Tie Width Wimp

[paul6001]

I bought the pictured tie from eBay. It was advertised as 3.5” but when I unwrapped it, the tie turned out to be 3.75”. Horrors! Only a barbarian would wear such a thing, right?

But I really like the tie. Colors, pattern, very nice weight and feel. Is the .25” a game ender? (3.5” being standard, I believe.) Shouldn’t I man up and wear the tie even if people are pointing and snickering about me as I walk by?

Mens wear rules are tough. Tough! There are some rules I break with equanimity. Tie width, apparently, is not one of them. You break some rules and it’s sprezzatura, you break others and you’re a buffoon.

Rubinacci ties are this wide. (Well, just a hair less.) Shouldn’t that be support enough?

This seems to be a particularly pointless post. I guess that I’m mostly trying to share the weight of this dilemma with the only group of people that might possibly empathize. And maybe I’m trying to start a poll—Should I keep it or return it?

BTW: See that thread running up the back? Does that mean it’s seven-fold or some-fold? (Just curious. It’s hard to think of anything less important.)

Sorry to take up your time.

 

[gimpwiz]

I won a tie from luxeswap that I somehow didn't notice was a full 4.5". Well screw it, I'll wear it, it'll be fun. I hope that answers your question.

Also, 7-fold (or 6-fold) is easy to tell, just unfold the back tip a bit. Google what it's supposed to look like.

 

[breakaway01]

If you only wear your ties with a jacket (as you ought to) then the width at the blade is not nearly as noticeable. But if it really bothers you, you can have the tie narrowed. I have used Tiecrafters in New York with good results.

 

[TimothyF]

I find it's easier to have dimples with wide ties. Obviously thickness and overall shape and distribution all matter. But for the matter of dimples I prefer wide to narrow width

 

[circumspice]

For whatever reason, the quarter inch from 3.0 to 3.25 seems more substantial from that between 3.25 and 3.5, and further still from 3.5 to 3.75. It is really only at 3 I see narrow, and >= 4 I see wide.

I'd rather, in a vacuum, have a 3.75 than 3.25 as some of the latter taper weirdly, and feel more columnar than triangular.

In this near tie-less age, I don't think 3.75 is all that weird - 4 and beyond is strange, and 3.0 or less needs to die

 

[SouthernGothic]

Most of my ties are 3.5, but as you, I got one from eBay that turned out to be 3.75.
It bothered me at first, but when I wear it, I honestly can't tell the difference.
As breakaway01 previously stated, with a jacket "(as you ought to)", the .25 will be unnoticeable, as I have discovered for myself.

 

[Sam Hober]

Paul,

Tie widths can change over time due to fashion, but the best dressed men wear ties that are the width, length and construction that they prefer without being much concerned about fashion.

As an example very large men look better with wider ties. Very thin men tend to look better with narrower ties.

3.75 inches for a long time has been the standard in America - not American men lean towards being overweight so the wider tie is a nice balance.

I am 5'10" 165 lbs and I prefer 3.75 inches I won't wear a 4 inch wide tie, but am ok with a 3.5 inch width - no narrower...

I can't say what your tie is from the photo.

 

[rjc149]

My ties are mostly 3.25 or 3.5 inches. Most outliers have been donated except for the narrower 3' Canali and Zegna ones which were gifts.

Things generally seem to be trending back to wider now, barring those who are still clinging to their 2000's skinny-everything menswear, so I don't think a 3.75' tie would look especially frumpy these days.

I'm 5'10 165lbs, but I have a broad chest and shoulders. My 3 inch ties are a little narrow for my torso, but ties so rarely worn these days that a nice tie just looks like a nice tie, regardless of its width (unless it's a skinny tie or a bowtie -- not worn by those who wish to be taken seriously).

 

[comrade]

I bought the pictured tie from eBay. It was advertised as 3.5” but when I unwrapped it, the tie turned out to be 3.75”. Horrors! Only a barbarian would wear such a thing, right?

But I really like the tie. Colors, pattern, very nice weight and feel. Is the .25” a game ender? (3.5” being standard, I believe.) Shouldn’t I man up and wear the tie even if people are pointing and snickering about me as I walk by?

Mens wear rules are tough. Tough! There are some rules I break with equanimity. Tie width, apparently, is not one of them. You break some rules and it’s sprezzatura, you break others and you’re a buffoon.

Rubinacci ties are this wide. (Well, just a hair less.) Shouldn’t that be support enough?

This seems to be a particularly pointless post. I guess that I’m mostly trying to share the weight of this dilemma with the only group of people that might possibly empathize. And maybe I’m trying to start a poll—Should I keep it or return it?

BTW: See that thread running up the back? Does that mean it’s seven-fold or some-fold? (Just curious. It’s hard to think of anything less important.)

Sorry to take up your time.

I am a proud Barbarian. I almost never wear a tie that is less than 3.75 wide.

 

[paul6001]

Comrade, I'm going to get one of those clubs with the chains wrapped around the head and join you. I'm happy to report that the tie has found a permanent home in my closet, from which it will make one appearance every month—if it's lucky—in this tie-less world of ours.

From a personal standpoint, I have fairly broad shoulders/chest so it will tend to match my body. And I like a wider tie. Seems like it has more Italian flair. Like I said, Rubinacci makes wide ties.

Sam says that "the best dressed men wear ties that are the width, length and construction that they prefer without being much concerned about fashion." He might be right; I have no idea. When the secret group in Florence meets, issues the fashion orders for the season, and tells me to jump, I ask, "How high?"

 

[Club Soda]

I think 3.75 is a nice look without bordering on clownish. As mentioned above, the difference between 3 and 3.25 is more noticeable than 3.25-3.5 to 3.75. You’re moving from slim to standard.

Also I think tie width can be more affecting based on build more so than lapel width or anything else.