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Knit Ties

TSP13

Familiar Face
Messages
91
Location
South Carolina
Does anyone wear a knit tie every now and then? One of my friends wears one almost everyday. I wasn't sure about the look at first, but it is starting to grow on me. It sure does make you stand out. Is there a specific time of the year to wear them? I know they were popular in the 1920's, but is there any sort of code on them?
 

Tomasso

Incurably Addicted
Messages
13,719
Location
USA
I wear them year around. Personally, I wear pointed end knits with suits and square end knits with sport jackets. Certainly not a rule as I've seen many well dressed gents wear square end with suits; Ian Flemming's Bond for one.
 

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
Messages
1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
I personally lover knit ties and wear them with suits or odd jackets irrespective of season. While many people associate knit neck wear with the 60s and 70s, they actually been around since at least the 1920s:

1920%2527sSkinnyKnitTiePhoto%2526Pattern.jpg


vintage-mugshots-black-and-white-22.jpg


Cary Grant was a fan of knit ties too:

Cary-Grant-knit-tie.jpg


And Sean Connery's Bond always wore at least one knit tie per movie in homage to Flemming's original description (in the novels, I believe Bond is described as almost always wearing a black knit ite):

blackknit2.jpeg


Gf_silkblackknittie2.jpg
 

Hemingway Jones

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
6,099
Location
Acton, Massachusetts
I've been wearing them almost everyday, plain navy, royal blue, or gray with dark Brooks Brothers suits. I wear them with modern dress shirts, french cuffs, and 60s influenced suits. It's a great look.

You just need to be careful to untie them and not pull them off because they will elongate otherwise. And if you have rough hands as I do, you have to be careful all around.
 

Two Types

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,456
Location
London, UK
The pointed ones seems to be rather rare. I think I have only ever had one (black silk made in Italy) that fell to pieces many years ago. Someone once told me (and I'm not sure how true it is) that only the Italians made pointed end knitted ties.
 

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
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1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
The pointed ones seems to be rather rare. I think I have only ever had one (black silk made in Italy) that fell to pieces many years ago. Someone once told me (and I'm not sure how true it is) that only the Italians made pointed end knitted ties.

Grenadine ties are usually pointed rather than square bottomed. I'm not sure where the Italian connection fits in. J. Press and Drake's of London are the two makers most associated with that style.
 

Tomasso

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13,719
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USA
The world supply of silk knit ties comes from just a couple of mills in Italy. All the branded silk knits you see (Charvet, Marinella, Rubinacci, Tirnbull & Asser, etc...) come from the same makers.
 
Last edited:

Guttersnipe

One Too Many
Messages
1,942
Location
San Francisco, CA
The world supply of silk knit ties comes from just a couple of mills in Italy. All the branded silk knits you see (Charvet, Marinella, Rubinacci, Tirnbull & Asser, etc...) come from the same makers.

Interesting. So, is it just the weaving which is done in Italy or the actual assembling of the ties too?
 

Tomasso

Incurably Addicted
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13,719
Location
USA
Interesting. So, is it just the weaving which is done in Italy or the actual assembling of the ties too?
The ties are woven and finished at the mill. Some branding labels are applied at the mill and some are applied down the distribution chain.
 

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