Looking for that all elusive, perfectly or close to perfectly constructed necktie? As you browse through a wide selection of ties either online or in person, discerning between different silk ties can seem downright impossible. Sure, some feel richer by texture-but how do you know if the tie will retain its shape, be durable, or even tie that perfect dimple infused tie knot? In this detailed guide, we will cover what to look for in a high quality silk tie, and what differentiates higher quality silk ties vs fast fashion and typical designer brands.
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High Quality Silk
Higher quality silk is absolutely paramount to the construction of a higher quality, durable tie. Ties made of mulberry silk contain longer, finer fibers that are smooth, strong and lustrous – as opposed to normal silk which can be coarser, yielding a slightly rougher texture, along with less sheen. As a result, these ties may pill or fray faster.
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Glastonbury Circles Grey Silk Tie.
China is the largest silk producer in the world, comprising approximately 70-80% of global silk production. As indicted above, mulberry silk is indicative of longer, tightly woven fibers that result in a smoother, more durable finished product. Hence, mulberry silk is usually reserved for premium products.
Given that one may wear their tie dozens or even hundreds of times over the course of the life of a tie, strong, durable silk is of absolute paramount importance!
At The Dark Knot, our ties are constructed of higher quality mulberry silk.
Weight & Drape
A higher quality silk tie should feel substantial and drape well. While the tie doesn’t necessarily have to feel heavy, it should feel substantial. This indicates higher quality interlining (more on that below) and fabric.
A higher quality tie should feel substantial and drape well! Featuring The Dark Knot’s Berkshire Abstract Burgundy / Blue Silk Tie
When holding the tie from its center, the tie should drape straight without any unnatural curling. This balance ensures that the tie hangs smoothly and forms a striking knot each time.
At The Dark Knot, our silk ties have a certain weight and drape to them, indicative of higher quality fabrics and strong interlining.
Envelope / Shell
The envelope / shell refers to the outer portion of the tie i.e the visible part of the tie that is being worn! A high quality tie should be constructed from three distinctive pieces, allowing the tie to be worn, contorted and untied, all while preserving the shape and drape of the tie.
Higher quality ties, such as the ones above from The Dark Knot, are constructed from three distinct pieces, allowing the ties to be tied, contorted and untied, all while maintaining the shape and drape of the tie.
Bias Cut
Any tie worth its salt is cut on the bias, indicating that it has been cut at a 45 degree angle. This allows your tie to be worn and contorted without losing its drape. There are two tests to ascertain if your tie was cut on the bias (45 degree angle):
Stretch Test: Firstly, you want to conduct a simple stretch test by seeing if the tie stretches length wise. The tie should stretch.
Secondly, attempt to stretch the tie at a 45 degree angle.
The tie should not stretch. Hence, if your tie passes both of these tests, your tie was indeed cut on the bias!
Hang Test: Simply drape the tie over your hand. If the tie fabric was cut on the bias, the tie shouldn’t twist as its hanging.
A high quality tie should be cut on the bias, which allows the tie to be worn and contorted without impacting its drape.
Interlining
In addition to the grade of silk used in the manufacture of silk ties, interlining is equally paramount to the construction of a high grade necktie. Interlining is the layer of fabric placed inside the tie that provides it with structure, helping give a tie its shape, and provide wrinkle resistance. The interlining of a higher quality tie is typically comprised of wool, since it is wrinkle resistant, soft and durable.
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Most importantly, a layer of wool interlining helps a tie to hold its shape, knot neatly and return to its original form after being worn.
Cotton interlining, which most tie manufacturers do not use, adds stability to your tie while providing a softened texture. This helps prevent the tie from feeling too springy or stiff.
At The Dark Knot, we use a double interlining layer of wool and cotton, ensuring that the tie:
- Knots cleanly without slipping
- Drapes smoothly and naturally
- Returns to form and recovers well after use (doesn’t easily crease)
- Feels substantial, without being overtly heavy or rigid.
At The Dark Knot, our strong attention to detail with our wool / blend double interlining layer allows our ties to truly stand out, helping them maintain their shape and structure, whilst providing a substantive, rich feel.
The Dark Knot’s ties are interlined with a double layer of wool and cotton, resulting in substantive feel, exquisite drape and a rich, thick knot.
A tie with substantive interlining can result in exquisite drape and a richly tied tie knot. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Dorchester Foulard Burgundy Silk Tie.
Slip Stitch
The slip stitch of a tie refers to the stitching that runs the length of a tie, affording the tie flexibility as you tie and untie your knots, ultimately helping prolong the life of the tie.
However, a hand sewn slip stitch is far more effective, than machine stitching which has become increasingly commonplace, trading quality for cost & efficiency. Machine stitched ties are constructed using a Liba machine, allowing these lower quality ties to be constructed extremely quickly.
At The Dark Knot, each of our silk ties are constructed with a hang sewn slip stitch, allowing for greater flexibility with your ties, and ultimately, greater longevity.
Reinforced Bar Tack Stitch
The bar tack stitch refers to a horizontal stitch sewn across the back of the tie shell (above the tipping) to help keep it the shell / envelope of the tie secured.
A higher quality tie will contain a stronger stitch, so as to keep the tie in place.
At The Dark Knot, our ties have reinforced stitching with regards to our bar tacks, keeping the ties firmly secure and leading to increased durability.
Reinforced bar tack stitches are a hallmark of a quality tie. Thankfully, at The Dark Knot, each of our ties come with reinforced bar tack stitching, helping keep the ties secure and firmly in place.
Sophisticated Silk Tie Weaves
When it comes to selecting your perfect silk tie, the type of weave is just as defining as the color or pattern of your tie. Silk Tie weave helps dictate texture, drape and overall character of your aesthetic, thereby helping signal the level of attention paid to the detailing of your tie’s craftsmanship.
Woven vs Printed Silk Ties
One of the key distinctions to make between different weave types is also one of the broadest breakdowns: Woven vs Printed Silk.
Woven Silk Ties are manufactured by interlacing threads using a loom, resulting in intrinsic fabric texture and structure. Moreover, certain woven weaves are constructed using a floating yarn pattern, where the pattern is essentially raised above the background of the tie, helping create further visual interest and a three dimensional aesthetic. Woven Silk Ties can work year round, complementing both lighter spring suits and fall / winter flannels, and everything in between.
Woven Silk is manufactured on a loom, interlacing different threads to create a textured pattern. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Exeter Paisley Blue / Brown Silk Tie.
Printed Silk Ties, by contrast, are created by applying printing blocks or contemporary printers against twill woven silk. Hence, the surface remains flat to the touch – allowing colors and patterns to take center stage without creating textural depth. Printed Ties work particularly well during the spring & summer months, where brighter colors and lighter fabrics help create a fresh, breathable and colorful aesthetic that perfectly complements the season.
Printed Silk Ties can create incredibly rich and detailed color schemes, owing to the fact that designs are literally printed – either using traditional block screens or printers, versus comprising of interlaced threads. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Animal Print Silk Ties Collection!
With this foundation of woven vs printed silk ties established, we can further delineate the different types of tie weaves:
Satin Ties
Satin Ties are amongst the most classic forms of woven silk ties, where the threads lay flat (as opposed to being raised off the surface), resulting in a tie that brings focus to its sheen and knot versus textural depth. This smooth, polished surface exudes a level of formality while remaining formal enough to be worn across a range of settings.
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Winsted Blue Silk Tie
An example from The Dark Knot is our Colebrook Black Silk Tie, a perfect illustration of Satin Silk’s understated luxury. Its flat surface allows the wearer to pull off this tie with lighter suits, heavier fall or winter season suits, along with blends such as a sports jacket- without overwhelming the ensemble, making it a reliable choice for office wear and smart casual gatherings.
Another strong example of our Satin Ties at The Dark Knot is the Winsted Blue Silk Tie – a testament to embracing fabrics that inherently showcase their own sheen – making ties such as the Winsted Blue Tie a highly versatile accessory that can be worn across settings.
Repp Striped Ties
Repp Striped Ties offer a subtle alternative, combining traditional elegance with structural detail. Their tight ribbed weave produces linear ridges along the tie, providing texture without the depth or three dimensionality that a woven jacquard tie provides (more on that below).
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Canterbury Regimental Navy / Red Silk Tie
Repp Ties are highly versatile across seasons. Lighter stripes in softer tones work best with spring & summer seasons, while darker, richer tones add sophistication to fall or winter ensembles.
An example of this is The Dark Knot’s Canterbury Regimental Navy / Red Silk Tie is characteristic of the timeless appeal of repp striped ties, with classic stripes that can work with both business and smart casual settings alike.
Jacquard
Jacquard Ties represent an elevation into more intricate silk weaving. By deliberately allowing some threads to ‘float’ above the basic fabric, these ties create visual and textural depth. This tactile sophistication pairs particularly well with mid weight suiting fabrics and works extremely when layering your ensembles during the cooler months in fall & winter.
The Dark Knot’s Berkshire Abstract Navy / Turquoise Silk Tie is a quintessential example of a jacquard fabric silk tie, where the foreground pattern is ‘floating’ against the base fabric, helping create textural and visual depth!
Examples of stunning jacquard foulard ties at The Dark Knot include our Berkshire Abstract Navy / Turquoise Silk Tie & Bennington Foulard Brown / Navy / Orange Silk Tie.
Twill Weaves w/ Jacquard
Twill weaves are characterized by subtle diagonal threads that create a directional grain, providing textured movement across the fabric and visual interest. When a twill weave is combined with a jacquard weave, the result is two fold – the twill base lends structure and sheen, while the raised or ‘floating’ jacquard weave provides depth and complexity, resulting in a tie with rich textural depth and visual intrigue.
These dual weave ties are highly versatile. Their textural depth works incredibly well with the cooler seasons of Fall & Winter, while the diagonal twill allows for a lighter appearance that captures light beautifully during the spring / summer months.
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Beverly Foulard Olive Green / Brown Silk Tie, with a raised ‘floating’ jacquard pattern set against an olive green twill background, helping create a truly textured, layered tie pattern.
The Dark Knot, through its extensive range of foulard ties, offers some absolutely stunning jacquard + twill combinations, such as our Beverly Foulard Olive Green Silk Tie, Fall River Pink / Grey Silk Tie & Lenox Foulard Green Silk Tie, all of which are part of our premium line of ultra high yarn count luxury silk ties, The Edition Collection.
Knit Ties
Knit Ties, characterized by an open weave, feature narrower and square ends, versus triangular ends that you see with a conventional silk ties. Knit ties come in a variety of patterns including solids, stripes, polka dots and anchored patterns, amongst others.
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Cherry Creek Stripes Knitted Silk Tie, Navy / Yellow / White
Knit Ties can either be constructed with either a crunchier or smoother finish. Crunchier knit ties add an element of textural variation to your attire, adding further visual interest, whereas smoother knitted ties offer a softer, more casual feel.
The Dark Knot offers higher quality Knit Ties in both silk and polyester cotton blends.
Grenadine Ties
A Grenadine Tie is a textured, woven silk tie that looks incredibly elegant. A grenadine tie is one that is made from Italian Silk, having been woven as opposed to knitted, in a gauze weave. A grenadine weave is a luxurious open weave, involving two warp yarns twisted around a weft yarn in order to provide a strong, sheer fabric.
The interlining of a grenadine tie (typically wool) is colored in the same color of the tie, so as not to allow light through and make the skinny blade visible. Given the formal nature of the Grenadine Tie, it is self tipped, indicating that no other material such as silk has been used for the underside of the triangular portion at the bottom of the tie.
Featuring The Dark Knot’s Domaso Grenadine Brown Silk Tie.
Grenadine Ties are largely delineated into Garza Fina vs Garza Grossa. Because Grenadine Weaving patterns are among the most complex and the process is slow, prices are higher for grenadine ties. Garza Fina comprises of a smaller pattern, while Garza Gross features a larger, more prominent weave.
While wearing a Grenadine Tie, it is best to opt for a Four In Hand or Half Windsor Knot, given the texture and thickness of the tie. While a Full Windsor Knot looks extremely elegant with your conventional silk ties, the texture and thickness of the grenadine tie will make the knot appear disproportionate to the rest of your ensemble.
The Dark Knot vs Other Tie Brands.
Given our understanding of the above criteria that we have mentioned, The Dark Knot’s Silk Ties have been constructed with the utmost attention to detail. Namely:
- Interlined with a double layer of wool and cotton
- Constructed using a hand sewn slip stitch
- Premium fabrics and interlining allow for excellent drape and more substantive tie knots
- Presented in an elegant black gift box, making these ties for the perfect gift item.
- While not necessarily a hallmark of a high quality tie, we do pride ourselves on providing style advice with every item that we offer. Hence, each of The Dark Knot’s ties & accessories come with recommendations for matching suits & shirts.
And that's a wrap for this one. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as we have writing it!
