Mountain & Sackett Neckwear (a rare product blast)

Well it's time for my lame, bi-monthly, one-off post on TBTYH and I've decided to switch it up a bit. I'm going to do a SartInc-style brand highlight for ya'll. I'm a pretty big fan of neckwear of all kinds. I wear a tie every Tuesday and sometimes on the weekend when I want to make all my friends think I'm a weirdo. I also nearly exclusively buy neckwear secondhand or new at severe discount. Hell, I've even made my own tie and have loose plans to make more. Anyway, if there was one company to turn me over to the dark side of buying new ties at retail prices, Mountain & Sackett would be the one.

I heard about Mountain & Sackett through The Art of Manliness a couple of years ago. They have done a few promo giveaways with AoM but otherwise have been largely overlooked by the cool-kid blogs. This is likely due to the fact that M&S seems fairly off the grid in terms of social media utilization. Granted, they do have a Facebook page but we all know that Twitter seems to be the most effective way for small companies to communicate directly with niche customers.

100% Handmade

Mountain & Sackett is a New York based company that has been around since 1957. Their ties are all handmade in New York from fabric from European mills and are sold direct from the factory. I wanted to bring them to your attention because they seem like a legitimate family business putting out a high quality product for a reasonable price (most of the ties are betwee $60 and $74 with the more expensive ones topping out at $105). They have an amazing selection of not only colors and patterns, but of sizes too. Most of the ties are a pretty classic 3.5" in width and 58" in length but for some styles you have the option of a slimmer or bolder width (2.75" and 3.75", respectively) and/or a longer length (62"). Being of above average height, I appreciate the 62" option.

If it wasn't enough to make a high quality, sharp-looking product in the States, the good folks at Mountain & Hackett have their hearts in the right place by producing a line of neckwear and accessories adorned with the puzzlepiece logo of Autistm Speaks, a charity dedicated to changing "the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders." Sixty percent of sales of these pieces go to the charity.

Anyway, let's hit some highlights:

REGIMENTAL STRIPE

Stylistically, the regimental stripe seem to be M&S's bread and butter. With 22 different variations, you're bound to find something you like. Made of English silk, these ties come in the standard 3.5" width and the standard 58" length. M&S also claims that these are the "World's Only 100% Handmade Regimental Tie(s)". Believe that claim or not, handmaking a tie is a real craft. It is a time-consuming and tedious procedure that should not be taken for granted in the eyes of quality.

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KNIT

If a traditionally stripped regimental tie is not your thing, maybe you want to stunt like Kanye at New York Fashion Week (I thought every week Fashion Week?) and you don't want to go as bold as J.Press would like you to. Mountain & Sackett have quite an array of silk ($60) and wool ($74) knit ties at a 2.5" width, as compared to the 3" J.Press numbers. Also, it is worth noting that these are NOT handmade in the US, rather in Italy.

CASHMERE

Or maybe you'd care to get crazy-luxe-Italian and opt for a fine cashmere tie. A bit more pricey at $105, this ultra-soft tie is cut from fabric from Lanificio Cesare Gatti, a leading Italian textile manufacturer specializing in wool and cashmere. These ties only come in 3.5" widths and both standard and long lengths.

PAISLEY 

You know paisley stuff is gonna be the next it thing, right? Mark my words. These are pretty beautiful, traditional 3.5" width, regular and long lengths. Not much else to say.

PLAID

You can't go wrong with a wool tartan tie in the fall and winter. There are several patterns to choose from, some actual Scottish family tartans (any MacDonalds, Sinclairs, Stewarts, Thompsons, or Kerrs around here?) which is cool, as well as a few glenplaids. The black/white glenplaid pictured below is definitely my favorite tie offered by M&S and the one I'm currently talking myself into buying. This particular tie can be cut into any of the widths or lengths previously mentioned so you can customize to your heart's content.