter M illar (sp?) and Burma Bibas. I though the latter was really a Nordstrum's brand but I got a hit for Men's Wearhouse for this brand of ties, too. They are marked made in China.
I have had a least one 7 fold tie in the distant past but from a maker I knew well, and it was very expensive and interesting. A seven fold tie is supposedly made all of the same silk without a separate tyupe of cloth for the lining. These ties seem nice, but their construction seems a bit differrent than that older 7 fold tie. However, I looked at some other 7 fold ties on line, and "Kiton" for instance seems to have this same construction in their 7 fold ties. For instance, I recall as to the older tie, that the silk was finished on the edges, but that there really was not separately stitched lining. These and the Kiton, seem to have a stitched-in lining, or at least the cloth stitched together to form something like a lining, albeit the same cloth as the rest of the tie.
Also, as I recall, my older tie was rather thin overall, owing I suppose to it being simply a number of layers of thinner silk with no lining, whereas these ties are quite thick. Not sure I do not like thick better, although they also do not taper as much as many of my ties, and seem to call for a thin knot, like a four-in-hand to keep from coming out with an enormous knot that takes up too much of the length of the tie.
There seems to be some assertion that a 7 fold tie naturally ties and "drapes" better than a tie constructed in the usual way.
Wikipedia has some write-up on 7 folds, but also refers to 6 fold ties, which it seems to say actually tie and drape better than 7 folds. I have never seen a 6 fold tie that I am aware of.
Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts or information on 7 fold ties or related matters? Are they supposed to be better in some way? If so, how? Do these sound like they are truly 7 fold ties or is this some marketing angle that is not authentic? How about the thickness? Thoughts on ties that do not taper much and what knot to use?
Does anyone have any thoughts on these brands? On 6 folds?
I am wearing a Peter Millar today and I bought a Burma Bibas as well. Despite the price difference in the two brands at Syms--and I am not sure which of the brands had the higher price--I would not be surprised at all to find out these ties were made by exactly the same folks. The construction of the Peter Millar, which is the only one I have at hand, seems very, very good, with very even stitching and clean uniform folds and lines absolutel everywhere. A very carefully securely sewn in tie keeper and a separate brand label, similarly carefully and securely sewn as well. It lays uniformly very flattly without looking like it was mashed into flatness with an iron or press. The edges are rounded, not creased. It has thin regularly spaced violet blue pencil (if that is the word) stripes with little embrodiered emblems in between double sets of stripes, which have very fine details, but which are extremely uniform and show no signs of tiny threads pulling away or anything like that. The silk itself and its colors are very vibrant, and the silk is tightly woven. To me it has that just slightly semi-gloss sheen that really nice silk ties seem to have. Not too, too shiny and cerrtainly not flat. Almost a "glow" I guess.
Interesting, the Burma Bibas, which all seemed to be dual-color uniform striped, seemed to be intentionally a little dulled down color-wise. Not that the silk did not seem of good quality, but the colors seemed to intentionally have some gray in then so as not to be so bright. More Brioni and less Brooks Brothers--less Brit anm more Italian perhaps, although I probably tend toward those brightly colored BB-type rep ties.
Why do I have the feeling that next time I swing by Syms there will not be any left??!!
But pleas, any thoughts and knowledge anyone has!
The brands were Peter M illar (sp?) and Burma Bibas. I though the latter was really a Nordstrum's brand but I got a hit for Men's Wearhouse for this brand of ties, too. They are marked made in China.
I have had a least one 7 fold tie in the distant past but from a maker I knew well, and it was very expensive and interesting. A seven fold tie is supposedly made all of the same silk without a separate tyupe of cloth for the lining. These ties seem nice, but their construction seems a bit differrent than that older 7 fold tie. However, I looked at some other 7 fold ties on line, and "Kiton" for instance seems to have this same construction in their 7 fold ties. For instance, I recall as to the older tie, that the silk was finished on the edges, but that there really was not separately stitched lining. These and the Kiton, seem to have a stitched-in lining, or at least the cloth stitched together to form something like a lining, albeit the same cloth as the rest of the tie.
Also, as I recall, my older tie was rather thin overall, owing I suppose to it being simply a number of layers of thinner silk with no lining, whereas these ties are quite thick. Not sure I do not like thick better, although they also do not taper as much as many of my ties, and seem to call for a thin knot, like a four-in-hand to keep from coming out with an enormous knot that takes up too much of the length of the tie.
There seems to be some assertion that a 7 fold tie naturally ties and "drapes" better than a tie constructed in the usual way.
Wikipedia has some write-up on 7 folds, but also refers to 6 fold ties, which it seems to say actually tie and drape better than 7 folds. I have never seen a 6 fold tie that I am aware of.
Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts or information on 7 fold ties or related matters? Are they supposed to be better in some way? If so, how? Do these sound like they are truly 7 fold ties or is this some marketing angle that is not authentic? How about the thickness? Thoughts on ties that do not taper much and what knot to use?
Does anyone have any thoughts on these brands? On 6 folds?
I am wearing a Peter Millar today and I bought a Burma Bibas as well. Despite the price difference in the two brands at Syms--and I am not sure which of the brands had the higher price--I would not be surprised at all to find out these ties were made by exactly the same folks. The construction of the Peter Millar, which is the only one I have at hand, seems very, very good, with very even stitching and clean uniform folds and lines absolutel everywhere. A very carefully securely sewn in tie keeper and a separate brand label, similarly carefully and securely sewn as well. It lays uniformly very flattly without looking like it was mashed into flatness with an iron or press. The edges are rounded, not creased. It has thin regularly spaced violet blue pencil (if that is the word) stripes with little embrodiered emblems in between double sets of stripes, which have very fine details, but which are extremely uniform and show no signs of tiny threads pulling away or anything like that. The silk itself and its colors are very vibrant, and the silk is tightly woven. To me it has that just slightly semi-gloss sheen that really nice silk ties seem to have. Not too, too shiny and cerrtainly not flat. Almost a "glow" I guess.
Interesting, the Burma Bibas, which all seemed to be dual-color uniform striped, seemed to be intentionally a little dulled down color-wise. Not that the silk did not seem of good quality, but the colors seemed to intentionally have some gray in then so as not to be so bright. More Brioni and less Brooks Brothers--less Brit anm more Italian perhaps, although I probably tend toward those brightly colored BB-type rep ties.
Why do I have the feeling that next time I swing by Syms there will not be any left??!!
But pleas, any thoughts and knowledge anyone has!
