Does Your Tie Pass The Quality Test?

You are getting dressed for a special meeting or evening affair and reach for your favorite tie. First, make sure you know what you're reaching for. The external fabric should be silk, wool, cashmere, cotton, or any combination of such. (The finest fabrics are woven in Italy and England.)

A fine-tailored tie is comprised of the following:

• Lining (tipping), sewed onto the back of both ends, usually
the same premium silk as the front of the tie or a
unique design, sometimes the manufacturer’s logo, in a
similar quality silk as the front of the tie.

• Interlining, which gives the tie its weight, is made of all
wool or all cotton. Traditional American-style sevenfold
ties are fully lined in silk and do not have interlinings. The
Italian sevenfold model has a double interlining made of
all wool or all cotton.

• Tie keeper, which keeps the narrow end of the tie in place
after the knot is tied. Usually it is a loop in the same fabric
as the front of the ties, although some manufacturers use
their label instead of a keeper.

• Bar tack, which keeps the tie together, is a small stitch on
the back of each end of the tie.

• Slip stitch, which is the end of a tie-length thread that protects
the seam and keeps the lining intact.

A great test for checking the craftsmanship of a tie is to
hold it by the narrow end, with the wide end almost touching
the floor. The tie should hang perfectly straight. If it turns, with
a slight screw-like twist, the fabric was not cut on the bias—a
sign of a poorly tailored tie.

Now you're ready to 'Tie One On'.