OCI/callbacks/etc Men's Clothing Mega-thread Forum

[chrisbru]

Hai guyz I saw a guy at OCI 2day with a pink shirt an a paisley tie and he was waring tazzle loafers & nobody cared, u r all stoopid LOLZ

i realize this is out of nowhere, but every now and then i think of this thread and then i think of this post and laugh out loud each time.

thank you.

[romothesavior]

Fortunately (maybe unfortunately?) we haven't had one of those in a while. They're always a treat.

[mephistopheles]

Fortunately (maybe unfortunately?) we haven't had one of those in a while. They're always a treat.

looking forward to august.

[Cicero76]

I need a good tie. I have a bunch of bad/mediocre ties, but I'd like one nice tie to go with an interview suit (charcoal/navy) that I can use when I need it. What's the best first tie to get? Any links to suggestions?

[Flips88]

I need a good tie. I have a bunch of bad/mediocre ties, but I'd like one nice tie to go with an interview suit (charcoal/navy) that I can use when I need it. What's the best first tie to get? Any links to suggestions?

Just look around here: http://www.thetiebar.com/

[SaintsTheMetal]

I need a good tie. I have a bunch of bad/mediocre ties, but I'd like one nice tie to go with an interview suit (charcoal/navy) that I can use when I need it. What's the best first tie to get? Any links to suggestions?

Just look around here: http://www.thetiebar.com/

why does everyone always recommend this website? Yes they are cheap and decent, but they are clearly cheap as well. You can go get a decent brand name tie for not much more on sale in the mall at any department store, brooks brothers, whatever..

sorry didnt mean to be anon, apparently you can't delete anon psts

[Danger Zone]

They are equal to or better than Brooks Brothers ties. Get the burgundy pindot.

[nouseforaname123]

They are equal to or better than Brooks Brothers ties. Get the burgundy pindot.

I wouldn't go that far. I have 3 TB ties and and 5 BB ties. I think TB is a better value and passable in a professional setting, but I don't believe TB ties are better than BB. IMHO, BB uses better materials, stitching is better, and overall construction is better.

I haven't taken the ties apart, but my guess is that BB is using higher quality linings and tighter/more solid stitching to control slip (or whatever the hell the term is).

/not a tailor

[romothesavior]

Brooks Brothers ties are heinously overpriced for what I'd consider above-average quality at best, and that's coming from one of the biggest Brooksies on TLS.

Tie Bar gets love because they're good ties for a low price. They're thick and quality-made, they tie really well (so easy to get a perfect dimple), and they excel at churning out good basic styles (not crazy about their other stuff). They're every bit as good as a $50 tie. And in the places that they're not (e.g., their "faux grenadine" ties) they're up front about it (e.g, "Hey for $15 a tie we can't make you a true grenadine tie but this is a pretty solid pickup for $15).

IMO, spending a fortune on a tie is just stupid. How often do you really wear any given tie? Once or twice a month, tops? Even if you work in a business formal environment, maybe once every other week or so? And if you have a fleet of ties, maybe less than that. So why spend $50, or even $100 on something you'll wear once in a blue moon? Especially for people ITT just looking for OCI-wear, Tie Bar gives you the basics for cheap so you can focus on other aspects of your wardrobe. If someone is looking for a couple conservative, solid or pindot patterned ties for OCI, that's by far the best place to go.

[PennBull]

Brooks Brothers ties are heinously overpriced for what I'd consider above-average quality at best, and that's coming from one of the biggest Brooksies on TLS.

Tie Bar gets love because they're good ties for a low price. They're thick and quality-made, they tie really well (so easy to get a perfect dimple), and they excel at churning out good basic styles (not crazy about their other stuff). They're every bit as good as a $50 tie.

IMO, spending a fortune on a tie is just stupid. How often do you really wear any given tie? Once or twice a month, tops? Even if you work in a business formal environment, maybe once every other week or so? And if you have a fleet of ties, maybe less than that. So why spend $50, or even $100 on something you'll wear once in a blue moon? Especially for people ITT just looking for OCI-wear, Tie Bar gives you the basics for cheap so you can focus on other aspects of your wardrobe. If someone is looking for a couple conservative, solid or pindot patterned ties for OCI, that's by far the best place to go.

TITCR

When you're managing partner then you can go apeshit with ties, and by then you'll have more money that you'll know what to do with anyways

Well, besides paying alimony for two ex-wives and buying expensive shit for your 22-year old mistress

[PennBull]

Romo I asked in the men's style thread about spring jackets, could you weigh in over there? tyia

[nouseforaname123]

Brooks Brothers ties are heinously overpriced for what I'd consider above-average quality at best, and that's coming from one of the biggest Brooksies on TLS.

Tie Bar gets love because they're good ties for a low price. They're thick and quality-made, they tie really well (so easy to get a perfect dimple), and they excel at churning out good basic styles (not crazy about their other stuff). They're every bit as good as a $50 tie. And in the places that they're not (e.g., their "faux grenadine" ties) they're up front about it (e.g, "Hey for $15 a tie we can't make you a true grenadine tie but this is a pretty solid pickup for $15).

IMO, spending a fortune on a tie is just stupid. How often do you really wear any given tie? Once or twice a month, tops? Even if you work in a business formal environment, maybe once every other week or so? And if you have a fleet of ties, maybe less than that. So why spend $50, or even $100 on something you'll wear once in a blue moon? Especially for people ITT just looking for OCI-wear, Tie Bar gives you the basics for cheap so you can focus on other aspects of your wardrobe. If someone is looking for a couple conservative, solid or pindot patterned ties for OCI, that's by far the best place to go.

I agree that BB ties are overpriced, especially at retail.

I also agree that a TB tie is a better value.

None of that means that a TB tie is a better tie. I don't think they are every bit as good as a $50 tie. Ignoring price, I would take a CT tie (usually around $40) over a TB tie every day of the week.

ETA: I'm not saying a TB tie is a bad choice or bad value. I just don't understand claims that the ties are better than they actually are.

[Blumpbeef]

CT shirt plus Tie for $50 shipped is an awesome value.

[LeDique]

I don't think anyone has claimed the TieBar makes great ties. Everyone has claimed that they are a great value because they are more than good enough quality. I think quality wise, they're comparable to anything sub-$50. You might even have to go well north of 50 to find something more worth it (in the sense of a leap in better quality), and I'm not convinced those are worth it (in the sense of value).

[romothesavior]

If I laid out a collection of $15, $25, $50, and $100 ties from a wide variety of makers, I'm not convinced that more than a handful of people ITT would be able to make much more than a guess. And I include myself in that category. I've got a bunch of ties hanging on the back of my bathroom door, and while some are noticeably cheaper than others, I would hardly know the difference between my Tie Bar, JAB, and Brooks Brothers ties. Once you get above a given threshold of quality, I really don't see it as making much difference. It's not like shoes or suits or something that take a beating, and so paying extra for the better-made, higher quality item makes sense. And unlike suits/shoes, ties go out of style every few years.

So yeah, okay, whatever, maybe Tie Bar ties aren't 100% on par with a $50 tie. But I'm not convinced there's a tangible difference worth spending money on, especially if you're just looking for a standard conservative tie to get you through OCI. And I really doubt anyone in here (save for maybe someone like Pufer) could tell any difference in a blind study.

[JamMasterJ]

If I laid out a collection of $15, $25, $50, and $100 ties from a wide variety of makers, I'm not convinced that more than a handful of people ITT would be able to make much more than a guess. And I include myself in that category. I've got a bunch of ties hanging on the back of my bathroom door, and while some are noticeably cheaper than others, I would hardly know the difference between my Tie Bar, JAB, and Brooks Brothers ties. Once you get above a given threshold of quality, I really don't see it as making much difference. It's not like shoes or suits or something that take a beating, and so paying extra for the better-made, higher quality item makes sense. And unlike suits/shoes, ties go out of style every few years.

So yeah, okay, whatever, maybe Tie Bar ties aren't 100% on par with a $50 tie. But I'm not convinced there's a tangible difference worth spending money on, especially if you're just looking for a standard conservative tie to get you through OCI. And I really doubt anyone in here (save for maybe someone like Pufer) could tell any difference in a blind study.

I think the only time when you're gonna see a really noticeable difference is when you are looking at Kiton 7-folds or whatever

[MinEMorris]

I've heard through the grapevine that ties are one of the few items at men's department stores that are actually sold at ridiculous markups (~800% if I recall correctly). My guess is that places that sell "cheaper" ties aren't skimping much on quality; they're just reducing profit margin.

[LRGhost]

If I laid out a collection of $15, $25, $50, and $100 ties from a wide variety of makers, I'm not convinced that more than a handful of people ITT would be able to make much more than a guess. And I include myself in that category. I've got a bunch of ties hanging on the back of my bathroom door, and while some are noticeably cheaper than others, I would hardly know the difference between my Tie Bar, JAB, and Brooks Brothers ties. Once you get above a given threshold of quality, I really don't see it as making much difference. It's not like shoes or suits or something that take a beating, and so paying extra for the better-made, higher quality item makes sense. And unlike suits/shoes, ties go out of style every few years.

So yeah, okay, whatever, maybe Tie Bar ties aren't 100% on par with a $50 tie. But I'm not convinced there's a tangible difference worth spending money on, especially if you're just looking for a standard conservative tie to get you through OCI. And I really doubt anyone in here (save for maybe someone like Pufer) could tell any difference in a blind study.

I think the only time when you're gonna see a really noticeable difference is when you are looking at Kiton 7-folds or whatever

I think the layperson can see the difference in comparison but not in a vacuum. You can get grenadines from Chipp2 (http://www.chipp2.com/). If you email with the color, he'll make you a grenadine $49.50 iirc. Pretty good ties at a pretty good price.

[Pufer]

Brooks Brothers ties are heinously overpriced for what I'd consider above-average quality at best, and that's coming from one of the biggest Brooksies on TLS.

Tie Bar gets love because they're good ties for a low price. They're thick and quality-made, they tie really well (so easy to get a perfect dimple), and they excel at churning out good basic styles (not crazy about their other stuff). They're every bit as good as a $50 tie. And in the places that they're not (e.g., their "faux grenadine" ties) they're up front about it (e.g, "Hey for $15 a tie we can't make you a true grenadine tie but this is a pretty solid pickup for $15).

IMO, spending a fortune on a tie is just stupid. How often do you really wear any given tie? Once or twice a month, tops? Even if you work in a business formal environment, maybe once every other week or so? And if you have a fleet of ties, maybe less than that. So why spend $50, or even $100 on something you'll wear once in a blue moon? Especially for people ITT just looking for OCI-wear, Tie Bar gives you the basics for cheap so you can focus on other aspects of your wardrobe. If someone is looking for a couple conservative, solid or pindot patterned ties for OCI, that's by far the best place to go.

While tiebar is great for filling out a tie wardrobe with ease (albeit not really on the cheap in that there are much cheaper ways to create a solid tie wardrobe), I sorta' disagree with the assertion that tiebar should be the go-to on OCI ties. If there's ever an occasion where you'll want to lay hands on a tie and make sure the shape is right, all the pindots are aligned perfectly both horizontally and vertically, that it dimples properly, etc., it's on your interview tie. It's probably true that I'm the only one out there who is seriously bugged by askew tie patterns, but, as long as you're doing it, you might as well have that one tie that is pretty close to perfect.

To be clear, I really don't think that you have to spend over $10 for an interview tie (I have a collection of around twenty "perfect" ties that I reserve for important shit and paid over $15 on maybe five of them, whereas they retail anywhere from $29 to $395). I just think the usually-slightly-off tiebar ties shouldn't really be one's first choice for an interview tie.

I think the only time when you're gonna see a really noticeable difference is when you are looking at Kiton 7-folds or whatever

If you put a Kiton 7-fold next to romo's lineup, I'd put money on a majority of the people looking at it blind will guess that it's among the cheapest ties there. There are ties that are noticeably superior to other ties—for instance, if romo's lineup has an upper-line Zegna, that's the one that the average person will pick—but the ties that are renowned amongst tie snobs for their incredible craftsmanship, silk, etc., rarely look the part. Kiton 7-folds are of excellent quality, but the average example will look like some vintage job you picked up at the thrift store to the uninitiated (i.e., everybody you'll see today).

I've heard through the grapevine that ties are one of the few items at men's department stores that are actually sold at ridiculous markups (~800% if I recall correctly). My guess is that places that sell "cheaper" ties aren't skimping much on quality; they're just reducing profit margin.

Every single thing at every single department store is sold at a ridiculous markup. Ties are among the worst offenders, but not by as much as you might think.

-Pufer

[chrisbru]

So if I really just want 5 or 6 different color pindot ties, I can't beat tiebar. Correct?

[romothesavior]

So if I really just want 5 or 6 different color pindot ties, I can't beat tiebar. Correct?

Why do you need 5 or 6 different colors of pindot ties? If you're starting up your tie collection, mix it up a bit. Get a couple of pindot, stripes, some solids, etc.

P.S. Good knowledge, thanks Pufer. I took a look at my burgundy pindot from Tie Bar and didn't see any noticeable imperfections, but I may not by looking at it the right way.

[chrisbru]

So if I really just want 5 or 6 different color pindot ties, I can't beat tiebar. Correct?

Why do you need 5 or 6 different colors of pindot ties? If you're starting up your tie collection, mix it up a bit. Get a couple of pindot, stripes, some solids, etc.

P.S. Good knowledge, thanks Pufer. I took a look at my burgundy pindot from Tie Bar and didn't see any noticeable imperfections, but I may not by looking at it the right way.

Because I hate solids and already have a ton of stripped ties. I just only have one pindot one. My tie collection is probably 4 solids, 1 pindot, 30 stripped, and 4-5 plaid/checked/whatever

[chrisbru]

Ok so... I love the Brooks Brothers extra slim fit non-iron shirt. Where can I find something similar, but less expensive? I've got my couple nice white ones for OCIs and other interviews, but for firm wear this summer I should probably have more of them and get a few pale colored ones as well so I'm not in white every day. Thoughts? I don't mind ordering online, I know my size and if someone vouches that the sizing is consistent it will be fine. Need to probably get them ordered by tomorrow so they are here before I move for sure.

[romothesavior]

Ok so... I love the Brooks Brothers extra slim fit non-iron shirt. Where can I find something similar, but less expensive? I've got my couple nice white ones for OCIs and other interviews, but for firm wear this summer I should probably have more of them and get a few pale colored ones as well so I'm not in white every day. Thoughts? I don't mind ordering online, I know my size and if someone vouches that the sizing is consistent it will be fine. Need to probably get them ordered by tomorrow so they are here before I move for sure.

Good deal going on now: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 5#p6701460

I got four shirts and a tie shipped for $175.If you like BB shirts try their clearance section, or wait til June for the semi-annual.

[Jsa725]

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