Taking SoLace

This hand-marbled silk tie is from SoLace Studios of Elkton, Virginia. The pattern is a traditional nonpareil that has undergone an additional zigzag combing (I think) to create the large "cells".

Desert Designs, yet again

You might conclude by the preponderance of Desert Designs ties on this blog that I really like Australian Aboriginal art, and you'd be right. This Desert Designs tie is by Doris Gingingara.

Second-Best Neo-Deco

While Modules of Japan made my favorite Art Deco revival ties, The Hollywood Collection from Ralph Lauren Polo ran a close second; here at last is an example of that line. The Hollywood Collection recreates a vintage detail that Modules does not: the tail of the tie flares out at the end to about double its narrowest width, just as in the swing ties of old.

Finest Italian Polyester

Italian silk, mostly from the Lake Como region, has been so highly-regarded for so long that its cachet apparently transfers to lesser fabrics. The label on the tail end of this tie reads, "100% Polyester Imported Fabric from Italy". The pattern in the fabric is typically created by putting salt on painted silk (which makes the different color bands run together), so it's amusing (to me) to see such a pattern mechanically printed on polyester. From Scott's of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, presumably a defunct haberdasher or department store.

A Dress Tie

The label on this tie reads, "Ties by Jon, California". I call it a dress tie because I think the (unnamed synthetic) fabric is more suited for a woman's dress, in both scale of pattern and sheerness. This entry marks the debut of my new lavender shirt from Lands' End. It's my first lavender shirt ever, and it will enable me to wear several ties that I've never managed to match to another shirt. The shirt's "no-iron" pinpoint cotton fabric is quite sumptuous, but here is a helpful hint: there is no such thing as a dress shirt that doesn't need ironing. Don't believe the hype!

Eros 2

Nearly three years ago I wore the second vintage tie from an eBay lot of three, and ended my blog post with, "There was a third one, too, and maybe I will remember which one it was." If you have been on tenterhooks since then, I have good news for you: your wait is over! Here it is! Like that second tie, it is a massive woolen creation from Eros. The fuzziness of the pattern is due to the fuzziness of the fabric; that is some nappy wool!

Stradivari 3

This is the third appearance on the blog of a Stradivari by Park Lane necktie. Like my previous Stradivari tie, this one is made of a super-slick synthetic fabric that I'm guessing is nylon. It may even be indestructible; it certainly holds pigment well!

Deadstock

Can you recognize a Chateau et Cie Ltd. tie on sight yet? This is my third one in a month. They all came in the same eBay lot, which must have been deadstock from a menswear store. (One that must have closed in 1975.)

Megaflora

The designers at Grenada found the largest-scale floral print that could fit on a tie without descending into abstraction, though to do it they had to push the boundaries of necktie width. (And they also did it about forty years ago.)

Worlds In Collision

Here is another vintage acetate tie of unknown provenance. (9/13/10: Oops, it's not unknown... it's another one from Chateau et Cie Ltd.) It brings to my mind Immanuel Velikovsky's bestselling book of pseudoscience, Worlds In Collision (and Jerry Harrison's song of the same name), or M.C. Escher's Three Spheres. They don't make 'em like this anymore! (But I wish they would.)

Freeforming

Hand-marbling doesn't get any more freeform than this! There is actually a layer of more traditional marbling underneath the freeform layer, most visible in the tan blob on the left side. Or is the other layer on top? I can't see it through the white blobs. It's like a whole microcosm to get lost exploring. Hand-marbled tie by Cosette Originals of Austin, Texas.

The Minimal Gene

Gene Meyer returns to the tie blog after a four-year absence. The pattern is minimal, but the colors are maximal.

Ball lightning?

Pac-Man as Janus? Protons and neutrons? Another pitch-perfect deco pastiche from Modules of Japan. (And check out that funky jacquard weave!)

Van Sobers

Highly-textured ties of brocaded polyester were quite popular in the 70s, but I have seen very few examples of them in silk. This tie from the mysterious Van Sobers fits the bill. It is made of raw silk, which looks as if it has a matte finish but reveals a brilliant luster from certain angles, adding yet another textural dimension to the weave.

The Honeycomb Bunch

Today's tie comes from Structure's THIS GOES WITH KHAKI!!! collection.

Square Sigmoids

Most ties by Ondée that I see are Vitaliano Pancaldi knockoffs, featuring ugly baroque/deco patterns in garish colors. (Who am I to call something ugly and garish, right? Go here to see what I mean.) But I adore this particular Ondée offering, with its squared-off, textured white esses on a background that manages to be both black and rainbow-colored at the same time. It's tikirific!