Black Tie Event

Black for Accessories

Our friends at Black are experts in accessories. Since 2006, Black has been on a mission to source the best materials and manufacturers of those essential finishing touches that complete an outfit, and in doing so Black is keen to help preserve 'unique skills passed down from generation to generation; skills which risk being lost in a world of mass production and cheap merchandise'.

As a consequence Black is able to offer you pocket squares and driving gloves from Italy, cashmere ties from Scotland and fur-felt Fedora hats from England. (Whisper: they have some excellent classic crochet-backed driving gloves going for a song right now.)

Sober and Elegant

I was looking for a knitted tie in black to bring some gravitas and self-restraint to my wardrobe. A black tie can be serious. It's also very useful if a friend dies and you need to attend a funeral. But it doesn't have to look too serious or like you are about to cascade white lilies on to a loved one's coffin. If it is knitted or you are not wearing it with a very dark suit, a black accessory can add a nicely sober and elegant touch. And who better to supply a black tie than Black?

I know black and I haven't got on so well in the past, but I wanted to bring in a black knitted tie to incorporate with navy cashmere woollens, grey jackets, pink shirts — colours that can tame black — and also the corn-coloured hopsack jacket from Maurice Sedwell that makes the occasional appearance (as with the origami wallet piece), and is hard to combine.

The Black Knitted Cashmere Tie, made in Scotland, arrived nicely packaged. It was good to see that it came in a protective cotton pouch. Knitted ties can easily be caught and pluck if not stored safely. And the pouch has room for a couple more, which makes it useful when travelling too.

The tie has a tube construction to hold the shape and is very solid, which means years of service. The narrowed neck section is backed with satin.   

As you can see from the photo below, the black tie brings harmony to the ensemble — like the U.N. of accessories.