American rep ties vs. British regimental ties

by Matthew Longcore

This past weekend I attended the Brooks Brothers Brunch with Legends at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Weekend in Newport, Rhode Island. I wore a Brooks Brothers seersucker jacket with a pink Oxford cloth button down shirt, white duck pants, and a navy rep tie with pink stripes. The tie matched my custom-made grosgrain watch band from Preppy Straps.

Brooks Brothers No. 3 Rep Tie

A member of the Preppy Handbook Fan Club commented on an event photo stating: “Matthew, were you at Emma? That’s an Emmanuel College Cambridge rep tie. (I’m starting a Master’s there in September).”

I replied that the tie is actually from Brooks Brothers. I studied abroad at Oxford and went to Yale for a Master’s.

Brooks Brothers Brunch with Legends

Here is the history of the rep tie from Brooks Brothers:

“The classic Rep tie dates to the early 20th century when Britain donned their regimental ties with left-to-right stripes to represent heart to sword. They quickly caught on with the boarding school and social club set. And in 1902 we Americanized the style by switching the direction of the stripes in a nod to every-man democracy.”

American Rep Ties

Here is the No. 3 Rep Tie from Brooks Brothers compared with the Emmanuel Tennis Regimental Tie from Mountain & Sackett.

Brooks Brothers No. 3 Rep Tie vs. Mountain & Sackett Emmanuel Regimental Tie

The Brooks Brothers No. 3 Rep Tie was a favorite of Fred Astaire. He recalled, “I used to abide by the judgment of Brooks Brothers in New York.” Fred Astaire was fond of wearing the Brooks Brothers No. 3 Rep Tie as a belt.

21 Comments on "American rep ties vs. British regimental ties"

  1. whiskeydent | July 22, 2024 at 11:02 am |

    How do British fuddy-duddies view this?

  2. Either direction is fine. Really. If a stripe or emblem is ‘off’ even a nanometer (or less) vis a vis the original design/pattern, then it’s not identical, which means it doesn’t perfectly match the “authentically British” incarnation. Which means the wearer can’t be accused to being a pretender/charlatan. This affirms the time-tested wisdom of any/all who defend the wearing of stripes inspired by British clubs, schools, colleges, universities and regiments. It’s not only permissible (tolerable), it’s perfectly fine. A-okay. If anything, it’s a paying of homage — in case any among us encounter the accusatory “Are you an alum?”, “Are you a member?” , or “Did you serve…?”

    If you’re buying directly from Benson & Clegg or another British outpost that asserts (claims) the designs as absolutely accurate replicas/reproductions, this is another matter altogether.

  3. Michael Powell | July 22, 2024 at 1:01 pm |

    I love Repp/school/club/regimental (or whatever you want to call them) ties. I prefer two equal width stripes of colors which look good on a blue OCBD. All but one have the U.S. standard right to left pattern. I have one heart to sword tie (burgundy and cream – which I have learned are the “colours” of the King’s Royal Hussars).

  4. Hardbopper | July 22, 2024 at 1:59 pm |

    I very much enjoy looking at the British ties, but just as a personal practice, I wear the American stripes. Partly because I once lived fairly close to the Garland store out in the boondocks. Wore a No. 1 yesterday and an Old No. 2 this morning.

    Is the BB Sidewheeler something new? I like it.

    https://www.brooksbrothers.com/silk-rep-sidewheeler-striped-tie/MA03318.html?pid=MA03318&dwvar_MA03318_Color=NVYL

  5. Poison Ivy Leaguer | July 22, 2024 at 3:23 pm |

    Reis (or was it Ries?) of New Haven had a great collection of British regimental ties which were available at John Wanamaker’s London Shop, a department name not an actual location. I don’t recall whether the stripes were reversed.

  6. whiskeydent | July 22, 2024 at 4:28 pm |

    Does the Ministry of Silly Walks have a regimental tie?

  7. A useful post! As someone who is spending more and more time in England and Scotland, I have been avoiding bringing my rep ties to the UK to avoid any “stolen valor/association”.

  8. I wore a green, red and white repp tie from Brooks Brothers to a British wedding. I was in a morning suit and felt quite impressed with myself for knowing what a morning suit was, let alone already owning one. My self satisfaction came to a crashing end when the father of the groom asked me what club my tie was affiliated with, doing so with such a tacit eye-roll, showing his displeasure in my neckwear.

  9. Love a good rep tie!

  10. The often used “heart-to-sword” expression makes little sense, considering the sword is never worn on the right side…

    Glad to see new articles coming out more regularly and looking forward to all the fresh content from the new editor.

  11. My uni colours are essentially identical to those of a “Guards” tie. Worry not. I’ve found actual former guardsmen very Ok with it with only one buffoon (who never served in any unit, ever…of course) taking offence.

  12. I was in the Armed forces and I can honestly say most people who have served have absolutely zero against people wearing regimental ties. The only exception would be regimental events , dinners etc .. I for instance wear an RAF tie often (not my regiment or arm of the Forces) because I have been give it as gift from my father in law who was am RAF Wing Commander. Also relatives, sons and friends can wear regimental ties as sign of appreciation.

  13. The best (okay, well, my favorite) repp ties are narrow (2.75-3″), unlined, zero tipping — with visible stitching at the blade. J. Press has offered a few of these (Pennant line, best I recall). As one would expect, the PoloRL renderings are terrific. Perfect with/for the overall Ivy vibe — sporty, relaxed, natural shouldered.

  14. For what it’s worth here’s a British take on club/regimental/school ties.

    Firstly, there is some crossover in designs. My father’s regimental tie (REME) was the same as the school I attended. I would occasionally wear my tie but was sure to point out I didn’t serve on the rare occasion anyone asked.

    I would also remember the context for wearing a tie. For example, if you wear a regimental tie you’re not entitled to at an event where there are members of the regiment it would be considered disrespectful. For a visitor to the UK I would be mindful of this around Remembrance Sunday in particular.

    Again from the perspective of a visitor, there is no harm in wearing a tie that you might not be entitled to wear as long as that’s as far as you go. Seven years ago, whilst visiting a clothing store in the States, the salesman was wearing a club tie that I recognised. I asked him about it and he claimed that he joined the club whilst spending a year in the UK. To my knowledge there’s a 20 year waiting list so I would be surprised if his response was accurate.

    Most people I know over here are fairly relaxed about even wearing a tie – let alone a club tie.

  15. Charlottesville | July 23, 2024 at 11:17 am |

    Very nice ties. My tie stripes, with one exception, all run in the American direction, and most are from Brooks or J. Press. I have the pink and navy blue No. 3 in bow tie form, and half a dozen four-in-hands in various color combinations. The one in blue with white stripes is more or less my own school tie (W&L). Today’s number is a slight variation, also from Brooks circa early 80s, in Irish poplin with navy and gold bar stripes alternating on a red ground. Not the No. 3, but a nice tie nevertheless.

  16. During the early days of PoloRL, Ralph amended-and-edited stripes and tartans so as to retain modicums of British authenticity while avoiding (mere) replication. He did this with some of the better known tweed designs, as well, including glen checks and district (gun club) checks. I still own and wear an early (now 40 years old) PoloRL salute to the Fife & Forfar Yeomanry:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fife_and_Forfar_Yeomanry

  17. Tim Irvine | July 23, 2024 at 4:40 pm |

    I find life simpler if I limit my repp ties to the colors of institutions with which I have been affiliated, schools and the USN. As to a wider variety of color choices, I leave that to ancient madder and challis.

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  19. Again, at the risk of repetition, and this has been confirmed by the weavers of British silk repp (among other fabrics), if the design is ‘off’ (inaccurate) by even a nanometer, it may not (indeed, cannot) be deemed an exact replica. If a someone dares scold me for wearing a necktie that looks, from a distance and to the glancing eye, like the Royal Marines regiment(al), I’ll politely inform them that, when a certain Irish weaver paid homage to the stripe design in question, they intentionally widened a stripe and narrowed another. “So,” I’ll hasten to add, “it’s not really-and-actually a Royal Marines regiment necktie. No need for concern — or chastising.”

  20. It’s a tie. With stripes. People need to get over themselves.

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