How to recognize a quality necktie

The most important sign for the quality of a tie unfortunately can't be represented - only felt. So before buying a tie, hold it in your hand, feel it - but not in the genre of sentimentality. It is good to check very carefully in silk creases. The touch of the silk is the first and best adviser. If you can define what you feel, you are on the right way.

As a rule, one good tie consists of three parts. If you look at it carefully, you'll see the places of sewing. In best neckties this stitches are machine, but in any case the inner steam should be made by hand - not only to justify the label 'handmade'.

That type of manufacturers in England are Drake's, Charles Hill and Holiday & Brown. They deliver ties for Gieves & Hawkes, Turnbull & Asser, Hilditch & Key and for other renowned addresses. Remarkable among British tie manufacturers are Tobias Tailors from Savile Row. They are sewn by a single seamstress. This guarantees to customers that their tie will be unique.

In France, Charvet supplies the most famous handmade ties. The store at Place Vendome offers the widest range of woven silk neckties. Each piece here is a masterpiece of textile art.

Typical for Italian ties is self-tipping - that means that the tip is made from the same material the envelope has been cut from. But self-tipping itself is a sign of style, not of quality.

So, remember, most importantly tie should seems great before you take a deeper look into some of its technical details...