It’s probably worth saying this once more. These images are merely indicative. They are intended to give a general impression of the shirt (a lovely grey from Simone Abbarchi). They are not intended to be the basis of an assessment of the fit.

There. Got that off my chest. So, how did my first commission from Florentine shirtmaker Simone Abbarchi turn out? Not bad, overall. Probably a worse fit on the body than most other makers I have tried, but only just and the collar is spot on.

I’ve said before that the collar is the most important part of the shirt, and it’s true. It’s particularly important for men that wear jackets a lot, but even for those that don’t, the body of a shirt is never going to flatter you like a tailored jacket. If you aim for that, you’ll have the shirt cut too tight, and you’ll start popping the buttons when you sit down.
    

  
Look to the collar first. The fit through the waist can also be nice. The sleeve length should be bang on. And it’s nice when the slope of the shoulders is correct, so that the chest of the shirt is relatively clean.  

If you have sloping shoulders like me, and are therefore used to ready-made shirts bunching around the sides of the chest, correct shoulders are a lovely thing. And to be fair, this is one thing Simone got right. (The best I’ve ever had was Mariano at Sastreria Langa in Madrid, but the collar was horrible.)

The places where Simone’s fit let it down are across the shoulders, and through the waist. The former are too tight, particularly after washing, and the waist is a chunk too big. The shoulder isn’t uncomfortable, and the waist isn’t bad, but neither are as good as you should expect from bespoke (or made-to-measure for that matter).
 

  
Simone does both – bespoke and MTM – but with no handwork at all in the making. This makes him quite cheap, starting at €150 for bespoke and €120 for MTM. And despite that lack of handwork, the finishing was good – indeed, the initials I have just above the hem at the front were probably finer than any other maker.

I had some adjustments made to the pattern in Florence, and should have a new shirt in a couple of weeks. If I had paid £200 for the shirt, I might have been a little disappointed with the fit. But at £100 it’s OK, only because it’s worth working a little more to get a good pattern that can be used for subsequent £100 orders. That will be good value.

(A reader asked on the last post how high the collar was, by the way. The best way to assess this is to measure the height of the collar stand at the back – Xcm here. Of course, the width will likely vary from back to front, but this is the best starting point. And remember, the collar should always be in proportion to the length of your neck. Mine is relatively long.)
  

  
I like wearing a boutonniere – or buttonhole – on more formal or celebratory occasions. Mostly, I think, because it is another opportunity to play with colour. Having come up with a pleasing combination of suit, shirt, tie and handkerchief, selecting a flower is one more challenge and chance for expression. 

I also like the fact that doesn’t seem that fussy. Unlike many other formal additions – double-breasted waistcoats, tie pins, collar pins etc – it seems like a light-hearted, playful item. That ever-present risk of taking yourself too seriously – or at least appearing so – is mitigated. 

The images here illustrate the range of appropriate colours. Despite the richness of colour elsewhere in this outfit – tobacco linen suit, blue shirt, green tie, yellow handkerchief – all three of these flowers work well. 

Cream (below, from a white hydrangea) is the most versatile colour for a flower. Because cream is rarely worn elsewhere, it will be a compliment to rather than a mere mimic of a white shirt or white hank. And even when there is no white present, as here, its lack of strong colour prevents it clashing with anything.
  

 
Cornflower blue (above, a lobelia) works by picking up the blue shirt and adding a stronger, deeper tone to it. It also highlights an important point: that you can get away with much stronger colour in a boutonniere than you can with other accessories.

That strong blue would have been out of place as a handkerchief, dominating all the other colours around it. But as a small, prick of inspiration, it is an attractive accent. 

Finally pink (shown top, scabious I think) is not reflected anywhere else in the outfit, but was a candidate for a tie or handkerchief. A reader suggested that last time in the comments, and while I considered it, personally I think that would have been too long strong a colour to work with everything else

As a boutonniere, however, it is perfect. Again, stronger colours can work here where they would not elsewhere. 

In closing, a small plea to keep flowers small, even at weddings. No one needs a massive, artificial arrangement that weighs down the whole lapel. Keep it light, keep it small and keep in natural. 
  

Re-fitting for a Simone Abbarchi shirt, Florence

  
In comments to Friday’s post on my ‘go-to’ clothing, readers said they would like to see a post suggesting which types of clothing it is most worth having made bespoke.

In order to set out my views on this, I have listed five items that are often made bespoke, and explain where I see the relative value – both to other bespoke items and to ready-made.

1. Bespoke jacket

The standard by which everything else must be judged.

A jacket is worth having bespoke more than any other item, both in terms of cut and of construction. The three-dimensional nature of a bespoke cut, dealing as it does with pitch, angle and curve, is of greatest benefit on the torso, which is far more irregular than the legs. This is a major reason why a bespoke jacket looks so good.

Bespoke construction then creates structure around this torso. A hand-padded chest creates a flattering yet natural shape, while a structured collar keeps the jacket closely around the neck, anchoring the jacket. No other bespoke item has this difference in quality compared to RTW.

2. Bespoke coat

A coat is the second-most valuable thing to have made bespoke. Largely, this is because it has the same benefits of a jacket, above. It is usually in a heavier cloth, which might appear to be more forgiving RTW, but then we all know how great bespoke looks in a heavy cloth. Like pure sculpture.

An overcoat is also superior to a jacket in its greater proportions. An overcoat sweeps. Usually from a strong shoulder, though a wider lapel than a suit, across a double-breasted fastening, and out into a very long skirt. Nothing is as dramatic.
  

The Corthay bespoke basement, Paris

3. Bespoke shoes

Bespoke shoes don’t have many advantages over RTW in terms of construction any more. Several brands offer hand-welting (Saint Crispin’s, Stefano Bemer) and others have top-end uppers, oak-bark soles and tight waists (Gaziano & Girling among others).

There are some more differences in terms of fit. No matter how many sizes and widths a brand offers, a bespoke fit always has the potential to be better. But then more brands are now offering altered lasts as well – such as Saint Crispin’s –that approach bespoke.

Yet I would still place bespoke shoes above bespoke shirts, bespoke knitwear and many other items. This is because although the differences between bespoke and RTW shoes are small, they are among the most beautiful things in menswear. The perfect segue from heel cup to heel stack; the sinuous irregularity of a bespoke sole. Men, including myself, treasure such things.

4. Bespoke shirt

There are no construction advantages to a bespoke shirt; it is all about fit.

And while a bespoke fit is often superior, this is largely in the body of the shirt – which creases; which often remains hidden; and which has to be looser than a jacket to allow one to sit down. A good fit in a shirt is important, but it can often be achieved made-to-measure, or even altered RTW.

The most important thing in a shirt is the collar, which may be better in bespoke or may not. If you can find a RTW collar you like, that sits gracefully with tie and without, and is the right height for your neck, you’re most of the way there.

5. Bespoke knitwear

I’ve always said more brands should do bespoke knitwear. Or made-to-order with alterations. Where you can try on a few sizes in the shop, then order it in any colour with slightly longer arms and a slightly slimmer waist. Well-fitted knitwear is so flattering on a man, and has broader uses than tailoring.

But knitwear still belongs at the bottom of this list, because there are no differences in make and because the alterations required are more akin to made-to-measure.
  

Lorenzo Cifonelli fitting a bespoke suit

  
When I brought my shirt from Simone Abbarchi back to him in June (or rather his assistant, Gianluca) we ended up making quite a few changes. This may be a cause for concern, though I will reserve judgment. 

I had had one fitting originally, in a trial shirt, before having this final grey one made. And as I said in the post on that completed shirt, the shoulders were noticeably too tight while the body was a bit too big. 

Neither were big problems, but they certainly needed to change for the next shirt, so I went in while at Pitti in June to have a few changes made to the pattern. Gianluca took quite a lot in at the waist, lengthened the sleeves slightly, and widened the shoulders. In retrospect, they were quite substantial alterations. 
  

  
Why is this important? Because the aim of anyone seeing a shirt maker should be to perfect a pattern – usually after two or even three shirts, rarely after one – and then be able to order consistently and with confidence.

Shirts should be a relatively inexpensive purchase, compared to suits or shoes, and they will need replacing more frequently. You are also much less likely to need or want different styles, again unlike suits or shoes. So one good shirtmaker with a great pattern is a lovely thing. 

Of course, being me I actually use three shirtmakers (D’Avino, Luca Avitabile and Abbarchi) depending on how flush I am feeling at the time. They all offer good value for what they do, and each will suit a different pocket. [See this post for more details.]

Simone comes to London and New York twice a year, and both trips are coming up. He is London next week – September 15 and 16 – at 35-36 St James’s Place. And in New York from October 7th to 15th at the Michelangelo Hotel (152 W 51st St). Email simone.abbarchi@gmail.com for appointments.
  

  
A few weeks a reader asked for a post on what makes a tie more or less formal, smart or not.

It’s a very relevant question. Few men today wear ties, but when they do, they rarely want them to be as smart as the traditional foulards and Macclesfield weaves. Understanding how to dress down a tie (or, for the right occasion, up) is important.
  

The four elements

The elements that make a tie more or less formal are very similar to those that affect suits, shoes or handkerchiefs. Brighter colours and bolder patterns are less smart; smooth texture and dark tones are more.

Just like a strongly patterned, woollen jacket is less formal than a plain suit in smooth worsted, so a cashmere tie with a big club stripe is less formal than a navy repp.

The four dominant elements here are: tone, colour, texture and pattern. Of these, texture is often the most important in a tie – partly because it is the most subtle and easy to miss.

In the image at the top of this post, I have shown five ties that have greater texture from left to right. They are: printed silk, woven silk, grenadine, tussah and knitted silk.
 

 
All things being even, they would therefore go from more to less formal, left to right.

The first two have a pattern, however, which sets them apart, and are slightly different shades of blue. The printed silk (left) has a slightly larger pattern (less formal) but is a darker shade of blue (more formal).

The difference between these two is tiny, but the important thing to realise is that all three things – texture, pattern, colour – make a difference as well as texture.

If there were to be an order to the different textures, it would look something like:

1. Satin
2. Printed silk
3. Woven silk
4. Grenadine
5. Tussah
6. Knitted silk
7. Most wools and linens
8. Shantung

[I am mixing up different terms for the sake of clarity and brevity. Some of these are also weaves, of course, and I’m omitting types of weave as well as types of grenadine.]

You could argue about the list, but it’s essentially an objective judgment of the same thing: how textured, how smooth or not, is the material? This is largely important because it affects the way light is absorbed or reflected.
  

Formality in diagrammatic form

Below is a diagram showing pattern together with the three other elements – tone, colour, texture and pattern – that should be considered.
  

  
Again, there are things we’re leaving out here, such as finishes on the silk or wool/cotton, but the same principles generally apply.

An important point on pattern is that it matters both how big it is, and how fancy. So a club stripe is a large, dominant pattern; but it’s simplicity makes it relatively formal. A paisley, on the other hand, is usually quite informal even at a lower scale.

Deciding whether two ties with widely different readings on these scales is largely pointless. Is a (muted) pink tie with a large (but simple) pattern smarter than a (strong) blue tie with a (small) fancy pattern? It doesn’t really matter.

The important thing is that if you want to know which tie to wear to a formal event and which informal, you have four elements to consider.

A satin tie is often great for an evening event because of its sheen (but is smarter in navy than in yellow). A grenadine, in navy or black, is perhaps the most versatile of all ties because its texture sits in the middle of the spectrum.

Reader (I think you were anonymous) I hope that helps.

All ties from Drakes

  
Readers often ask for ‘capsule collections’ of types of clothes – shoes, suits, ties etc.

There are many reasons such a list is useful. It can point to the ‘essentials’: those things that provide the foundation of a wardrobe. It can suggest investment pieces. Or, if you commute by bike, it can make up a small, versatile wardrobe at work that can be recycled in different ways.

I keep most, sometimes all, of the ties pictured above at my office.

I find them the most versatile, most useful, most practical. Even, perhaps, the most pleasurable. Because nothing pleases me more than dressing simply but well.
  

1. Navy silk grenadine

A plain navy tie is extremely versatile, going with almost all colours and patterns of shirts and jackets.

Grenadine is the most versatile tie material in terms of formality, going with all but the smartest suits and all but the most casual knitwear.

I wear this untipped model from Drake’s so often it’s embarrassing.
  

2. Grey knitted wool

Grey is not quite as versatile as navy. While navy ties go with navy suits, grey ties often aren’t the best choice with grey suits.

Still, grey is very useful, and a square-ended knitted wool tie will go with casual jackets and dress up some quality knitwear.

I tend to wear this one from Hermes with my Anderson & Sheppard shawl-collar sweaters. 
  

3. Navy club stripe

I argued a while ago that this is the most useful tie in a man’s wardrobe. If we stay with relatively formal suits and jackets, that might still be right.

The nice thing about a club stripe is that it is big enough to go with any pattern of shirt, from a micro-stripe to a butcher’s stripe.

As a general rule of thumb, patterns in ties, shirts and suits work when they are not too close in size to each other. A club-stripe tie always avoids that problem.

This particular one from Drake’s is given a subtle bit of a punch by a black edging to the top of the silver stripes. And while I don’t have a club, it is the colours of my college, which is nice.
  

4. Navy-and-bronze block stripe

The pattern is so useful, I would include two in the capsule collection. Well, a block stripe rather than a club stripe, but the benefits are similar. A nice simple pattern that goes with everything.

Having a brown-toned stripe helps the tie to go with slightly more casual outfits, specifically those with brown accessories. 
  
  

5. Olive printed tie with black geometrical pattern

This, from Isaia, is perhaps the most interesting tie of the lot.

It’s not an obvious choice: a green background, with small black motifs filled with lilac. Fairly unusual colours; yet it is extremely useful.

The reason is how muted those colours are. Classic Hermes ties have always been popular for that reason – they’re nearly always in muted, simple colours that go with anything.

Most brands don’t design ties like that. Subtle ties don’t jump off the shelf, don’t sell themselves from across the room. But they’re always the most useful, and it allows you to get away with colours like green, black and lilac.

If you want a useful printed-silk tie, pick a muted colour with a small, geometrical pattern.

  
Ties pictured on my vintage Louis Vuitton Alzer case, with hand-painted initials. 

 
Siniscalchi is one of the world’s best-known shirtmakers. Based in Milan, it has made for celebrity and royalty alike since it was founded in 1948. It is also, however, bizarrely expensive.

We visited Alessandro (Ale) Siniscalchi at the workshop following our event at Pitti in January, where Ale was a guest. The company was founded by father, and Ale does all the patterns and most of the cutting today, with his lovely wife also involved in the business.
 

 
At its peak, Siniscalchi employed 14 shirmakers; today there are six, with one embroiderer working from home. The quality of that embroidery work is stunning, with incredibly fine renderings of family crests and personal symbolism (above).

The quality of other work, such as the hand-sewn buttonholes, is not as fine – I’ve seen better finishing at other shirtmakers, and they charge a lot less than €700 (Siniscalchi’s starting price for a shirt – there is no minimum). This is merely judging the making rather than the fit, of course, as I haven’t commissioned anything myself.
 

 
Elsewhere in the make, Siniscalchi attaches the collar and sleeve by hand, but everything else is by machine (save the attachment of the gussets). The collar normally has a floating lining, with occasionally a (stiff) fused lining when requested.

The shirtings on display are impressive: a stock of around 500 bolts upstairs and the same in the basement, all available for the customer to try – draping the cloth across themselves to get a better sense of colour.
 

 
Ale also commissions his own cloth, and provides certificates of authenticity for them. Other makers, apparently, have been known to offer unlabelled bolts that turn out to be cheap Chinese versions of the English or Italian mills.

Siniscalchi has a few other idiosyncrasies, such as stiff but very thin collar bones, and inventions such as the shirt-cum-boxer-short, where the customer steps into the short before buttoning himself all the way up, like a onesie.

Not that convenient for going to the toilet, perhaps, but it does create a nice clean shirtfront in a more pleasant way than the tails that button under dress shirts, or ‘shirt suspenders’ that someone started pedalling again recently.
 

  
In comments to Friday’s post on my ‘go-to’ clothing, readers said they would like to see a post suggesting which types of clothing it is most worth having made bespoke.

In order to set out my views on this, I have listed five items that are often made bespoke, and explain where I see the relative value – both to other bespoke items and to ready-made.

1. Bespoke jacket

The standard by which everything else must be judged.

A jacket is worth having bespoke more than any other item, both in terms of cut and of construction. The three-dimensional nature of a bespoke cut, dealing as it does with pitch, angle and curve, is of greatest benefit on the torso, which is far more irregular than the legs. This is a major reason why a bespoke jacket looks so good.

Bespoke construction then creates structure around this torso. A hand-padded chest creates a flattering yet natural shape, while a structured collar keeps the jacket closely around the neck, anchoring the jacket. No other bespoke item has this difference in quality compared to RTW.

2. Bespoke coat

A coat is the second-most valuable thing to have made bespoke. Largely, this is because it has the same benefits of a jacket, above. It is usually in a heavier cloth, which might appear to be more forgiving RTW, but then we all know how great bespoke looks in a heavy cloth. Like pure sculpture.

An overcoat is also superior to a jacket in its greater proportions. An overcoat sweeps. Usually from a strong shoulder, though a wider lapel than a suit, across a double-breasted fastening, and out into a very long skirt. Nothing is as dramatic.
  

3. Bespoke shoes

Bespoke shoes don’t have many advantages over RTW in terms of construction any more. Several brands offer hand-welting (Saint Crispin’s, Stefano Bemer) and others have top-end uppers, oak-bark soles and tight waists (Gaziano & Girling among others).

There are some more differences in terms of fit. No matter how many sizes and widths a brand offers, a bespoke fit always has the potential to be better. But then more brands are now offering altered lasts as well – such as Saint Crispin’s –that approach bespoke.

Yet I would still place bespoke shoes above bespoke shirts, bespoke knitwear and many other items. This is because although the differences between bespoke and RTW shoes are small, they are among the most beautiful things in menswear. The perfect segue from heel cup to heel stack; the sinuous irregularity of a bespoke sole. Men, including myself, treasure such things.

4. Bespoke shirt

There are no construction advantages to a bespoke shirt; it is all about fit.

And while a bespoke fit is often superior, this is largely in the body of the shirt – which creases; which often remains hidden; and which has to be looser than a jacket to allow one to sit down. A good fit in a shirt is important, but it can often be achieved made-to-measure, or even altered RTW.

The most important thing in a shirt is the collar, which may be better in bespoke or may not. If you can find a RTW collar you like, that sits gracefully with tie and without, and is the right height for your neck, you’re most of the way there.

5. Bespoke knitwear

I’ve always said more brands should do bespoke knitwear. Or made-to-order with alterations. Where you can try on a few sizes in the shop, then order it in any colour with slightly longer arms and a slightly slimmer waist. Well-fitted knitwear is so flattering on a man, and has broader uses than tailoring.

But knitwear still belongs at the bottom of this list, because there are no differences in make and because the alterations required are more akin to made-to-measure.
  

  
When I brought my shirt from Simone Abbarchi back to him in June (or rather his assistant, Gianluca) we ended up making quite a few changes. This may be a cause for concern, though I will reserve judgment. 

I had had one fitting originally, in a trial shirt, before having this final grey one made. And as I said in the post on that completed shirt, the shoulders were noticeably too tight while the body was a bit too big. 

Neither were big problems, but they certainly needed to change for the next shirt, so I went in while at Pitti in June to have a few changes made to the pattern. Gianluca took quite a lot in at the waist, lengthened the sleeves slightly, and widened the shoulders. In retrospect, they were quite substantial alterations. 
  

  
Why is this important? Because the aim of anyone seeing a shirt maker should be to perfect a pattern – usually after two or even three shirts, rarely after one – and then be able to order consistently and with confidence.

Shirts should be a relatively inexpensive purchase, compared to suits or shoes, and they will need replacing more frequently. You are also much less likely to need or want different styles, again unlike suits or shoes. So one good shirtmaker with a great pattern is a lovely thing. 

Of course, being me I actually use three shirtmakers (D’Avino, Luca Avitabile and Abbarchi) depending on how flush I am feeling at the time. They all offer good value for what they do, and each will suit a different pocket. [See this post for more details.]

Simone comes to London and New York twice a year, and both trips are coming up. He is London next week – September 15 and 16 – at 35-36 St James’s Place. And in New York from October 7th to 15th at the Michelangelo Hotel (152 W 51st St). Email simone.abbarchi@gmail.com for appointments.
  

  
A few weeks a reader asked for a post on what makes a tie more or less formal, smart or not.

It’s a very relevant question. Few men today wear ties, but when they do, they rarely want them to be as smart as the traditional foulards and Macclesfield weaves. Understanding how to dress down a tie (or, for the right occasion, up) is important.
  

The four elements

The elements that make a tie more or less formal are very similar to those that affect suits, shoes or handkerchiefs. Brighter colours and bolder patterns are less smart; smooth texture and dark tones are more.

Just like a strongly patterned, woollen jacket is less formal than a plain suit in smooth worsted, so a cashmere tie with a big club stripe is less formal than a navy repp.

The four dominant elements here are: tone, colour, texture and pattern. Of these, texture is often the most important in a tie – partly because it is the most subtle and easy to miss.

In the image at the top of this post, I have shown five ties that have greater texture from left to right. They are: printed silk, woven silk, grenadine, tussah and knitted silk.
 

 
All things being even, they would therefore go from more to less formal, left to right.

The first two have a pattern, however, which sets them apart, and are slightly different shades of blue. The printed silk (left) has a slightly larger pattern (less formal) but is a darker shade of blue (more formal).

The difference between these two is tiny, but the important thing to realise is that all three things – texture, pattern, colour – make a difference as well as texture.

If there were to be an order to the different textures, it would look something like:

1. Satin
2. Printed silk
3. Woven silk
4. Grenadine
5. Tussah
6. Knitted silk
7. Most wools and linens
8. Shantung

[I am mixing up different terms for the sake of clarity and brevity. Some of these are also weaves, of course, and I’m omitting types of weave as well as types of grenadine.]

You could argue about the list, but it’s essentially an objective judgment of the same thing: how textured, how smooth or not, is the material? This is largely important because it affects the way light is absorbed or reflected.
  

Formality in diagrammatic form

Below is a diagram showing pattern together with the three other elements – tone, colour, texture and pattern – that should be considered.
  

  
Again, there are things we’re leaving out here, such as finishes on the silk or wool/cotton, but the same principles generally apply.

An important point on pattern is that it matters both how big it is, and how fancy. So a club stripe is a large, dominant pattern; but it’s simplicity makes it relatively formal. A paisley, on the other hand, is usually quite informal even at a lower scale.

Deciding whether two ties with widely different readings on these scales is largely pointless. Is a (muted) pink tie with a large (but simple) pattern smarter than a (strong) blue tie with a (small) fancy pattern? It doesn’t really matter.

The important thing is that if you want to know which tie to wear to a formal event and which informal, you have four elements to consider.

A satin tie is often great for an evening event because of its sheen (but is smarter in navy than in yellow). A grenadine, in navy or black, is perhaps the most versatile of all ties because its texture sits in the middle of the spectrum.

Reader (I think you were anonymous) I hope that helps.

All ties from Drakes

  
Readers often ask for ‘capsule collections’ of types of clothes – shoes, suits, ties etc.

There are many reasons such a list is useful. It can point to the ‘essentials’: those things that provide the foundation of a wardrobe. It can suggest investment pieces. Or, if you commute by bike, it can make up a small, versatile wardrobe at work that can be recycled in different ways.

I keep most, sometimes all, of the ties pictured above at my office.

I find them the most versatile, most useful, most practical. Even, perhaps, the most pleasurable. Because nothing pleases me more than dressing simply but well.
  

1. Navy silk grenadine

A plain navy tie is extremely versatile, going with almost all colours and patterns of shirts and jackets.

Grenadine is the most versatile tie material in terms of formality, going with all but the smartest suits and all but the most casual knitwear.

I wear this untipped model from Drake’s so often it’s embarrassing.
  

2. Grey knitted wool

Grey is not quite as versatile as navy. While navy ties go with navy suits, grey ties often aren’t the best choice with grey suits.

Still, grey is very useful, and a square-ended knitted wool tie will go with casual jackets and dress up some quality knitwear.

I tend to wear this one from Hermes with my Anderson & Sheppard shawl-collar sweaters. 
  

3. Navy club stripe

I argued a while ago that this is the most useful tie in a man’s wardrobe. If we stay with relatively formal suits and jackets, that might still be right.

The nice thing about a club stripe is that it is big enough to go with any pattern of shirt, from a micro-stripe to a butcher’s stripe.

As a general rule of thumb, patterns in ties, shirts and suits work when they are not too close in size to each other. A club-stripe tie always avoids that problem.

This particular one from Drake’s is given a subtle bit of a punch by a black edging to the top of the silver stripes. And while I don’t have a club, it is the colours of my college, which is nice.
  

4. Navy-and-bronze block stripe

The pattern is so useful, I would include two in the capsule collection. Well, a block stripe rather than a club stripe, but the benefits are similar. A nice simple pattern that goes with everything.

Having a brown-toned stripe helps the tie to go with slightly more casual outfits, specifically those with brown accessories. 
  
  

5. Olive printed tie with black geometrical pattern

This, from Isaia, is perhaps the most interesting tie of the lot.

It’s not an obvious choice: a green background, with small black motifs filled with lilac. Fairly unusual colours; yet it is extremely useful.

The reason is how muted those colours are. Classic Hermes ties have always been popular for that reason – they’re nearly always in muted, simple colours that go with anything.

Most brands don’t design ties like that. Subtle ties don’t jump off the shelf, don’t sell themselves from across the room. But they’re always the most useful, and it allows you to get away with colours like green, black and lilac.

If you want a useful printed-silk tie, pick a muted colour with a small, geometrical pattern.

  
Ties pictured on my vintage Louis Vuitton Alzer case, with hand-painted initials.