Treat your ties nicely, DAMN IT!

One of the biggest mistakes I see with men wearing neck ties is not necessarily forgetting to dimple, tying it too long on one end, or anything else of that matter. It's removing it. They brutally yank out the narrow end and then fumble with their fingernails trying to get the knot undone on the wide end. I can only presume this is because they WANT the silk to start pilling as soon as possible. It is then shoved in the nearest drawer and left as a crumpled ball overnight. There's an easier way to do this that will also prolong the life of your tie... if you can wait just a minute longer to get that "noose" off your neck.

Remember how you tied your favourite knot? Good. Do it again... in reverse. Start by pushing up the wide end through the main loop and then do all the steps in reverse. If you use a four in hand knot, this is pretty simple. Please refrain from grimacing and struggling as if trying to fend off a constricting python. Yes, I have actually seen this a few times. DO NOT, under any circumstances, loosen the tie and slip it off your head, storing it for later. This will guarantee some hard wrinkles that will be difficult to get out later and shorten the lifetime of your tie as you slip it on and off several times. (I guess you can always get those asinine zipper ties if you want to do that.)

It's better to roll them up around the palm of your hand and store it neatly in a drawer. (Alternately, you can just hang them in your closet, but I'd recommend getting a tie rack for that.) This will let your tie relax and release wrinkles from knotting until you use it next. Which goes to my next tip: Never use the same tie twice in a row. Allow it some time to breathe. Not only will this avoid the aforementioned wrinkles, it'll put less stress on the silk.

Having a good selection will help. You don't need dozens like I have, but having more than a few doesn't hurt. If you're on a budget, they're inexpensive and plentiful at discount clothing stores such as Ross, T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, or Steinmart. You can also search thrift stores, but look out for ones that are stretched, wrinkled to hell, pilling in one place or even ripped. Those are telltale signs that the previous owner did exactly the opposite of what I recommend. A cautionary tale.

Comments

  1. www.tiebar.com has been my saviour. $15 for a silk tie and they have countless styles. I am hard on ties and $15 makes them easy to replace, not that their stuff is cheap.

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  2. Well then DON'T BE HARD ON YOUR TIES! They are silk -- treat them as such. ;)

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  3. Eh, it's from a career working retail. I'm used to working in ties. And having a kid. Kids can destroy a silk tie with ease.

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