Tundra

Tundra was Canada's version of Australia's Coogi, purveying wild "Cosby sweaters" and equally colorful neckties. Whereas my previous examples of those brands were actually knitted or woven with a complexity similar to that of the sweaters, the "knitted" texture in this Tundra tie is just printed onto silk, a textural trompe l'oeil as it were.

Carlos Falchi

Brazilian-born, US-based designer and leathersmith Carlos Falchi is known primarily for his handbags. In the 60s he was a manager at the seminal New York rock club Max's Kansas City; in the 70s he designed stage outfits for Mick Jagger, Miles Davis, Tina Turner, and Elvis. I can only find references to handbags and other women's accessories, but at some point Falchi had a men's necktie line, as evidenced by this Carlos Falchi tie right here. It's certainly an unconventional print, and the jacquard weave has a pattern that references the grain of animal skins so prominent in Falchi's handbags.

Ectomorphic paisleys

Have you ever seen paisleys so slender and sinuous? Marja Kurki of Finland has fashioned this richly-colored silk print into a similarly slender tie.

New Modules

Some ties languish in my closet for years before being worn; some may never be worn; others arrive in the mail and get worn two days later, as is the case with this Modules of Japan tie, the latest addition to my Modules hoard. Interesting prints, funky jacquard weaves, tiny knots... I just love 'em.

George Machado

George Machado's Zylos line is one of the top Art Deco tie brands; this tie, however, is from his Machado line, which may simply be Zylos fabrics in an extra-long size. (Don't be afraid to wear an extra-long tie even if you don't need one: you can use up plenty of length in the knot.)

It came from the past (and Belgium)

Scoff if you must, but this monster was a premium necktie in its day. Offered by Roland (London, Paris, Madrid), the shell is made of an unusual blend of polyester and wool (70/30), but the crowning touch of quality is the fact that it was hand made in Belgium. (To see how a necktie is made by hand, go to The Necktie Series, Part II: The Manufacturing Process on Put This On.) That makes this the perfect tie to wear while enjoying fine Belgian ales, chocolate, and waffles.

Not that Paul Smith

This tie is from Paul R. Smith, not to be confused with British designer Paul Smith. Paul R. Smith may be based in Germany, as the label also says "reine seide", or "pure silk" auf Deutsch. And that's all I can tell you.

The Countess' Labyrinth

Too bad Countess Mara insisted on putting her logo on this tie, which has an otherwise elegant, vaguely industrial minimalist pattern woven in gold thread on a field of navy. I think I have some more surprisingly good CM ties stashed away somewhere, which will appear here if and when I locate them.

Ikat

From Solo (Surakarta), Java, the batik capital of the world, comes this tie from Danar Hadi of ikat fabric. Ikat differs from regular batik in that the resist-dyeing is performed on the threads which are then woven into a patterned fabric, as opposed to resist-dyeing already-woven fabric. Danar Hadi may be the most popular batik maker in the world, based strictly on availability of batik shirts in secondhand shops and on eBay. I have some good ones to wear on the days I don't wear ties.

Biggie

I've hit a bottleneck again, as I can't find this tie in my closet to take down its particulars. If memory serves, it's made of Dralon polyester, and a prodigious amount of it. Such a generous serving of a petroleum-based textile could only have originated pre-Energy Crisis '74. And that brown....!

Update: I found the tie! It is "Distinctively Styled by Lancashire" of Imported Trevira. (Not Dralon... memory did not serve.)