Sleevehead: Custom or made-to-measure neckties                                                          

Custom or made-to-measure neckties

    I've seen vintage neckties around 2.5" wide and 50" long. These days the standard tie size is about 3.75" wide and 58-60" long. This "standard" size seems to have gotten wider and longer over the years. Consequently, I have always had a devilishly difficult time finding ready to wear ties shorter and narrower than the current standard. Somewhat belatedly I've realized the answer to my cravat conundrum is going custom or made to measure.

Of course, the question now becomes - who makes a custom tie these days? Not very many I have found. Particularly scarce are US custom tiemakers. This AskAndy thread on a rumored Brooks Brothers custom tie program enumerates the limited possibilities. The Brooks program remains just a rumor at this point. While there are some very well-known custom tiemakers overseas (Marinella, Charvet, Turnbull & Asser), I prefer at this time to work with a domestic source.

The only US sources I know of are Robert Talbott, Tiecrafters, Seigo (NYC), Anthony Kirby and Mulberrywood. Talbott is the most well-known but I am most intrigued by Mulberrywood, a small workshop in Denver run by David Hober and his wife. As described in the AskAndy thread, Mulberrywood will be soon offering English silks in addition to their Italian and Thai silks. They offer both made to measure ties cut to any width and length and a custom woven silk design option, which is rather unusual I think.

In the new year, I look forward to Mulberrywood's new English silks and potentially ordering my first custom tie. Happy new year 2006!

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