Journal ·
Italian silk ties under $135, and how to wear one
Four silk ties from $69 to $132.56, one pocket square, and how to knot, size and pair them.
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Buy the Dolce & Gabbana silk knit tie in brown. It's $114.99, down from $425.88, made in Italy in 100% silk with a 6 cm blade, and it goes with more of what you own than any patterned tie on sale. Behind it: a hand-stitched D&G geometric at $132.56, a Jil Sander micro stripe at $132.56, and a Paul Fredrick printed Italian silk for $69. All four are under $135.
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Why the knit wins
A knit tie has a squared-off end and a texture you can see from across the table, and that texture is what lets it travel. It looks right with tweed, flannel, corduroy, an oxford shirt, a crewneck pulled over a button-down. A smooth silk tie with no jacket looks like you lost the jacket. A knit tie with no jacket looks like you meant it.
Brown is the color I'd pick first. It sits well on light blue, white and pale pink shirts, and it works with navy, grey and olive. The 6 cm blade is on the slim side, so it suits narrower lapels and smaller collars. Tie it with a four-in-hand and skip the dimple; a knit holds a small, tight knot. Roll it to store it. Hanging stretches a knit over time.
The dressy one
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Dolce & Gabbana's geometric-patterned tie in navy is $132.56, down from $530.26. That's 75% off, the biggest cut here. It's 100% silk, hand-stitched, made in Italy, with a silk-lined reverse, so the back of the blade is finished in silk rather than polyester. A small navy pattern reads close to solid from a few feet away and shows its detail up close, which is what you want from a tie for a navy or charcoal suit and a white shirt. Weddings, interviews, the meeting that matters.
The office one
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Jil Sander's micro stripe in navy is $132.56, down from $441.88, in silk with a herringbone micro stripe and a 7 cm blade. Seven centimeters is the standard width that matches a standard lapel, so it won't look dated in either direction. A stripe that small reads as texture, and it's easy to wear with a striped shirt or a bold check as long as the shirt's pattern is bigger. It's sold by italist, an Italian retailer, but the listing doesn't say where the tie is made, so we won't either. If you already own a plain navy tie you like, this does the same job; skip it.
The cheap one, and the loud one
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Paul Fredrick's Medallion tie is $69, down from $129, in printed silk made in Italy. It comes in regular and long. Long is for tall men, or anyone who ties a fuller knot like a half-Windsor and keeps ending up with the tip at the navel. Printed silk is usually lighter than a heavy woven tie and ties a smaller knot. The orange medallion is the loudest thing on this page. Against a navy suit and a light blue shirt it's cheerful without being a joke. In a conservative office, pass.
The pocket square
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Dolce & Gabbana's silk pocket square in sugar-paper blue is $83.60, down from $261.26, with a hand-rolled edge. At 31 cm it's on the small side. Most squares run 33 to 45 cm, and a smaller one sits flatter in the pocket, which suits a simple straight fold. Never match it to the tie. The pale blue works with the brown knit or the orange Paul Fredrick because it repeats neither. Is $83.60 a lot for a small square? Yes. Unless you wear a jacket every week, put the money toward a second tie.
How to wear one
- Knot. A four-in-hand for most shirts: small, a little asymmetric, easy to undo. A half-Windsor only for a wide spread collar.
- Length. The tip should touch the top of your waistband or belt buckle. Above it looks short, below it looks sloppy.
- Width. Match the tie roughly to your lapel. A 7 cm tie with average lapels, a 6 cm tie with slim ones.
- Dimple. One small fold just under the knot on a smooth silk tie. Never on a knit.
- Pattern. Vary the scale. A small-patterned tie with a bigger shirt pattern, or a plain shirt with anything.
- Care. Untie it by reversing the knot, never by pulling the narrow end through. Let it rest a day between wears so the creases fall out.
One tie, three ways
Take the brown knit. With a navy suit and a white shirt, it's the softer choice for an office dinner. With a white button-down and a navy crewneck over it, collar and knot showing, it's a jacket-free Tuesday. With a wool overshirt on top, it's Friday. Those last two are built from our work wardrobe for under $500, and if you'd rather skip the tie and the shirt altogether, the turtleneck in the best cashmere sweater under $160 does that job. The whole drop is in this week's steals.