Home On The Grange: New Neckwear Line Revives Brooks Ties Of Yesteryear
February 7, 2021
At a moment when the necktie is facing an uncertain future, a new label is seeking to recreate the Brooks Brothers ties of decades past with an Italian flair.
Grange Fine Neckwear is the brainchild of J. Mueser’s Chase Winfrey, who announced the project last month on his blog The Grange. Winfrey, a collector of vintage ties, is modeling his own neckwear on Brooks Brothers ties from the ‘70s and ‘80s that feature a wider knotting point and shorter length.
“To me, that black label era of Brooks ties is about as close to perfection as you can get in a necktie,” Winfrey says. “The proportions vary a little over the years, but my favorites are about 3.25” and have a pretty gradual taper, so where they knot is wide enough that they tie a substantial but compact four-in-hand knot.”
But Winfrey isn’t trying to create carbon copies. His ties will be made by hand at a small workshop in Naples with distinctly Italian touches like a super-lightweight interlining and untipped blades with handrolled edges.
“While the styling and proportions are similar, the construction is actually quite different,” he says.
According to Winfrey, few brands are producing anything similar to those vintage Brooks ties he holds in high regard, and no one is attempting what Grange Fine Neckwear aims to achieve.
“There’s still a few great places to buy a tie, I think J. Press for example does a great job, but to approach that classic American style with the super soft Neapolitan construction and the quality of a fully handsewn tie, I think that’s something totally different,” he says.
Grange Fine Neckwear is expected to launch mid-Spring, and will be available at thegrange.club. The inaugural collection will include several English-milled repp stripe ties, cotton madras ties, and bowties.
“I’m aware ‘Ivy with an Italian twist’ is a bit of a cliché by now, but I still think there’s something to it,” Winfrey says. “And hopefully for 150 dollars, I’m doing something that still feels approachable to many people.” — ERIC TWARDZIK
The ties are nice. I think $150 is about market price these days for a nice silk tie.
But am I the only one that CANNOT STAND pick stitching on suit lapels? It looks like you can’t afford a suit, so your mom made you one.
I realize that it is supposed to indicate “hand-made quality” but when everyone these days including Jos A. Bank is making suits with pick stitching, maybe time to get back to a nice smooth lapel. I think Brooks still has some suits without that ridiculous feature, but I will definitely buy in-store rather than online to make sure.
The subtleties of proper blade widths, knot proportions and construction not withstanding, the ties pictured do nothing for me. Perhaps their only tie to Ivy is their mention in this forum.
I like the 3.25″ width, at least, but have to agree with Sacksuit and Berkeley Breathes on this one. I have a number of the black label BB ties, some bought new in the 80s, and some from eBay. I am wearing one today in Irish Poplin. And J. Press does indeed sell some beautiful ties, a number of which (some bought new, and some on eBay) also hang in my closet.
That being said, I wish Grange and Chase well and hope that more men will take up tie wearing as a result.
As someone who is quite fond of BB ties, I’m surprised at how unattractive two of the three ties shown are.
The exception, of course, is the striped tie on the songbook page.
This thread is peak Ivy Style. Any new product is mentioned and the Statler & Waldorf’s immediately nitpick from the balcony regarding the product’s necessity, price point, attractiveness, and the ever-present ebay option. All that’s missing are the pop psychology references or Charlie Croker-esque stoics quotes.
Peak Ivy Style indeed. Fellows offering valid opinions in a comment section and fellows who complain about fellows offering opinions. I wish Grange all the best in their endeavors but, damn, that first tie is really ugly. And did he dig the shirt from the bottom of the dirty hamper? Not sure what the hell is going on with the black watch tie. The last tie looks fine. The suit in the first picture looks like something I might wish to buy.
Vintage Beecroft and Bull herringbone sack by Southwick today with white OCBD Hyde Park, BB V neck charcoal sweater, Bill’s khakis and Alden loafers. No tie today even though I visited the office.
“Fellows”. More parody. Next stop, breathless paeans to Allen Edmonds seconds.
$150 for a quality tie isn’t “spendy” any more than, say, trying to return a perfect 80s Brooks tie to some eBay seller named “ivyincel64” (because said tie has a ketchup stain that couldn’t be traced back to Mory’s) is silly.
so we’re still doing the purposely unbuttoned, button down collar thing. and now we’re adding ironic, purposely ugly skinny (women’s?) belts. it’s so damn tiresome. looking purposely sloppy and “vintage” – in formalwear no less – isn’t stylish. these contrivances don’t telegraph “effortless”. they scream “copycat and lazy”.
Brooks Bros ties are anywhere from $60-90 full price. J Press ties are around $80. If Grange ties are takes on those, why would anyone spend $150.00 for them? If Chase believes $150 (double Brooks/Press) is “approachable for many people”, what price point does he believe is unapproachable?
I have great admiration for entrepreneurs and wish Chase success with Grange. I do agree with others that $150 is a steep price for a tie when I can order a custom tie from David Hober for roughly half that price.
Hats off to Chase for creating his ties and I wish him success in this venture. It’s a hard time to start up a brand and I give him kudos for jumping into the fray.
I like the colors on the first tie. I find the styling on the model to be… not to my liking.
The ties appear to be well-made, but I have a tough time justifying $150 for a tie. Maybe I’m just cheap—or not the target audience.
Best of luck to Mr. Winfrey. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, and even if this venture fails, he will gain important experience that could lead to success.
It’s all about volume! If these guys start selling 10,000 ties per year the cost of manufacturing a single tie will drop and the retail price will follow. Business is very difficult if you can’t place large wholesale orders. J Press keeps their tie selection pretty tight and I’m sure places very large orders with their wholesalers. Best of luck guys.
Were I in the business of selling ties, I would not have used that picture. $150 seems a bit spendy too.
Cheers,
Will
The ties are nice. I think $150 is about market price these days for a nice silk tie.
But am I the only one that CANNOT STAND pick stitching on suit lapels? It looks like you can’t afford a suit, so your mom made you one.
I realize that it is supposed to indicate “hand-made quality” but when everyone these days including Jos A. Bank is making suits with pick stitching, maybe time to get back to a nice smooth lapel. I think Brooks still has some suits without that ridiculous feature, but I will definitely buy in-store rather than online to make sure.
Who needs Ivy with an Italian twist, when we’re devoted to Ivy with a British twist?
The subtleties of proper blade widths, knot proportions and construction not withstanding, the ties pictured do nothing for me. Perhaps their only tie to Ivy is their mention in this forum.
If you’re interested in learning more about Chase, you can read my interview with him here on Ivy Style, published a year ago (almost to the day).
http://www.ivy-style.com/the-chase-and-the-catch.html
I like the 3.25″ width, at least, but have to agree with Sacksuit and Berkeley Breathes on this one. I have a number of the black label BB ties, some bought new in the 80s, and some from eBay. I am wearing one today in Irish Poplin. And J. Press does indeed sell some beautiful ties, a number of which (some bought new, and some on eBay) also hang in my closet.
That being said, I wish Grange and Chase well and hope that more men will take up tie wearing as a result.
As someone who is quite fond of BB ties, I’m surprised at how unattractive two of the three ties shown are.
The exception, of course, is the striped tie on the songbook page.
The Blackwatch example (is that Blackwatch?) looks thrifted and poorly refurbished or repaired. Sorry, it is what it is.
This thread is peak Ivy Style. Any new product is mentioned and the Statler & Waldorf’s immediately nitpick from the balcony regarding the product’s necessity, price point, attractiveness, and the ever-present ebay option. All that’s missing are the pop psychology references or Charlie Croker-esque stoics quotes.
Be the creator of forms, man…
Well said.
Rake
Peak Ivy Style indeed. Fellows offering valid opinions in a comment section and fellows who complain about fellows offering opinions. I wish Grange all the best in their endeavors but, damn, that first tie is really ugly. And did he dig the shirt from the bottom of the dirty hamper? Not sure what the hell is going on with the black watch tie. The last tie looks fine. The suit in the first picture looks like something I might wish to buy.
Vintage Beecroft and Bull herringbone sack by Southwick today with white OCBD Hyde Park, BB V neck charcoal sweater, Bill’s khakis and Alden loafers. No tie today even though I visited the office.
Cheers,
Will
“Fellows”. More parody. Next stop, breathless paeans to Allen Edmonds seconds.
$150 for a quality tie isn’t “spendy” any more than, say, trying to return a perfect 80s Brooks tie to some eBay seller named “ivyincel64” (because said tie has a ketchup stain that couldn’t be traced back to Mory’s) is silly.
Good evening, Rake.
Will
so we’re still doing the purposely unbuttoned, button down collar thing. and now we’re adding ironic, purposely ugly skinny (women’s?) belts. it’s so damn tiresome. looking purposely sloppy and “vintage” – in formalwear no less – isn’t stylish. these contrivances don’t telegraph “effortless”. they scream “copycat and lazy”.
Brooks Bros ties are anywhere from $60-90 full price. J Press ties are around $80. If Grange ties are takes on those, why would anyone spend $150.00 for them? If Chase believes $150 (double Brooks/Press) is “approachable for many people”, what price point does he believe is unapproachable?
I have great admiration for entrepreneurs and wish Chase success with Grange. I do agree with others that $150 is a steep price for a tie when I can order a custom tie from David Hober for roughly half that price.
Hats off to Chase for creating his ties and I wish him success in this venture. It’s a hard time to start up a brand and I give him kudos for jumping into the fray.
@drew, what of the duffel coat six sizes too big trend? How do we feel about that? Asking for a friend.
Kudos to Makaga, who seems to get it.
I like the colors on the first tie. I find the styling on the model to be… not to my liking.
The ties appear to be well-made, but I have a tough time justifying $150 for a tie. Maybe I’m just cheap—or not the target audience.
Best of luck to Mr. Winfrey. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, and even if this venture fails, he will gain important experience that could lead to success.
It’s all about volume! If these guys start selling 10,000 ties per year the cost of manufacturing a single tie will drop and the retail price will follow. Business is very difficult if you can’t place large wholesale orders. J Press keeps their tie selection pretty tight and I’m sure places very large orders with their wholesalers. Best of luck guys.