– NOW SOLD OUT –

The Permanent Style club tie is now available to buy on the Drake’s website. The ties are strictly limited to 100 numbered editions and the first 10 will be on sale tonight at the Drake’s opening party for its factory shop on Haberdasher Street. The design was inspired by inter-war club ties. In the 1920s and 1930s most men only owned a handful of ties, with the most common being their club and university ties. These were usually dark, with a simple stripe, device or pattern of devices to indicate the colours or emblem of the club.

These days, reproductions of the ties rarely feature a single device – it’s usually a stripe or a repeated pattern. This is often because it is more efficient in terms of the silk required. A pattern can be cut anywhere, but to make a tie with a single device requires a piece of silk with just two woven devices on it. It involves more wastage and requires more accuracy.

I personally also like the design because it is so versatile. Against a plain blue shirt, it provides just enough interest; against a boldly striped tie, it is strong enough to hold its own. It bridges the two outfits where a plain navy tie or small geometric design would not. In the end, the tie is also a sign of fealty with the site. I know many people have been reading Permanent Style for years, and I’m very grateful for all the support shown to me over that time. Until now, there has been no obvious way to demonstrate that loyalty.

Tie details

The Permanent Style club tie costs £125. It is in a dark navy twill – 138g/m2 and 200 ends/inch. It measures 9cm in width and 147cm in length, and is tipped in Permanent Style purple on both blades. The tipping on the front blade also has ‘PS’ woven in, in white, and the tie is numbered by hand a little further up, just under the navy silk.

I don’t like keepers – the little loop of silk on the back of the front blade – so I have removed them. I don’t know anybody that uses them and it is one more thing that sets this tie apart. The Drake’s label on the back is also in black writing on navy, rather than the usual white script, making the whole rear of the blade quite clean and chic. The lining is lighter than that usually used by Drake’s for this silk. It still ties a great knot, as you can see, but is slightly lighter in the wearing.

There are more straight, product shots on the page of the Drake’s website.

Most readers will be familiar with the superlative tie making at Drake’s, now all housed in their lovely new facility on Haberdasher Street. For those that aren’t, I’ve written about it before here, and the photos in this post should give you some idea. These are among the best ties in the world.

Stockists 

The ties are available on the Drake’s website and will also be available soon on the Trunk Clothiers website. A small number are being stocked in the Drake’s shop on Clifford Street, in the Trunk store in Marylebone, and early next week they will be in Leffot in New York. Anyone wishing to see the tie in person can hopefully make a trip to one of these stores.