Show us your TIES

[jamespowers]

I never knew there was such a thing. That's a great idea.

Works great. Put it in the tie when slightly damp and you have it dried and ironed quickly.

 

[The Good]

Mainly the Trevira ones, i guess a pressing cloth would help....I have in fact made a tapering 'blade' out of art card but it needs to be longer or I need others in varying angles and widths it works up to a point, I am thinking of making another and padding it out so the edges are smoother....I have no problem with wool or rayon as they always seem to wash and iron fine though the rayon usually need the blade inserting.

I have one Trevira tie, which is quite a thin 2 1/4" one of the '60s. I ironed it at one point, too, although I didn't go very far with that. I was worried that I would end up with it being very flat. It's still a little bit wrinkled, but when it's tied up, it doesn't show as much, so it is still very wearable for me. It does happen to be one of my personal favorite ties, because it was my grandfather's, from before he emigrated from Yugoslavia to the United States in 1970.

 

[jamespowers]

I have one Trevira tie, which is quite a thin 2 1/4" one of the '60s. I ironed it at one point, too, although I didn't go very far with that. I was worried that I would end up with it being very flat. It's still a little bit wrinkled, but when it's tied up, it doesn't show as much, so it is still very wearable for me. It does happen to be one of my personal favorite ties, because it was my grandfather's, from before he emigrated from Yugoslavia to the United States in 1970.

Then that is a keeper and needs to be treated special.

 

[Annixter]

I think I am going to cut one out of cardboard the next time I get hold of an old box. I figure I'll lay the tie on it and trace around it for a pattern, then cut it a little smaller to fit inside. It would only need to be long enough to get up to where the knot would be, the part that shows when worn, if seam marks showed through on the rest it wouldn't be such s big deal.

That's what I use, only I've covered the cardboard with aluminum foil to help stop the interlining and lining from snagging. The trick is to find a very smooth cardboard because any corrugation will show up in the pressed fabric. I've been tempted to buy one of the tie irons JP pictures, but I haven't brought myself to purchasing one, yet. Now that he's reminded people that they exist, I'm sure the market value will go up too I've also considered cutting a pressing block out of 1/4 Masonite, rounding the edges, and covering it with foil.

 

[jamespowers]

That's what I use, only I've covered the cardboard with aluminum foil to help stop the interlining and lining from snagging. The trick is to find a very smooth cardboard because any corrugation will show up in the pressed fabric. I've been tempted to buy one of the tie irons JP pictures, but I haven't brought myself to purchasing one, yet. Now that he's reminded people that they exist, I'm sure the market value will go up too I've also considered cutting a pressing block out of 1/4 Masonite, rounding the edges, and covering it with foil.

The one I posted is only $20. Better jump on it.

 

[jamespowers]

JP, that's a nice bunch there; I might have to have a go as well, although I'm sure they'll sell for way more than I'm willing to pay.

Did you pay the $242.50 that the lot went for? We want detailed pictures if you did.

 

[Annixter]

Did you pay the $242.50 that the lot went for? We want detailed pictures if you did.

Oh yeah, and I even paid an additional $50 out of the goodness of my Holiday heart If I had thrown that much at the lot, I would be posting a picture of my empty wallet. Do we want to start taking bets on how many of the ties from that lot will appear on an online store for $40 each?

 

[jamespowers]

Oh yeah, and I even paid an additional $50 out of the goodness of my Holiday heart If I had thrown that much at the lot, I would be posting a picture of my empty wallet. Do we want to start taking bets on how many of the ties from that lot will appear on an online store for $40 each?

:rofl: You might have a point there.

 

[Luftwaffles]

So those ties I bought turned out to be from the 70s....
Oh well, not THAT bad.

 

[The Good]

It looks like a normal satin tie, to me. The width may be '70s wide, but that's a nice small knot, with a neat dimple. I don't think it stands out as being a '70s tie, to most people, in large part because it is solid. I have a few ties I think are '70s, or possibly late '60s. One is a 3.5 inches wide yellow knit tie, which makes for a larger knot and is difficult to wear with anything other than longer collars they've likely been made for. I still like it for the fact that it's a wider than usual knit tie, and it has been complimented several times. Another two are my grandfather's late '60s or '70s polyester blue striped ties, which don't look bad compared to a lot of '70s ties I've seen, they are actually narrower/moderate width ties from 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches. They still have a slightly more tapered shape that I prefer, compared to rectangular 2000s and 2010s ties I've seen. I may have another tie or two made during the 1970s, but nothing else stands out to me.

Maybe you could show us the plaid tie?

 

[dh66]

I agree. Looking at the knot I'd never peg it for a 70s tie. Most ties of that era seemed to be worn with a much bigger knot.....because they were thick as well as wide.

Another good way to differentiate 50s and earlier from more recent is to look at the skinny end. Nearly all ties from the 70s on, the small end is made very straight, the same width as the part that goes round your neck. Vintage ties are narrow around the neck, but flare out wider at both ends. At some point, around the later 60s it seems, as ties began to widen out again it became common to put the label or a loop of fabric straight across the back of the tie so you could insert the smaller end through it if you wanted to, so it wouldn't flap around. Older ties almost always had the label sewn on down near one end or the other. You had to use a bar or pin to keep the back in place. I have seen a handful of modern ties that look really vintage, but you can always tell by the skinny end.

 

[dh66]

Here are some photos to illustrate what I was talking about in the above post. Please overlook the quality.

Note the placement of the tag, perpendicular to the length of the tie, and how straight and narrow the small end is. This will be a pretty universal feature on ties from the 70s on, except the super skinny ones from the 80s, that are narrower than this kind of label.

In this photo hopefully you can see how the skinny end still flares back out to a shape similar to the big end. This was pretty standard on ties before they went skinny in the late 50s and 60s. I even have some older skinny ties that taper on both ends like this, but it seems as the 60s drew to a close and ties began to get wider again, the little end stayed little. It's a good way to tell at a glance if a tie is vintage.

 

[Luftwaffles]

My first vintage tie that I ever bought, back when I was 16, almost 17.

 

[dh66]

Very nice Luftwaffles!
How about a close up shot?

 

[jamespowers]

Very nice Luftwaffles!
How about a close up shot?

Agreed! Nice tie!

 

[jamespowers]

 

[dh66]

That's a nice one!

 

[jamespowers]

That's a nice one!

And works well with a Santa suit.

 

[dh66]

And works well with a Santa suit.

I can see it now...a bright red zoot suit with a bag of toys in one hand and a cocktail in the other.

 

[jamespowers]

Zat you Santa Claus?