Ascots are Back

When’s the last time you watched a man on television wearing an Ascot with his suit? You probably haven’t thought about it, but odds are you saw that just recently, most likely on an awards show, on a talk show, or perhaps a commentator during a sports game. Until now, perhaps, you may not have realized that what was missing from your own wardrobe was a fancy Ascot.

These Ascots are not there to replace the necktie but to give you a different look from the same old bland tie you find yourself wearing. They hearken back to a time when men wanted to look like royalty. So, while neckties might’ve done well to add pattern and color to your outfit consider putting on a classy Ascot. A Burgundy & Navy Vintage Ascot will go great with a dark suit or sport coat. This handmade Ascot will certainly draw attention and is a great conversation piece. This is just another part of any man’s wardrobe arsenal that is vital to keeping his formal look fresh, inviting, and professional to go with his collection of neckties, cufflinks, belts and suspenders.

The Ascot is the Hottest Trend Right Now!

The Ascot has become one of the hottest trends among the Hollywood crowd. “At the forefront of the ascot movement are the Jonas Brothers, the red-hot teen band. The raven-haired heartthrobs rock them regularly” (Kevin Cowan).

Also seen sporting this hot look was David Beckham at a recent black tie event, and of course we can not forget Hugh Hefner the only man who can make an Ascot and Pajamas look cool.

New Line of Dot Ascots and Solid Ascots

Buyyourties.com a leading online supplier of Men's Neckties, Bowties and Ascots has just received their new line of Solid Ascots and Dot Ascots.

These Dot Ascots and Solid Ascots are printed on a very lightweight Silk therefore making them very comfortable when worn against the skin.

The Ascots are very competeively priced at $26.95 and are individually packed in a plastic sleeve.

The Solid Ascots include all the basic colors as well as a few fashion colors for the Fall Season namely, Chocolate Brown, Purple , Raspberry and Navy Ascots to name but a few.

The same applies to the Dot Ascots where we have used the basic colors ie: raspberry with white dots - black with white dots - navy with white dots.

We have also switched things around and have included color combinations such as Yellow with Black Dots - Purple with White Dots - Red with Navy Dots as well as a Formal White with Red Dots, Navy Dots and Black Dots.

Silk Tie Printing Process

This article shows the steps involved in printing a piece of raw silk better known as a Greige Good ( See below for definition. ). This needs to be done before a single tie can be made.

The Manufacturing of a necktie is not as simple a process as one thinks. During a trip to China I took a few pictures not of the actual making of the tie but of just of the process of printing a piece of raw silk. I have written a short explanation next to each image.

This is part of the Printing process where a design is printed on raw silk using a series of screens. Each color requires a new screen. This is a very dirty and tedious process. To help with the drying of the ink the temperatures in these printing factories are extremely hot. Roughly about 100+ degrees Fahrenheit.

In this picture is where the dyes which you see in the red containers on the left are put onto a piece of silk to get the color match correct according to the customers color requirements. Workers will lay pieces of raw silk on the table and test different colors to get the right mix for each screen. On the bottom right you will see a few more screens for the particular design resting against the table. Each screen is for a different color. The average printed pattern has about 7-9 colors.

Once the colors are all tested and corrected it's off to the printing table. Raw silk fabric is laid on tables each table being 100ft long. The screen is then laid on the silk and the ink is poured on and spread evenly on the screen. ( Hence the term screen printing. ) The screen is then lifted and moved to the adjacent piece and the process is repeated until the entire length is complete. This process is repeated with each screen which adds another color to the silk until all the colors have been added.

Once the silk has been printed and is completely dry the silk goes to the washing plant where it goes through a washing process to remove all enzymes and particles left on the raw silk. From this image you can see that this is not just a big washing machine but a carefully built washing plant. The silk is fed in on rollers so it is kept flat and straight throughout the washing process.

Once through washing its off to be dried.

Once washed the printed silk goes through a series of dryers on rollers and comes out the other side ready to be sent to the factory where it is made into a necktie, bow tie, Ascot or for that matter any garment that uses a printed silk.

From the above one can see that the simple tie that one wears has gone through transformation from the silkworm it came from to be that elegant tie, or bowtie that you see on BuyYourTies.com.

Definition of Greige Good as referenced above

Textiles that have not received any bleaching, dyeing or finishing treatment after being produced by a textile process (pronounced gray).

Woman wearing Ascots - What's up with that?

Questions?

1) What’s up with the Ascot nowadays?

2) Was BuyYourTies.com ahead of the fashion trend with Ascots online?

Answers

1) The Ascot has made its way across from Europe. Once worn by the older gentleman, celebrities are embracing the Ascot as I have mentioned in previous blogs.

Yes! including woman. It has also crossed gender lines and can now be seen by stylish female icons such as Gwen Stefani. It seems that ascots might the hottest new fashion trend!

2) We are not trendsetters. We don't pretend to know whats good or whats bad. As with Neckties and Bowties the patterns we use for Ascots are simply whats available to us from our suppliers and we choose what we think will sell. Sometimes we take risks that work and more than often than not we get burned.

We started selling Ascots about 5 months ago starting with a few designs and colors. We now carry over 40 different Patterns of Ascots. We also have Solid Ascots in stock.

Ascots

A brief history of the Ascot.

An ascot tie, or ascot, is a narrow neckband with wide pointed wings. This wide, formal tie is usually traditional in design, folded over, and fastened with a stickpin or tie tack.

Ascots are usually made from a lightweight silk as they are worn against the skin and are more comfortable.

The ascot is descended from the earlier type of cravat widespread in the early nineteenth century, made of heavily starched linen and elaborately tied around the neck. Later in the 1880s, amongst the upper-middle-class in Europe men began to wear a more loosely tied version for formal daytime events.
It remains a feature for weddings today.
The Royal Ascot race meeting at the Ascot Racecourse, gave the ascot its name.
The ascot was still commonly worn for business with morning dress in the late 19th and very early 20th centuries.

Most people think of aristocratic old men when they hear the word Ascot. While more mature fashion plates may still don ascots, young bloods have pumped up the presence of the more-than-century-old piece.

Ascots are now being worn by the younger generation. Some celebrities wearing Ascots include: Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, Michael Johns a former American idol contestant, Ashton Kutcher and soccer star David Beckham