All posts tagged Chipp Ties

Round 2: Trad Tie Swap Box

The Trad Tie Swap Box has made its way back to me for round 2. The swap box is a project where members of Ask Andy’s Trad forum mail around a box full of ties for participating members to take a tie or two and add a few. In my last tie box post (Ask Andy’s Trad Community: The Tie Box Swap) I talked about the interesting labels that I came across. I have included a few of the labels in this post, but I will start with the ties themselves.

The trad tie box is just that, a box of ties for trads. So that means it will be full of repp/regimental, foulard, emblematic, and paisley ties. I myself like the repp/regimental ties the most with foulard being a close second, followed by paisley. I do like the emblematic/club variety of ties, but due to my age (more appearance than actual age) I think they make it hard for me to be taken serious. It also tends to look a bit costume like which again I think has more to do with my younger appearance and because young people tend to be drawn to attention getting pieces such as these ties. I will probably continue to avoid emblematic ties in most social settings until I look a bit more mature. Here are a few images from the tie box.

Repp stripeRepp/Regimental Ties

Repp stripe 2 More Repp/Regimental Ties

Foulard TiesFoulard Ties

Emblematic TiesEmblematic/Club Ties

Looking at the labels is as fun as going through the ties. There are labels from companies that are revered such as Chipp and others that I have never heard of. All of the labels remind me of a time when there were independent men’s shops on Main Street America in almost every town and city. During this time many large clothing companies would make suits, shirts, and ties specifically for a shop. You can see this on a few of the labels. The days of independent men’s shops are long gone although there are handful of these men’s shops that have survived. A few of the surviving shops are O’Connell’s Clothing and The Andover Shop. However, there are many more scattered across the United States. Below are a few labels that caught my eye.

Dassey's Men's Shop

FR Tripler & Co.

J. Blades & Co.

Chipp

Chipmunk LabelOnly after editing this pic did I notice the distinct “Chipp” in the word chippmunk. A very cool Chipp label.

I posted what I took and what I left below. I left two Brooks Brothers ties that I really liked. The navy/yellow was so nice looking, but living in Ohio I would find all of the probing into “Are you a Michigan fan?” annoying, especially because I am not very interested sports. The other was a nice looking repp tie, but the Land’s End repp tie that I took I found even more appealing. The other tie that I took is a Robert Talbott repp tie made for Peabody in Memphis. I could not pass up on this tie as it has a great color/stripe combination. Round 2 of the Trad Tie Box Swap was a success. I will be sending the box on to Washington DC on Monday. I hope that the next person enjoys the tie box as much as I did.

The ties I left.

Brooks Brothers Ties

The ties I took.

What I tookLands End on the left and Robert Talbott on the right.

Ask Andy’s Trad Community: The Tie Swap Box

Regimnetal and Repp ties

I have been lurking on Ask Andy’s Trad Forum since 2006. I have learned so much about traditional clothing from the gentlemen over there simply by watching and listening. However, this December I decided to take the plunge and register as a member so that I could participate, instead of just lurking in the background. I have to say that I have had a great time participating in this forum. I have yet to see or experience any overt negativity or nastiness simply for the sake of being nasty– which is so common on other forums. In this post, I am going to highlight an amazing accomplishment of the Trad Forum, the Trad Tie Swap Box.

Trad Tie Box

BowtiesThe contents of the box.

What I gaveWhat I added

Leatherman beltI also added this belt

Trad Tie Swap Box-Took

What I took

The Trad Tie Swap box is a simple concept. Here are the guidelines:

“You’ve been given a great gift, George: A chance to see what the world would be like without you.”

You’re not George Bailey, and this isn’t necessarily a wonderful life, but you have been given a great gift: A box filled with ties. Take as many as you like, then send the box along to the next lucky recipient. Our hope is to keep this box circulating indefinitely, sprinkling sartorial splendor throughout the nation. This will take require some dedication, perhaps a little luck and, by necessity, a few rules that have already been posted on the Ask Andy website, where this all began, and are repeated here as a gentle reminder.

Leave as many ties as you take, and if you take a bow, leave a bow. If you are just starting out with your wardrobe and don’t have many ties on the rack, it’s OK to take without leaving—there are many here among us whose closets groan and can easily make up the difference. It is better to leave nothing than pass on a J. Garcia or Cocktail Collection or some other monstrosity that will only add to shipping charges and end up being culled by the Keepers Of The Box.

This box is for folks who favor the so-called Trad, or Ivy League, look, and so no ties wider than 3.5 inches, and no ties made in China. Except for emblematic ties, synthetic materials are no-no’s. Try to leave ties that are the same approximate value as the ties you take—i.e., it isn’t cool to take all the J. Press and Brooks Brothers and leave Croft and Barrow (and you shouldn’t be leaving CB no matter what). It should go without saying, but no damaged or stained ties. If you wouldn’t wear it yourself, it has no business being in this box. The faster the box moves the better, so please forward it to the next person post haste.

Finally, post photos of what you took and what you left on the website and, ideally, of what arrived. This part is absolutely critical. If you don’t know how to post photos, it’s easy to learn, and folks on the site are happy to help if you have any questions. So post photos.

And that’s about it. Enjoy the box.

PaisleyPaisleys

Regimnetal and Repp ties

Repp and Stripe tiesRegimental, Repp and Stripes

A few close-up pics of some emblematics (below)

Fox emblematicFox

Bull & BearBull & Bear

Chipp EmblemaitcMoney bags (you have to love the Chipp’s sense of humor)

Chipp TagWe all know and cherish Chipp

I just received the box on Saturday. I spent at least an hour, if not two, lost in a world ties. I especially enjoyed looking at all of the labels that referenced both current and defunct men’s shops. I added 4 ties and 1 belt to the box. The ties I added were a kelly green/navy Nautica repp tie, a yellow foulard PRL tie, a 100% wool tartan tie by Pendleton, and 100% wool plaid tie by the Windsor Shirt Company. The belt I added was a Leatherman web belt with a nautical theme. I took three ties: A beautiful vintage YSL foulard tie, a navy/yellow 346 repp tie, and a green/burgundy/ yellow striped Ferrell Reed for Harold’s tie. It was so cool to be a part of the Trad Tie Swap Box project. On Monday, I will be sending the box to its next stop and it will continue to make its way through the Midwest and East Coast. I have included a few pictures in this post that highlight the contents of the box.