# First grenadine tie - which color?



## Trad-ish (Feb 19, 2011)

I've been eyeing Chipp's Grenadine ties and think I'm going to pull the trigger. Any suggestions on which color to get first? 

I rarely wear a suit, so I don't think black to start with. 99.5% of the time, I'm wearing a blazer or sportcoat. Maybe red or wine? Then maybe blue?


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## CSG (Nov 22, 2011)

Burgundy, red, blue, or yellow depending on the shirt and jacket combo. I'm a repp/regimental and foulard guy so the solid ties haven't captured me yet.


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## Ensiferous (Mar 5, 2012)

I wear the grenadine more with suits, but will happily pair it with the right sport jacket. 

Navy grenadine + gray suit.

Burgundy grenadine + navy suit.

Get them both!


I do like the black grenadine.

Billax masterfully wears the gold grenadine tie. I have one too, and wear it on occasion; usually with a DB navy blazer.


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## doomx (Sep 19, 2015)

Wine or dark green. They both go great with navy, gray or brown jacket/suit. This is in contrast to navy grenadine that may not work well with a navy suit. I recently got a green one from chipp (custom AAAC order at 3.5 inch wide) and it looks fantastic.


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

Thank you! Been wrestling with this myself. Not happy with the Navy silk tie I've been wearing with my navy 3-piece and small gingham check blue shirt. Thinking grenadine and undecided on color.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

Navy and a really dark burgundy.


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

Been on my mind too after CSharp's great IvyStyle piece
https://www.ivy-style.com/common-bond-007-and-the-grenadine-tie.html


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## adept (Jun 9, 2015)

I would really like an orange grenadine, may still get one before the season passes...


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## Tempest (Aug 16, 2012)

Hello, is this thing on?

Green.


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## Charles Dana (Nov 20, 2006)

Trad-ish said:


> I've been eyeing Chipp's Grenadine ties....Any suggestions on which color to get first?
> 
> I rarely wear a suit... 99.5% of the time, I'm wearing a blazer or sportcoat.
> 
> ...


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## inq89 (Dec 3, 2008)

Funny enough I recently purchased my 1st...then 2nd, 3rd,...and so on... grenadine tie myself. I will submit to popular groupthink and say a classic Navy should be the go-to starter. Followed by Burgundy, Sky Blue, Forest Green, Chocolate.

Of course its hard to stop after 5 grenadines but IMO its a versatile burgeoning collection. And yet another tradly obsession for me to keep adding! 

Dont think I can own a solid tie that isnt grenadine. The texture and weave adds a luxurious tangibility that a plain silk tie does not provide. Great officewear.


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## PapaD (Nov 15, 2015)

It seems every time I look for a burgundy/wine grenadine at Chipp it's out of stock. Do I need to just keep looking?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

PapaD said:


> It seems every time I look for a burgundy/wine grenadine at Chipp it's out of stock. Do I need to just keep looking?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have been all too fond of Kent Wang ps. Will probably dip my toe in the grenadine pool there: https://www.kentwang.com/ties?cat=51


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

My wine grenadine tie is far and away the tie I wear most often. It works great with just about everything. My navy is in pretty heavy rotation too but nowhere near as frequent as the wine.


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## adept (Jun 9, 2015)

Semper Jeep said:


> My wine grenadine tie is far and away the tie I wear most often.


I love that color and need to get one!


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

A black grenadine is an interesting thing. It can be treated a little like a black knit, but it carries more formality. There's a reason that James Bond (Sean Connery's era) often wore a black grenadine tie.

Thus, while I echo everyone else's opinions, don't rule out black.


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## johnmann (Nov 18, 2015)

I have navy and burgundy grenadines. The Navy is a Chipp. It's a tough choice. The navy is more versatile insofar as it's never inappropriate anywhere anytime including funerals. But the burgundy looks nicer in the slightly more limited occasions they're appropriate.


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## ROI (Aug 1, 2004)

I find the most useful color is yellow.


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

Due to this thread, I wore a nice, regular burgundy tie and ps with my navy suit the other day. Fantastic! Hadn't thought of that.

Would you still recommend burgundy over navy? Would navy be appropriate with a navy suit with a striped, herringbone pattern?

Since I am thinking navy is too close a match, and I have a nice burgundy, green might be a good, first grenadine. That color is decidedly lacking in my tie collection, but that might be for good reason.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

LordSmoke said:


> Due to this thread, I wore a nice, regular burgundy tie and ps with my navy suit the other day. Fantastic! Hadn't thought of that.
> 
> Would you still recommend burgundy over navy? Would navy be appropriate with a navy suit with a striped, herringbone pattern?
> 
> Since I am thinking navy is too close a match, and I have a nice burgundy, green might be a good, first grenadine. That color is decidedly lacking in my tie collection, but that might be for good reason.


Burgundy is certainly safer.

I expect to be in a minority, but navy ties do work with navy suits. There is a wonderful understated elegance to this look, especially in the evening. (Matt S wrote an excellent piece about it here: https://thesuitsofjamesbond.com/all-blue/ .)

It is eclipsed in elegance by this grenadine - it is as dark as the picture suggests and pairs well with a navy / midnight blue and a white shirt for the evenings (some may disagree, but grenadines, especially in fina, work well; I've never been keen on satin, although purists would probably argue that was the proper 'formal' tie for evenings which do not call for a dinner jacket).

https://www.samhober.com/grenadine-fina-solid-ties/dark-purple-black-grenadine-fina-silk-tie-35.html

I would personally steer clear of green - I had a green grenadine once, but disliked it and it found a home on the secondary market.

B.


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

Balfour said:


> Burgundy is certainly safer.
> 
> I expect to be in a minority, but navy ties do work with navy suits. There is a wonderful understated elegance to this look, especially in the evening. (Matt S wrote an excellent piece about it here: https://thesuitsofjamesbond.com/all-blue/ .)
> 
> ...


Thoughtful post. Maybe I will hold off on green. Did you have any thoughts on the different weaves at Hober?


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

AldenPyle said:


> Thoughtful post. Maybe I will hold off on green. Did you have any thoughts on the different weaves at Hober?


Thank you. I love David Hober's grenadines and reach for them very (i.e. too) often. Indeed, I cannot recommend Sam Hober highly enough.

Grossa and Prometeo are the chunkier weaves. Look great, but definitely noticeable close up as something that is 'not a normal tie' (to the uninitiated). More likely to snag.

Fina and Piccola are finer. There's not much between them to be honest. They have a texture that I find very appealing, but it is much more understated (i.e. someone may think it looks good without noting that the tie is doing part of the work).

I use grenadines when others would reach for satin (e.g. my funeral tie is a black fina).


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

This is also worth reading: 

You don't need to go beyond four-fold.

Grenadine knots fairly largely. If you want a smaller knot (as is my preference; 4-in-hand always), then David can accommodate this.


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

Thanks!


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## adept (Jun 9, 2015)

Interesting...



ROI said:


> I find the most useful color is yellow.


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## adept (Jun 9, 2015)

Completely understandable. However, I appreciate a rig that succeeds in incorporating a green tie. Takes the right accessories, creativity, but when done right it is very unique. Now, if the concept just doesn't appeal to you, then it won't make any difference.



> I would personally steer clear of green - I had a green grenadine once, but disliked it and it found a home on the secondary market.


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

adept said:


> Completely understandable. However, I appreciate a rig that succeeds in incorporating a green tie. Takes the right accessories, creativity, but when done right it is very unique. Now, if the concept just doesn't appeal to you, then it won't make any difference.


What do you like it with? I personally don't think it works well with grey suits and with navy it's a bit blah. What accessories did you have in mind?

The problem with grenadine of course is that we are normally talking about solid green (albeit there are patterned grenadines). I agree that a green patterned tie (as an accent colour in an ancient madder, for example) can work extremely well.


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## SlideGuitarist (Apr 23, 2013)

I did get the forest green, and I love it. As it happens, I simply _like_ the play of dark blue and green. I don't like green on gray, but I'm certainly not going to rule against anyone else's color sense. As for your first grenadine, why not the blue, which is lighter than navy, lighter than royal blue (so says Mr. Winston)? If you wear ties, wine, navy, and black seem very obviously useful. These ties seem elegant to me, and I don't think I'd wear them with tweed (texture mismatch), whereas I would wear knit ties there.


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

Do tell us more, if there is more to tell. Hober was my first stop when I became interested in grenadine, but had my mind blown by the various types. I susequently gravitated towards vendors that just said "grenadine", thinking theirs must somehow be a default weave.



Balfour said:


> Thank you. I love David Hober's grenadines and reach for them very (i.e. too) often. Indeed, I cannot recommend Sam Hober highly enough.
> 
> Grossa and Prometeo are the chunkier weaves. Look great, but definitely noticeable close up as something that is 'not a normal tie' (to the uninitiated). More likely to snag.
> 
> ...


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

And are there situations/styles for which grenadine is inappropriate/undesirable?


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

Grenadine is woven in, I think, only two Italian mills (in different weaves), so those who sell grenadine ties get the silk from a limited number of places.

Sam Hober offer exceptional value (cf Drakes: https://www.drakes.com/grenadine-ties). I understand Chipp does as well, but I have not tried their ties.

With Hober come all the joys of bespoke. In addition to having a length that works perfectly, I can have precise measurements for width, knot size, etc. All the things that OCD bespoke people enjoy. The construction quality is extremely high; the range of colours is exceptionally impressive.

David is an absolute pleasure to deal with; nothing is too much trouble.

Contrary to some people's impressions, grenadine is more towards the formal end of the spectrum. It is very versatile for a range of suits and blazers. It can provide pleasing textural contrast with a worsted suit and a complimentary texture with a flannel. (I play around a lot more with texture than colours. The different looks that a navy tie in grenadine grossa, grenadine fina, oxford, ancient madder, wool and linen can produce is significant.)

I overuse grenadine. For truly smart occasions most would recommend a shiny satin, but I am quite comfortable with a grenadine fina there.

I wouldn't wear grenadine with many (if any) odd jackets other than a blazer. Nor with country suits. Certainly not tweeds. If I were wearing a plain Summer odd jacket, I would probably wear a linen tie in preference to grenadine although I would concede it might work with a cream fresco suit.


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

Any thoughts on whether the Grossa are more or less formal than the Fina? Would any of them work with an odd jacket?


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

I wouldn't say grossa was less formal, just slightly more noticeable (but not in a showy way). For myself, the only odd jacket I wear grenadine with is a blazer.


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## LordSmoke (Dec 25, 2012)

Balfour, 
Wow, glad I asked. Thanks. I don't have a grenadine, so I was actually thinking about getting one to pair with my Mears tweed jacket. I thought it would be sort of knit looking. 
Guess I will have to check around in local stores, and if I order online just send pics and ask Hober, Wang, Chipp what to recommend something for the intended use.


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## kev'n (Nov 8, 2016)

Just purchased my first 2 Grenadines from Mr. Winston after a lengthy back and forth for a few weeks.

#1Blue and #1Navy/Wine combination which are both superb. Looking to pair them w/ either a suit, odd jacket and trouser, or sportcoat and slacks.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

kev'n said:


> Looking to pair them w/...... odd jacket and trouser, or sportcoat and slacks.


Congrats. What is the difference between the two combos above?


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## katch (Jun 11, 2012)

kev'n said:


> Just purchased my first 2 Grenadines from Mr. Winston after a lengthy back and forth for a few weeks.
> 
> #1Blue and #1Navy/Wine combination which are both superb. Looking to pair them w/ either a suit, odd jacket and trouser, or sportcoat and slacks.


I have a number of Grenadines from Chipp. Great ties. Enjoy.


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## Dr. Pain (Apr 8, 2017)

katch said:


> I have a number of Grenadines from Chipp. Great ties. Enjoy.


Also the 4 in hand is the best knot for grenadine?


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## kev'n (Nov 8, 2016)

FLMike said:


> Congrats. What is the difference between the two combos above?


Hoping I've understood the question correctly what I've learned is the following from the patriarch of our family:

Blazers are a suit jacket w/embossed metal buttons (mine buttons are of the Family Crest from a relative), SportsCoats are synonymous with/ a sport (via skeet, horseback riding, etc.) and an Odd jacket would be considered a suit jacket that doesn't have a set of trousers to match.

Cheers


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## kev'n (Nov 8, 2016)

katch said:


> I have a number of Grenadines from Chipp. Great ties. Enjoy.


Thanks


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## kev'n (Nov 8, 2016)

Dr. Pain said:


> Also the 4 in hand is the best knot for grenadine?


Thanks for the advice I'll put it to good use.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

kev'n said:


> Hoping I've understood the question correctly what I've learned is the following from the patriarch of our family:
> 
> Blazers are a suit jacket w/embossed metal buttons (mine buttons are of the Family Crest from a relative), SportsCoats are synonymous with/ a sport (via skeet, horseback riding, etc.) and an Odd jacket would be considered a suit jacket that doesn't have a set of trousers to match.
> 
> Cheers


Interesting. I've never heard the term odd jacket used to describe an orphaned suit jacket. I think of both blazers and sport coats as being odd jackets. I could be wrong, though.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

Bought a purple grenadine from Paul Winston to wear with a hairline purple spread collar shirt from BB with a BB 1818 gray stripe suit. Have not worn them yet, but as fall comes on I expect to do so.


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## kev'n (Nov 8, 2016)

FLMike said:


> Interesting. I've never heard the term odd jacket used to describe an orphaned suit jacket. I think of both blazers and sport coats as being odd jackets. I could be wrong, though.


...again this coming from one that has many moons of wisdom w/ combined family authority is more than I choose to question however, your description of ophaned suit jacket is rather charming.

I'll pass it on to my tribe.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

FLMike said:


> Interesting. I've never heard the term odd jacket used to describe an orphaned suit jacket. I think of both blazers and sport coats as being odd jackets. I could be wrong, though.


An orphan suit jacket is not an odd jacket. It's an odd choice.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

fishertw said:


> Bought a purple grenadine from Paul Winston to wear with a hairline purple spread collar shirt .


That sounds like a lotta purple. Would like to see a pic when you do that. I need to be proven wrong because I have a few purplely things which I'm scared to wear and you're in the running to become my role model.

(I don't consider lavender and purple to be the same thing, do you? I can handle lavender. Sort of.)
.
.


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## fishertw (Jan 27, 2006)

Peak and Pine said:


> That sounds like a lotta purple. Would like to see a pic when you do that. I need to be proven wrong because I have a few purplely things which I'm scared to wear and you're in the running to become my role model.
> 
> (I don't consider lavender and purple to be the same thing, do you? I can handle lavender. Sort of.)
> .
> .


The purple hairline is actually more of a lavender I suppose but pairs well with the purple in the grenadine tie. It's a very narrow lavender and white hairline.
Since I have not worn it yet I can't absolutely attest to it working but hope it will.


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