Return of The Other Pierre

Hot on the heels of the Pierre Cardin tie from three entries back, here is an old favorite from the other Pierre, Pierre Balmain. The pattern is obviously part of a large-scale floral print, but the "flowers" featured on it also bear an unsettling resemblance to crustaceans or crinoids.

Fliberty

Hickok brings us this reasonable pastiche of a 70s-era Liberty floral print. It's a rather exuberant print that proved quite popular among officemates and the public at large.

Flair

Outside of novelty ties of famous paintings, it is not often that tie patterns are printed to convey artefacts of the pattern's original medium, e.g. brushstrokes. And so far I have seen only one example where the original medium appeared to be felt-tip pen: this tie from Van Heusen. You may have to click through to the larger picture to see what I mean.

Earthtones

Does this tie just shout out "Burl Veneer!", or what? The wavy jacquard weave is almost a woodgrain, even. I can't say a Pierre Cardin tie has ever turned my head in a retail store, but the handful of vintage Cardins I own, of which this is one, are among my favorites. This tie would be perfect to wear in a room that has a photomural of a woodland scene.

And now for something completely different

I still can't decide whether I like this Gianfranco Ruffini tie or not. I like wavy stripes, and I like florals, but I'm not sure this is the best way to combine them. I am not conflicted at all, though, about loving the jacquard weave, which deftly combines wavy stripes and polka dots. Click on the picture for a better look at it. That weave would make a great print in its own right.

Still marbling

Today's tie comes from one of the less represented marblers in my collection, Michael Kensinger. This variation on the traditional "peacock" pattern stands in contrast to the freeform extravaganza on my other Kensinger tie.

Marblesque

Brian O'Malley of Australian tie maker Marblesque takes marbling in directions I haven't seen anywhere else, such as the marbled stripe pattern on this tie.

Tornados

The label on this hand-marbled necktie is unhelpfully blank, but I am 99% certain it is from Moth Marblers of Sausalito, as the pattern is very close to another one I have from that studio (in different colors). The shapes here look almost tornado-like.

More tracery

Like the tie of two entries previous, the pattern on this Fashion Affairs tie resembles Gothic window tracery. But it more closely resembles carved wood instead of stone; the kind of carved wood you would find on a three-paneled screen/room divider at Pier One. Also like the previously-featured tie, this one has patches of different colors printed over the pattern, though this one goes one better by adding two-tones scales at top and bottom.

Tiny pattern

The graphic pattern on this tie of mysterious origin (no brand label, just a content label--100% silk) is very tiny and intricate; you will have to click through to the bigger image to see it properly. Despite the quality of the materials, the construction is such that the tie lies crooked, no matter what you do.

Tracery

Gothic window tracery makes a good pattern for a necktie print, but if you find it too boring I suppose you could saturate it in gaudy colors and add some snowflakes or something. Tie by J. T. Beckett.

High-tech

With a pattern evoking tickertape, IBM punchcards, and magnetic tape tracks, this tie from Pierre Balmain embodies the state of the art of technology... circa 1968 (probably its year of production, give or take).

Missoni Earthtones

Sometimes earth tones are so earthy they can barely be differentiated from each other. Missoni's foray into the dark side is a far cry from their characteristic vibrant palette, but the intricate geometry of the print makes up for it.

Marble scrumble

Brian O'Malley's patterns are to marbling as scrumbling is to crochet. Tie hand-marbled for Marblesque of Australia.

Delaware Tie-Wearing Man

In light of recent scandals in which bloggers were revealed to be not what they said they were, you might be wondering, does Burl Veneer really live in Delaware and wear all those ties? Yes and yes, I assure you. (The preceding is in lieu of any information about this tie, another one misplaced somewhere in my tie closet. But if you like this pattern, you should check out graphic artist Matt Lyon, who works in a similar exuberant style.)

Update: I found the tie! It's by Splendore, from Milan.

Cosette

I lucked into a cache of hand-marbled ties on eBay five or six years ago and I still haven't worn them all yet. Here is another one from Cosette Originals of Austin, Texas, with a layer of traditional marbling on the bottom and a larger-scale, "peekaboo" layer on top of it.

Pampered

Here is my seventh and penultimate tie from Pamper Him of Chicago. The fabric came from Exotic Silks, and features a freeform polygon tile print which is similar to, but predates, Tim Biskup's direction in art for the last few years. My only quibble with these ties is the bar tack (the knotted loop of thread that holds the two sides of the tie together in back, at the bottom): it is of black thread, which shows through light-colored silk, sort of like an ingrown hair. White thread would have solved that problem.