Neckties come in many fabrics nowadays and the best way to store them depends in part on what they’re made of. Silk, of course, has been the fabric of choice for a long time. It’s strong, lightweight, durable, and resists wrinkles. You can find them in just about any style and color imaginable.

Polyester ties are newcomers to the market and are made to imitate silk ones. Some of them do a very good job of that. It’s hard to tell with some ties whether they’re polyester or silk.

If you are choosing polyester, you should stay with a good name brand; otherwise, they will probably look cheap. Even so, shape retention is good with these neckties. Pay attention to the fabric in a necktie before your buy.

Wool neckties come in knit and woven styles. The knit ones tend to stretch out of shape. If you decide to purchase a woven wool necktie, look for a tightly constructed neck band. It should have a piece of woven fabric inside of it to help the tie hold its shape. Woven wool neckties are heavy and sometimes they can be very uncomfortable.

Cotton neckties have been showing up on the market recently. These invariably wrinkle badly. To overcome this, many of them are very heavy. The inner facing tends to twist and go one way while the necktie goes another. Linen ties are beautiful, but the wrinkling in these is really bad. Don’t buy acetate—they’re worthless! Rayon neckties don’t hold up over the long run.

Storage Problems and Solutions

Keep your valuable neckties out of the sunlight. It will damage the color and weaken the fabric. Taking care of your neckties will keep them looking good for a long time. Sophisticated neckties are not only beautiful, they are expensive. Taking the time to store them properly is just one more way to protect your investment. These are the most perishable items in your wardrobe. Properly cared for, they can almost last forever.

Hopefully, you choose your ties with a good eye for color, design, and proportion so they will always look appropriate. Having enough ties so you don’t wear them out too fast is a good strategy for keeping them looking good. They provide an inexpensive way to give depth to your wardrobe. Three or four ties to go with each suit or sport outfit is a good rule of thumb.

You can hang your ties with the suit they go with and rotate them every time you wear it. Let them rest for at least three days before you wear them again. A good way to store a tie is on a hanger that holds only one. This makes it easy to hang the ties with the suits they go with.

No matter how you hang them, shift them from time to time so wrinkles don’t occur where they touch the hanger. Lay knitted or crocheted flies flat. When packing for a trip, fold the tie into four and slip it inside your suit jacket. Otherwise, slip them in a small box and store in the corners of your luggage. When you get there, hang the tie on the bathroom door before you take your shower. The steam will freshen the tie.