Marinella's Ten Tie Commandments

Marinella’s Ten Tie Commandments

On the eve of the first World War, in 1914, Eugenio Marinella opened a shop in Piazza Vittoria, on the Riviera di Chiaia in Naples, Italy. As reported by taste-arbiter Matilde Serao, in her column for Ape, Mosconi e Vespe, the first customers were presented with violets and Floris Cologne. Don Marinella wanted to make his store more than just about clothing, however; it was to be a place to meet people and enjoy oneself. The decor was made comfortable, elegant, and other-worldly, and he took great care in considering every detail. Even the doorframes were imported from England. As a result, people such as Prince Emanuele Filiberto, 2nd Duke of Aosta, would spend entire afternoons there, and it wasn’t long before Marinella became popular with equestrian folk, the aristocracy, and well-to-do foreigners.

Marinella’s real take off, however, came in the 1980s, when Italy’s President and friend of the family, Francesco Cossiga, began to bring in gift to other heads of state, a box of five Marinela ties. Through this implicit “ambassadorship,” Marinella became quite an international brand.

The ties themselves are exquisite and uniformly nice in their designs. Perhaps that’s because Marinella doesn’t take any risks. Most companies have a range of designs from conservative to creative, and in doing so, they can occasionally churn out some clunkers. Marinella’s, on the other hand, are all very conservative and only Macclesfield silks with small, restrained patterns are used. The interlinings are light, and the ties are cut in the Italian “bottle” shape, which differs from the straight-sided, triangular cut that English makers such as Drake’s use. You can see the effect of the cut and patterns in the pictures below, most of which come from Marinella’s Japanese site. The last two, however, are taken by me at a boutique I once visited.

As in politics, being conservatively minded means you believe in rigid rule systems. Eugenio Marinella once advised that men should “never wear a sky blue shirt in the evening and never a red, impudent tie.” Below are ten other dictums he once gave. Some of his rules are controversial, and you probably won’t agree with all of them, but at least they add something more interesting than today’s orthodoxy. Take what you like, and leave the rest behind.

The Decalogue

1. As in all the things, a tie is a matter of size: the correct one stays between 8.5 and 9.5 centimeters at the widest point.

2. It’s important not to tighten the knot too much, otherwise you’ll look “hung.” Also, always untie it in the evening and hang it up during the night.

3. Use the correct material: silk jacquard for regimentals; lighter silk model foulard for printed cloths; pattern for ties with an elegant tone; striped wool or Scottish patterns for winter sporting clothing.

4. Have a tie for every occasion. In the morning, choose a lightly coloured, patterned tie. In the evening, opt for a darker one.

5. Don’t take advice and don’t remit your tie choice to anyone. The only rule is to follow your instinct. Choosing the tie has to be an irrational act.

6. At the same time, your instinct has to follow a certain logic too. Absolutely avoid ties that are too wide and have showy or centralized patterns. Also avoid ties that are too pale and anonymous. Remember that the tie reveals your personality.

7. Choose ties in definite colours, have small patterns (pois, lozenges, little squares, rhombus, small cashmere prints), or stripes with two or three colours at the most.

8. The colours of a tie must stand out against the suit and shirt, but not clash. It must also be darker than the shirt and more intense than the jacket. With serious clothing, a tie is often the only place for color, but don’t go to far with this! Avoid pea green, canary yellow, fire red, and sugared almond pink. Choose darker colours (but not anonymous ones) such bordeaux, dark blue, hunter green, and dark brown.

9. Coordinating your tie with your shirt a mine-field where only good taste can guide you. Some basic tips, however: avoid pairing a thick patterned tie with a checkered shirt, or combining a regimental tie with a striped shirt and striped jacket.

10. Never coordinate your tie and pocket square. It is a useless, anachronistic affectation. Always avoid having a too cared and affected comprehensive look; opt for relaxed elegance.