When dressing for business, there is no tie as versatile as a grenadine tie. It will work with a navy, charcoal, or chalk stripe suit, as well as with a casual combo like jeans paired with an odd jacket, and anything in between.
Bond style
The solid colour of a grenadine tie makes it perfect for pairing with the most formal of suits, while its open weave makes for an appealing texture. That gives the whole ensemble a far more interesting appearance then your more traditional plain silk ties. This is one of the reasons why the always impeccably clad Sean Connery - in his role as 007 - used the grenadine tie as a staple accessory in various Bond movies. Opposite you find 007 wearing a 'garza grossa' grenadine tie in the first Bond movie Dr. No, released in 1962 (picture www.bondsuits.com).On the other side of the spectrum, grenadine's resemblance to a knitted tie gives the grenadine tie a very casual feel. Paired with an odd jacket it makes for a very relaxed, yet classy look.
Grenadine versus knitted
Speaking of knitted ties, there is a clear difference between the relatively casual knitted tie and a grenadine tie. Knitted ties are just that, knitted. They are usually straight tubes with a square bottom end. They are usually knitted flat, on a machine, typically between 8 and 12 ties in one go. After that they are made into tubes and shaped into ties overnight on a wooden mould. The best ones are finished like that by hand, and have the illustrious ‘cri de la soie’, the ‘cry of the silk’ when squeezed. It sounds a bit like the crunchy sound you get when walking on fresh snow.
Grenadine on the other hand is woven on special looms, dating back to the late 1800s. From this fabric ties are made in the same way as most other 'traditional' ties, so with folds, interlining and a triangular tip on the blade. All grenadine - or ‘Garza’ - is woven in Italy. The best quality is made in Como by two artisan silk weavers, Seteria Bianchi and Fermo Fossati.
Only the best
All our Amidé Hadelin grenadine ties are made from garza produced by Fermo Fossati.
They are the oldest silk mill in Italy – established in 1871 - and third oldest in Europe after the British companies Vanners and Walters & Sons Ltd. For our semi-sartorial Orange Label ties we use garza from Seteria Bianchi - established in 1907 - which has a slightly different look and feel to it, although the differences are very subtle. The pictures here are close-ups of Garza Fina (in tobacco brown) and Garza Grossa (in moss green) from Fermo Fossati. Our Italian artisan tie maker uses these fabrics to make our 3-fold untipped grenadine ties. Fully cut and stitched by hand (except for our Orange Label ties), these ties have hand rolled edges as a sign of craftsmanship, as well as pure elegance.
The result is a tie with a fabulous tie knot and dimple, and a beautiful drape. While the Garza Fina is a fine gauze weave, with a beautifully transparent texture, the Garza Grossa on the other hand is a bigger gauze weave. It is less transparent, but has a more striking pattern. Although both are great to use with business outfits, the Garza Fina looks slightly more formal because of that smaller and smoother pattern. It's fully up to you whether you go for the more formal look, or dress it down slightly, like a true Bond.
If you could buy just one..
Whichever garza you prefer, you can never go wrong with a grenadine tie in navy. The colour itself is so versatile that if you could afford to buy only one tie, this would be it: a navy grenadine tie. And why not let it be one of the best ones available, ours!
