When you consider what has traditionally been seen as fresh and elegant, materials like microfiber and polyester have been somewhat doomed as the least popular fabric. Italian silk has been on top of fashion savvy people around the world. Ask any of the jet-set crowd and you’ll get a cold, condescending look if you try to suggest anything else. When choosing a fine tie from one of the major fashion houses, you will undoubtedly have a very limited choice of materials, if any. However, that is changing if only silently. No one is yelling at the top of their lungs “Hey guys, we are using a lot of microfiber these days” However, that is what is happening.
Fashion houses like Dolce and Gabana have a range of microfiber ties that have been quietly mixed with their 100% Italian silks and no one says a thing. Personally, I don’t care about microfiber. Unlike silk, you can wash it (I wouldn’t throw it in the washing machine on full cycles) and it doesn’t seem to snag as easily as silk ties. But let’s face it, many people reading this article are going to develop aneurysms if they try to change their minds about what their personal tradition has been regarding silk ties. Just look at the care label on the back of most “skinny ties” on the market today, regardless of brand. You will probably see something that says: 100% microfiber. Don’t have a panic attack. It still looks great … right? So why all the fuss.
I suggest that the next time you go shopping, pick a tie that you really like, a must have. Then look at the care label on the small end and if by some miracle you see that this wonderful piece of work has been constructed from the dreaded Microfiber, change your mind. Embrace change and accept that sometimes beauty comes in a way that you wouldn’t normally have sought. Also, you don’t have to broadcast it. The major fashion houses do not.