Monday, August 23, 2010

The One Tie You Need

Whether you rock with a pared down wardrobe or are the kind of guy who likes to have 5 of everything, let me humbly recommend the one tie you absolutely need - a J. Press navy knit.   Neckwear doesn't get any better.  End of story.  It's style for the ages - timeless, season-less, all occasions, etc.  At 3" it's the perfect width and ties the perfect four-in-hand knot.  The beauty of this tie is how squarely it falls into everyone's sweet spot.  No matter what your personal aesthetic may be, this tie will not only transition in with no problem, but quickly become your go-to piece of neckwear.  With this very post in mind, I made sure to head over to the J. Press store in NYC on Friday to check out their selection.  After not finding a single navy knit I asked a salesman what the deal was.  Apparently, early that morning a woman had come to J. Press and asked how many navy knits were currently in stock. After a salesman rounded up all 14 from both the floor and stockroom, the woman proceeded to buy every last one.  She mentioned that her boyfriend only wore navy knits and that he got more compliments on his J. Press number than any other.  $1,113 (before New York state sales tax) was spent and she left the store as quickly as she had come in.  This post is obviously not for that guy - he already knows what's up.


-L.A.S

22 comments:

  1. That is a pretty crazy I story. I would agree that the navy knit is a pretty solid tie, though. I've got one, not sure I really need 13 more, though.

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  2. What's amusing is that he doesn't wear them around his neck. His wife forgot to mention that he wears them as a belt, in what Italians would call sprezzatura.

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  3. I get the vibe her husband is a waiter. Perhaps at...

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  4. For a cheaper alternative, try Uniqlo's navy knit tie. I complimented a sales representative at a Ralph Lauren shop and he told me he grabbed his at Uniqlo for under $15. Great ties nonetheless

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  5. Anon @10:54- Can we please not start this again...

    Anon @11:05- Uniqlo makes decent knits for the price, but you cannot compare them to J. Press' offerings in terms of quality or even style. The biggest issue for me, with most knit ties regardless of where they are from, is the width. Uniqlo's options, like 90% of knit ties on the market, are too skinny. 3" on up or bust...pause.

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  6. I'm happy about the current skinny/ skinnier tie trend. I think I might buy 14 ties before they all go on vacay.

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  7. I wore my gramps' old navy knit tie all the time at school last fall. Didn't really get any compliments but it went with everything. Looks good with American Apparel navy seed-stitched socks.

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  8. Eats, shoots, and leaves.

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  9. Strange story, but I agree that the tie is money well spent.

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  10. On the way to Louis Auchincloss' funeral I grabbed a black knit from J. Press. I later unloaded it, as 3 inches is actually too wide.

    Three inches is a great width for a standard silk tie, but that's because a tie is flared. It's 3 at it's widest point.

    But a knit tie is straight all the way down, and three doesn't look right for the younger and slimmer guy who wants a hipper look and who wears a narrower lapel.

    I have a 2 7/8 from Lands End that's better, and a 2 3/4 from Lands End Canvas that's better still.

    J. Crew's are down at around 2 inches, '80s New Wave territory.

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  11. Chens- To each his own, but for my money a wider knit tie (3" exactly) is a great way to up your style quotient.

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  12. I have two J. Press knit ties - one black the other green/blue. Both are soft silk and look terrific.

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  13. I'm guessing the woman really bought all their navy knit ties because Kanye West tweeted the other day that they're the greatest tie ever, and she's gonna sell 'em on eBay.

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  14. Ok, but does this really go with a navy blazer/suit? Or is it too similar. If not, I'm not sure how versatile it is, given how common navy jackets are.

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  15. The only compliments i get on my navy knit tie is from other guys who dig it. My wife hates it and one friend asked me if it was a sock.

    Anon 3:42, my navy blue knit is my most worn tie. Looks great with a blue suit for an Italian look or mix it up with a khaki blazer.

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  16. lands end has nice knit ties. they have a blue and a maroon pattern silk tie for $20.

    http://www.landsend.com/pp/SilkKnitPatternNecktie~199060_291.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::HMW&CM_MERCH=IDX_00001__0000002305&origin=index

    their solid knit ties are $50-$60
    http://www.landsend.com/pp/NarrowSilkKnitNecktie~70112_291.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::FRN&CM_MERCH=IDX_00001__0000002305&origin=index

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  17. Chenners you know way to much about fucking ties. Jesus.

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  18. hahah my students said my knit ties looked like a sock all the time. i have a whole collection from j crew and lands end. tho my navy silk tie is ralph lauren which i got cheap from Marshalls.

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  19. The Press navy blue knit is nice but for my money I prefer the Paul Stuart. A bit more body and "scrunch." They're about 65 bucks in PS so maybe 15 bucks more expensive than Press but it's going to last a long time.

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  20. I don't know why I haven't just copped the $15 knit from The Tie Bar. Someone loan me $15, I'm impoverished.

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  21. I got you bro. Just do me a solid and tell Kimmy J-to-the-I to make a video of his soldiers doing the soulja boy dance.

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  22. just got a vintage one earlier made by land's end. it's made in the USA and 3 inches wide...

    best $1 i ever spent ;)

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