Not Needed That Badly

For over two decades I wore a tie to work every day. "Business casual" (tieless but neat, no T-shirts or jeans) came to be the norm around the turn of the century, and most of the inventory has never again seen the light of day. I still have to wear them for special occasions and business meetings, but my old cravats' style and silk material are increasingly dated.

Knit ties seem to be in tune with the zeitgeist [bold added].

What’s partly responsible for nudging knit ties into vogue is that their looser, more casual look makes them ideal for a looser, more casual world. They’re polished but not overdone or ostentatious—a solid advantage when more and more ties are collecting dust in the back of men’s closets.

“We’re in the situation these days where wearing a tie is a pretty big statement,” said Patrick Johnson, founder of P. Johnson Tailors, a men’s haberdashery based in Sydney, Australia. “A knit tie is a good way to wear one without the pretense that sometimes can come from a silk tie. It’s a really nice way to add matte color.”

I would be interested for aesthetic purposes and if the quality (they don't fray after a week) holds up. Nevertheless, it's difficult for me to get used to paying silk prices for knit materials. Guess I'll wait for the Asian knockoffs....

Check out these silk-like prices. From left: Tie, $230, Brioni;
Cotton Knit Tie, $275, Brunello Cucinelli; Tie, $70, Tommy Hilfiger, (WSJ photo)