A shantung tie has a texture you can see across a room. The slubs, the small ridges in the silk, read as considered rather than uniform. That is why shantung ties work as well at a wedding as they do at the office.
This is a short guide to what shantung silk is, how it wears, and how to pair it.
What Makes Shantung Silk Unique?
Shantung silk is a raw silk with visible ridges. The ridges, called slubs, come from small irregularities in the weave. The silk is crisp, light, and holds a clean drape, which is why it also shows up in tailored dresses and formal gowns.
On a tie, the slubs give the surface a visible texture. The irregularities come from the silkworm's cocoon during production, so every tie carries slightly different marks. Take a closer look at Aklasu's Navy Blue and Burgundy Block Striped Shantung Tie.
A Shantung Tie that Deserves a Place in Your Collection
A striped tie is a straightforward way to break up a run of solid ties in the rotation. There are striped ties, and then there is Aklasu's Navy Blue and Burgundy Block Striped Shantung Tie.
Navy and burgundy on a block stripe, in a shantung weave. A wool interlining gives the tie the body it needs to hold a clean knot and stay flat through the day.
The slubs distributed across the surface make every tie slightly different from the next. That is the nature of shantung, and part of what makes each tie its own.
If the shantung tie is going into your wardrobe, here is how to pair it.
Pairing the Striped Shantung Tie
Pair the striped shantung with a navy blue suit and a crisp dress shirt. A cutaway collar gives the shantung silk more room to sit forward. This is a considered pairing that does not need to be complicated.
A grey-striped suit with the block-striped shantung tie adds another layer of pattern to the outfit. Keep the suit stripe subtle and the pairing holds. You can also wear a striped shirt as long as the stripe is thin enough to read as texture rather than a competing pattern.
When layering stripes, two rules keep the outfit clean:
- Do not wear stripes running in the same direction across two elements.
- Do not repeat the same stripe width and spacing across two elements.
Whether you are heading into the office, walking into a wedding, or dressing up for a formal event, a shantung tie is a considered choice. Its origins are in the silk-weaving tradition of Como, and the texture makes it distinct in a rack of ties.
Get your hands on Aklasu's Navy Blue and Burgundy Block Striped Shantung Tie.
