Ask
your own question here.
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What's
a four-in-hand?
A four-in-hand is a necktie. It’s also
a type of knot for tying a necktie. And it’s
also a type of horse-drawn carriage. Here’s
the derivation:
The first four-in-hand was a four-horse carriage,
rigged in such a way that it could be driven
by a single driver. (This was a big deal, because
before the four-in-hand carriage came along,
you needed two drivers to handle four horses.
In fact, with a four-in-hand, the solo driver
could handle all four horses by holding all
the reins in one hand, thus the name four-in-hand.)
Okay, so how do we get from carriages to neckties?
Apparently aristocratic Englishmen raced around
town in these new four-in-hand carriages. And
it was these same gentlemen who were embracing
a brand new style of necktie. Unlike the cravats
of previous eras (think elaborate floppy bowties),
these new neckties were long and relatively
simple, making them faster and easier to tie.
And since this new tie didn't have a name of
its own, they just started calling it the four-in-hand,
presumably inspired by the name of the new speedy
carriage.
Now the derivation of the four-in-hand knot
is a lot more obvious. It's just the simplest,
most popular, arguably most elegant, and very
probably the first knot invented for the new
four-in-hand necktie (which, as you now know,
is a redundant phrase).
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| How
long are your ties? How wide?
Our ties are approximately 57-58 inches long
(on the long side of normal) and about 3 3/4
inches wide
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| Do
you make extra-long ties?
Yes, for an $8 surcharge we'll custom make an
extra long tie for you. Standard extra long
is 62 inches, but since we're making it specifically
for you, we'll make it any length you specify.
If you'd like an XL made for you, please email
us or call us toll-free at 888-434-8437 to make
arrangements.
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How
long should your tie hang?
Although many will advise you to have the tip
of your tie hit the top of your belt, we think
that’s a little too short. We feel strongly
that the widest part of the tie should be in
line with your belt. That way there’s
no shirt showing on either side of the point.
The basic guideline is that a little too long
is better than a little too short (just like
shirt sleeves).
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How
do you tie a bowtie?
It’s easy once you know how to do it,
but rather difficult until you get the hang
of it. But what might be even harder is to effectively
illustrate the steps of tying a bowtie. To date,
we haven’t seen a good illustration of
the process, nor have we been able to draw one
ourselves (the last step is what makes it so
tricky). So for now, I guess we’re not
much help; you’ll simply need to find
a friend who can help you. But if you’re
in the neighborhood, stop by and we’ll
be that friend.
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Do
you make pre-tied bowties?
Yes. The bowties in our cummerbund sets come
with special hooks on the necks that allow us
to pre-tie them for you and simply unhook them
in the back. But be assured that it’s
still a real bowtie that’ll look appropriately
imperfect and can be untied for that Tom Jones
look. If you want your cummerbund bow to be
pre-tied, you can select this option while shopping.
Our regular bowties (meaning not part of a formal
set) do not have this hook and need to be tied
every time the old-fashioned way.
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Which
tie knot do you recommend?
We recommend the Four-in-Hand
knot for its elegance and simplicity.
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| Do
you gift-wrap?
Not per se, but we do have a custom-made black
gift box that makes a very nice presentation.
We roll our ties and include a care booklet
in each box. Unlike typical tie boxes, our boxes
are shaped like cubes, so not only do they initially
fake people out, but they also do a very nice
job holding coins, collar stays and cufflinks
on dressers throughout America and the world.
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| Can
I include a personalized message?
Absolutely, in fact we hand-write your message
on a custom-made gift card. You’ll see
a box for your message during the checkout process.
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| How
do you ship? How long does it take?
Regular domestic shipments go out UPS Ground
and take up to 7 days to deliver. Overnight
and 2-day options are also available at checkout.
International shipments are sent UPS Standard,
and take a week or two. For more information,
see Shipping.
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| Can
I get something shipped overnight?
Absolutely. Just select one of the two overnight
shipping options during checkout. For more information,
see Shipping.
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| Can
I ship to an address that’s different
from mine? Can I ship to multiple addresses?
Yes and yes. It’ll all be clear when you
start shopping.
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| Do
you ship outside the U.S.?
Yes. International shipments are sent UPS Standard,
and cost $13 to Canada and Mexico, and $19 to
the rest of the world. For more information,
see Shipping.
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| What's
the difference between woven and printed silk?
In a word: texture. The colors and motifs you
see in woven silk come from actual threads of
silk; the designs are woven directly into the
silk as the fabric is born on a jacquard loom.
With printed silk, the design is applied to
smooth silk using silk-screens and inks. Prints
make fine ties, and can have more colors than
wovens, but we think you'll appreciate the texture
and beautifully intricate construction of woven
silk.
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| Why
do woven ties sometimes snag?
It’s just the nature of the beautiful
beast. Woven silk is more likely to snag than
printed silk because with woven silk, every
color is made up of its own thread, and exposed
threads are what snag. With printed silks, dyes
are applied to a much smoother piece of silk.
But what you gain in durability, you lose in
intricacy and texture.
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| How
do I fix a snag?
We recommend taking a very small, very good
pair of scissors and very carefully cutting
off the frayed threads (don’t worry, the
whole tie won’t unravel).
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| Can
I dry clean my tie?
Yes, but only as a last resort. Dry cleaning
your tie at the neighborhood cleaner usually
ends in disappointment, mostly because they
tend to over-press ties. Your chances of satisfactory
results are increased if you take it to the
cleaner in your area with the best reputation
(and often the highest prices). You may also
want to consider an outfit in New York called
Tiecrafters. They specialize in cleaning ties
and can be reached at 212 629 5800. Ask for
Andy and tell him we sent you.
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| What’s
the best way to take care of my ties?
The best thing you can do for your tie is to
actually untie it when you take it off. Don’t
just grab the knot and slide it down the small
end, but really untie it by doing the steps
in reverse. We also recommend rolling the tie
and letting it sit overnight (or longer) to
reduce wrinkles and maintain its shape.
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| What’s
the best way to store my ties?
Probably the best way to store your tie is rolled,
but that takes up a lot of space. Hanging is
fine too, and takes up much less room.
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| What’s
with the “Remove Before Sex” message?
Do all your ties have it?
It’s funny, and yes, all of the ties we
make now have that message hidden up in the
tipping. The ties we made in our first year
or two had a different tipping with no such
message, so if you have one of our early ties
you won’t get the joke.
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| Can
you create custom-made designs for companies,
organizations or clubs?
Yes we do. The minimum for a custom design is
100 ties. For more information, check out Custom
Designs.
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| What
if I'm not happy with my purchase?
We want you to be ecstatic with your Lee Allison
purchase. So if you're not, we want to make
it right. See Returns
for more information, or just read the next
FAQ.
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| How
do I return something?
Simply send us back the item with a note explaining
what you'd like to have happen (e.g. an exchange
for something else, or a refund) and we'll take
care of it. Our address is The Lee Allison Company,
1820 W. Webster Ave. #401, Chicago, IL 60614-2927.
We do not pay for return shipping, but if that
really bugs you, let us know and we'll do it.
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How
do I know the colors on my computer screen are
accurate?
They should be pretty close to reality, but
we cannot guarantee their accuracy. However,
we can and do guarantee
your satisfaction if you’re not happy
(or just plain surprised) once you receive your
tie. If you find that the tie is not what you
had in mind, you may send it back for a refund
or exchange (please see Returns).
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| Do
you offer custom-made shirts?
Not yet. But we hope to introduce this service
in 2004.
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| Why
don’t you make women’s scarves from
your silk?
To date, all of our silk is woven, and woven
silk is not nearly as good for making woman’s
scarves as printed silk. However, we have done
some custom work (most notably for the Lyric
Opera of Chicago) where we’ve specifically
designed printed women’s scarves. Perhaps
we’ll do more of this in the future.
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| What
are you supposed to do when the waiter presents
you with the cork from the bottle of wine you
just ordered?
Contrary to popular belief, you are not meant
to sniff the cork. Rather you are to feel the
cork with you fingers. You do this to see that
the bottle has been stored properly, i.e. on
its side. Wine is stored on its side so that
the wine stays in contact with the cork, keeping
it wet, thus expanded, and therefore keeping
out air, which is the enemy of wine –
at least until it's opened. So feel that cork
with your fingers, squeeze it, bend it. You
want it to be supple and firm (oh behave!),
not dry and breakable. But actually, many connoisseurs
just say "thank you" and put the cork
aside, because what really matters is in the
glass.
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| Where
are you located?
Our loft studio is located at 1820 W. Webster
Avenue in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.
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| Can
I visit the studio?
Absolutely, you're more than welcome to stop
by. Just make sure you call us ahead of time
to schedule an appointment. Call locally at
773-276-7172 or toll-free 888-434-8437.
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| How
the hell did Lee end up being a tie designer?
He really wanted to be an architect, but he
heard it was a really tough profession. So after
stints in investment banking and advertising,
he decided to become a fashion designer (like
that’s easy).
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| Is
there an afterlife?
This is perhaps the ultimate FAQ. Our answer:
we don't know, but we really, really hope so.
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| Is
it true that Steve Mayer has the longest eyelashes
in the world?
Yes
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