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.
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.
Only 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.
The ties I took.
Those who turn up their noses at Lands’ End are not aware of how much that firm has contributed to the survival of the Trad look.
Thanks for the comments. I am actually a big fan of LE. I think that their offerings and pricing make them very trad.
@BB Gahman – You have that tie, because you have good taste sir. Also, Ask Andy’s Trad forum is a great place to learn and talk about tradliness. You should check it out if you have not already.
Really nice piece, the regimental ties are a personal favourite.
A bit of good thrifting and rummaging here in the U.K. can turn up some amazing real ex-ex-military stuff. I’ve got a few nice belts, ties and jewellery (tie-pins, cuff links etc) in full regimental colours, the R.A.F. in particular seem to get some awesome bits and pieces.
Lands’ End are great for good value basics, and if you have one of their outlet stores nearby you can save some serious cash.
The only thing to be wary of is the sizing on their ‘casual’ range, it can be a bit erratic. I have two madras shirts from the same range both marked ‘large’ and one fits perfectly and the other could be used to house a family of four. When I returned it to the store I was informed by the assistant that it was an on-going issue.
My advice would be to try everything for size before making a purchase.
Definitely some good picks there. That bulldog club tie would be much too hard for me to pass on, though.
I actually have that Land’s End repp tie with the purple, turquoise, and red pattern. It was a gift from Scott Alexander over at The Cable-Knit Charlestonian. I’ve even worn it on my blog, I think…
@Sam – Thanks! That Bulldog tie was nice, but I thought that it would better serve a Yalie. It seems that you have an eye for ties after checking out your blog.
@Kionon – That is a thoughtful gift. I like your blog by the way. You have a lot of good stuff over there and lots of great pics!