Compare 55 necktie brands by length & price with this PDF
Common wisdom says all neckties are the same size. (And one size fits all.) But I compared 55 major tie brands and found that’s just not true. Over the last few months I’ve been tromping around NYC — cloth measuring tape in hand, pencil behind my ear, notebook rapidly filling up with figures, sales clerks eyeing me suspiciously — on a quest to compare men’s neckwear from Brooks Brothers to Old Navy, to see how Duncan Quinn stacks up against Thomas Pink, to quantify the difference between H&M and Ferragamo, Banana Republic and Armani.
The result of my painstaking research is Short Shrifted’s Necktie Guide. Click here to go to the Necktie Guide PDF download page.
I determined that neckties currently range from about 54 to 60 inches in length. That’s half a foot difference! It stands to reason that short men need shorter neckties and tall guys need extra-long neckties (although this may not always be the case). Ultimately, the correct tie length for you depends on many factors: your height, yes, but also your weight, neck size, what knots you use, your personal sense of style, and, well, just how high you like to hike your pants.
Whatever your requirements, you can find a tie that meets your needs in the PDF chart I’ve created.
Some conclusions:
- Neckties currently range from about 54-60 inches
- The average length of most brands is 57-59 inches
- Silk neckties tend to stretch out as they are worn; other materials hold their length and shape better
- Although certain tiemakers achieve a very consistent length, many labels vary significantly. Sometimes by several inches — within the same brand/style/color! If length is important to you, bring a tape measure, ask a salesperson for one, or hold up several ties next to each other to compare.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:49 am
I’ve found that J. Press’s ties seem to be shorter.
http://www.jpressonline.com/neckwear.php
If you’re looking for classic Ivy League styles, J. Press is pretty much THE place.
http://www.jpressonline.com/stores_new_york.php
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hey Burke,
Thanks for the suggestion! Just had a look at their site and I’ll definitely be dropping by one of their stores in the near future. And I’ll post their info in the next edition of the Necktie Guide.
Cheers,
Josh
May 4th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Josh, this is great research, and it confirms what I feel I already knew but didn’t have the same thoroughness to back it up. I suggest for the next edition of the guide you also include necktie widths. As with length, widths vary, and I think men should be selecting neckties based on width as well as length. Finally, the chart you provided is excellent, but I think it can be improved by displaying the data in a more visual manner so that the relative differences can be more easily seen. This is easy, for example, with conditional formatting in Excel, e.g.,
May 4th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Thanks! And good suggestions all around, Frank. I’m looking into things I can add into the next one.
May 4th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Glad to be of help!
BTW, I see that Ben Sherman has some thin ties this season.
http://www.benshermanusa.com/nshop/product.php?keyword=ties&view=keyword
Two weeks ago, I see that they had quite an array of smaller shirts and ties at the Soho location.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Love your research. You’re making my life easier. Keep it up and let me know if I can help.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
BTW, know any organizations in Chicago where I can donate clothing specifically for short statured men? Apparently, NOSSA, doesn’t provide donation receipts for contributions. My clients like a receipt:)
June 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Cheers, Robin. Glad that you’re finding the site useful. Don’t know about Chicago, though; the last time I was there I was 8…