A year or so back, a dry cleaner ruined my favorite necktie, a Frank Lloyd Wright tie I received as a gift that miraculously goes with ALL my clothes. (“Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers,” to be exact.) Somehow the cloth material inside the tie (under the printed silk) got bunched up or folded, so the tie is now floppy, uneven, and extra-thin toward the skinny end, where the thicker cloth twisted around and is separated from the silk. Am I describing this well enough for you to envision the problem?
Anyway, it is really hard to tie evenly and wear straight now, since it is no longer uniformly flat and wide. It has bothered me ever since, and I’d love to be able to get this tie fixed. I assume regular ironing won’t help (and I think I tried it a while back). I wouldn’t mind paying a bit to get it fixed by a tailor, but if it’s more than $15 or so, it hardly seems worth it. What can I do?
Yes, I understand what you’re talking about. Unless you’re a tailor or seamstress, I’m afraid there’s not much you can do about it. The materials need to be separated, the backing (thicker fabric) may need to be replaced, and the whole thing re-sewn. This assumes that the silk hasn’t been shrunken unevenly - neckties are cut on the bias (diagonal) of the fabric, so when they shrink, they tend to do it diagonally in one direction or the other of the fibers, not straight up or in. If the silk is shrunken or pulled oddly, it may be hopeless.
I can’t tell you how much it might cost, as I generally “misplace” my husband’s kinked ties into the garbage can when he’s not looking. (While I am a seamstress, it’s just not worth the bother to me to fix it.) But if it’s one you like, take it by a tailor and see what he says. He will give you a price up front, so you can choose whether or not it’s worth it.
Yeah, you’ll need a tailor to fix the interlining – I’ve tried everything to fix it and I’ve never been successful. And a tailor is half-likely not to put it back together just so. I’m gonna recommend tossing it and getting a replacement (a google search turned up many places to purchase FLR ties, but I don’t know which ones are properly licensed &ct.)
By the way, although it’s to late for this tie, when you iron a tie, don’t crease the sides. They should be a little rounded at the edge, like the lapel fold on a suit. Some recommend covering it with a pressing cloth (a tea towel) before ironing. Use a warm iron.