I tidied up my closet today. A big part of that job involved re-organizing my neckwear. For a guy who is practically never required to wear a tie, I have a lot of ties. True, I may have paid less than $5 for any of them, but still...
I have yet to decide whether this is a blessing or a curse...and achievement or the sign of a problem.
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17 comments:
I had the same problem a few years back - seldom required to wear a tie, so I jettisoned the lot - now I find myself interested in presenting myself more formally & don't have the options I used to: gutted. May I suggest storing them more efficiently,& save yourself the heartache?
That depends on how often you use them; if they never see the light of day, perhaps the time has come to recycle them into thrift country and let a new young upstart wear them about town. On that same line of thinking, at least you have saved them from being abandoned in some garbage dump and are doing your part to reduce waste!
There are worse things you could be collecting, for sure.
I've found that 1-2 in each category is more than enough (except for Tartans, oddly enough. I can't seem to get enough tartan ties).
I have asked myself these same questions. I have a lot of stuff also , I see it as likeing to have options and looking nice. My wife thinks I have issues.
I think we could all easily give ourselves, and each other, advice about acquiring too many ties, but no man who likes ties can ever heed it.
I know I can't. I have enough, I think, but I also very easily thrift extra ones when they are too good to ignore. They are so inexpensive it feels easy, and thus they also mount up in the same way.
If we were all to be ruthless I think we could part with a quarter of what we have and still have more than sufficient for our needs. No one will heed this.
Amen, Roger.
I have "enough," yet I always look for more. Now, I am simply more selective. I once bought half a dozen Brooks Brothers neat patterned ties that I thought I would sell; I ended up keeping and wearing them. As a result, I now have much less need for neat ties, so am very choosy when I find them. The same applies, ceteris paribus, for other patterns.
Strangely, I, just like Philip, can't seem to get enough plaid ties. Why are they so compellingly versatile? I am also obsessed with wedding ties; one of the few new ties purchases I have made in the past several years was just such a tie.
There must be something wrong with me—but anyone could tell you that.
As a female who LOVES neckties and wears them almost every day, I thoroughly understand the attraction to them. For the me the question is, do I own my ties or do they own me? Translation: Am I getting as much enjoyment out of them as I could be or are they just sitting in my closet? I organized a system where I regularly rotate through my ties. Every time I wear one I have the feeling that I'm hanging out with an old friend I haven't seen in awhile.
Arrange the neckties according to quality, beauty, and frequency of wear.
Discard the ones that score the lowest across the three areas.
If any of them continue to vex you, wrap them in tissue, put them in a box, and let your son have a shot at them when he comes of age.
I'm the father of two boys and have found this method useful.
I acquired about 300 ties in last 2 years from good will store grab bags for about 35 cents each bag. Some great ties and brand names and some old fashion ties I liked. Others I gave to chaps at work. I love the different styles and get compliments all the time. Love a great tie.
Oh, I wear them all enough to keep them. Don't worry about that.
As for arrangement, I have one hanger dedicated entirely to stripes, another to neats, plaids and clubs, and a third for knits, ascots and bow ties.
To much choice is no choice at all!
I can't deny myself any new (old) piece I come across. The more you acquire the choosier you become so I have found the growth of my collection slow down. Like you, I am able to sell them on but my personal collection is actually pretty small. Probably no more than 30 and mostly solid colors with some kind of texture. I probably wear my Sulka navy grenadine 50% of the time with the rest getting a small piece of the action. Of late I have enjoyed editing my wardrobe nearly as much as adding to it. Personally, I'm more creative with a limited brief.
As others have said, neck wear is irresistible for the serious thrifter. Ties are a ubiquitous gift. Tastes are fleeting. It adds up to lots of fabulous ties for $1 apiece. And so they accumulate. I have, easily, 500 ties, and I wear, almost exclusively, bow ties, which are tough to come by. The seriousness of my addiction became overwhelmingly apparent (it was already apparent) a few weeks ago when I found a BB emblematic, all silk, with the Presidential seal. Just in time for the election, I bragged to the wife, then put it away. A week later, I found an identical emblematic tie with the presidential seal that I had acquired who-knows-when and completely forgotten about. That is when you look in the mirror and say, I love you man, but we have to talk...
I would offer this observation, I believe there are roughly three character types, the disinterested, the thoughtful utilitarians and collectors. The first believes a tie is a tie is a tie. That person is not your reader and is the person who does not want to wear a tie but someone or society makes them. The second group sees ties as doing a job but appreciate quality etc. These folks still lean toward utility because you will hear the mantra "If you have not worn it in three years throw it out." A phase like that strikes fear in the heart of the collector. A collector does not see them as just colorful stripes that can be jettisoned at will. A collector may very well have ties that do the heavy lifting but there will be ties who exist for no others reasons then for symbolism. The tie will speak to the collector, it might be the quality,the material, the tie maker, it might carry a tag from a well remembered defunct shop. There will be something that will make it some sort of social,historical artifact that will be secretly treasured. For this last group, once you break the utility paradigm, the sky is the limit for the amount one can collect. Assuming that the habit is not detrimental to those around the collector. The size and make up the collection is guided by the internal Muse of the collector.
Giuseppe, what sort of rack do you use to hang your ties? I am in the over 150+ range (ties and bow ties, combined) and I feel like I am drowning in silk. I would need something on a monumental scale for this many ties. I am good with carpentry, so pictures would really help me get an idea of what approach I can take. Everything on the web has been for significantly small amounts of ties. Please help...
What I find, with ties, shirts, sweaters... Is that the more you have, the less you actually wear any of them. So I am working on purging this way; when I find something I like at a thrift or charity shop, be it tie, sweater, shirt or sport coat, at least one item of similar ilk is discarded, for some other lucky soul to enjoy.
It's a start. And has worked for somewhat for me, as my wife laughs in the background! (My issues remain sweaters and sportcoats!)
Cheers!
James
Let me know if you are planning to put your collection 'On Sale' ..! :p Anywway, be proud.. After all ties are essence of men's wear..!
i've got a similar looking tie collection. even if you don't wear them all theres something comforting about having options. check out this collection on socialbliss http://www.socialbliss.com/atrone/modern-dandy-G43TGMJV
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