The Tie Bar Madras Ties
Men are cheating a lot more these days — on their accessories, that is. More and more are straying from the straight and narrow and ditching their old-standbys in favor of something new: bolder textures, colors and materials.
This change comes as a new generation of gents are wearing ties because they want to, not because they have to. And it’s anything but solid silks now. Instead, guys are choosing ties in cottons and wools as well as the more traditional silk. “The last couple years we’ve seen trends move towards seasonal fabrics,” said Greg Shugar, owner of The Tie Bar, a hugely popular e-commerce site for mens’ accessories. “There’s been a lot of movement in necktie design lately in terms of fabrication.”
Seasonal fabrics like bright madras plaids, deep chambrays and gingham are all making their way into neckties and catching the eye of the more sartorially minded. And 2010 saw a huge spike in sales for cotton ties at The Tie Bar. Wool ties, which have been available on the Tie Bar’s Web site since 2006, only began to be embraced a few years ago. “It’s a new way to change up your look when it comes to neckwear,” said Shugar, “We’ve even made ties out of denim.”
The Tie Bar Silk Knit Ties
Surprisingly, men have embraced the silk knit tie, which used to be strictly seasonal. Today, it enjoys steady sales throughout the year, said Shugar. And it’s not strictly the long ties that men are showing off; bow ties are feeling the love, too, with velvet, madras and other cotton styles all tempting men to stray from the mundane.
“When there’s a down economy, designers are forced to be more creative to compel people to buy something really new,” said Shugar. And guys everywhere seem to be embracing the trend. First time at this? “Just jump right into it,” suggested Shugar. “But don’t wear a bold madras with a navy power suit. Try it with jeans or khakis. Wool is a bit more subtle. When you’re going to wear a wool tie it’s not a huge fashion risk for yourself.”
With denim, chambray and even seersucker being thrown into the necktie arena, is there anything the Tie Bar won’t do? Corduroy. “We’ve tried three different weights and they never seem to tie well.” Ahh, perhaps, some things are just better kept in the pants.
