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Vineyard
Vines - www.vineyardvines.com
With
all the fuss and publicity, we expected Vineyard Vines
bow ties to be perfect… It was, or as close to
it as we’ve gotten yet. First the packaging. We
discuss packaging because if it isn’t ironclad,
you could be in for a disappointment when your tie arrives.
Vineyard Vines packaging could probably have been mailed
in a hurricane and the tie would have arrived in tact.
The staunch cardboard outer box took us about ten minutes
to pry open. Inside a nice catalogue an a great inner
tie box measuring 15 x 5. This was the best packaging
we’ve seen, including Brooks Brothers and Landsend
ties.
But
the ties, they rank among the best ever. In our opinion,
only Brooks Brothers ties are the equal in quality,
and as you may have seen, Brooks Brothers Web selection
is woefully inadequate. Not so with Vineyard Vines.
Their site boasts a robust collection of ties in those
wonderful patterns that only Vineyard Vines seems to
offer. Our one objection? We wish more of the patterns
supplied in their long ties were available in the bow
tie category.
If
you visit the Web site you will quickly see that even
the long ties feature the small patterns that are a
necessity for a handsome bow tie. And since pastels
are definitely “IN” this year (see
our story), you simply will not find a better selection.
We purchased the “Anchor” and the “Simple
Sail”. Wow. I literally had people stopping me
on the street to compliment the look of the "Simple
Sail". The patterns are superb, the service was
lightning fast, packaging top notch, and the overall
quality of the silk was great. The prices are about
$45.00. Less expensive than many of the sites we’ve
previously reviewed.
Vineyard
Vines get our first 5 Bows ranking. Now we know what
all the fuss is about.
The
Bow Tie Club - www.bowtieclub.com
The “Bow
Tie Club” boasts a new website design. It’s
easy to navigate through their large selection of bowties.
We’ve purchased twice now and the delivery times
are prompt and the packaging improved. The last time
the package included a nice gift box (well, gift envelope
.. sort of thingee.). But their strong suits are good
pricing and an incredible selection of shapes for almost
every tie. Diamond points, Straight edges, and Butterflies
in a variety of sizes.
Did
you ever go to sites and you just feel that customer
service is a priority? That is the feeling We get at
the Bow Tie Club. Maybe it's the the name that gives
that clubby feel. Let’s see, adequate packaging,
good quality, great selection and prices on the low
end of the Web spectrum. That adds up to a site from
whom you can buy with confidence. We give them 4 Bow
Ties.
Bow
Tie Club = 4 Bows
Beau
Ties Ltd. - www.beautiesltd.com/
Beau
Ties Limited has good quality ties, and one of the strongest
selections on the Web. Customer service has been very
good. Not much bad to say, except they can get pricey,
however, they do offer a volume discount. Buy three
ties, save three dollars per tie. One downside, you
can’t find a diamond point tie on the site. So
if that’s your preference, you might have to look
elsewhere. They have a great section of designer ties
– be sure to check it out.
Their
site is extraordinary from a design perspective, but
it can be a little frustrating when you’re trying
to compare a couple of ties. The navigation easy, but
I always get the feeling I missed something. The website
features several ties not featured in the catalogue
and it’s easy to get a close-up view of any tie.
Purchasing is a breeze here! And the packaging is superb,
with ties arriving in a very nice gift box.
Their
site and catalogue describe an easy return policy, but
who wants to return ties as nice as these?
Beau
Ties Ltd. = 4.5 Bows
Wild
Ties - www.wildties.com/
So
the first question is, do you really want to purchase
something as essential to your appearance from a place
called “Wild Ties”? Well, if you’re
a college student on a tight budget the answer might
be yes. But caveat emptor. You do get what you pay for
most of the time.
The
tie we ordered wasn’t the cheapest and it wasn’t
the most expensive. We were a bit disappointed. It was
flimsy.
The
Website is easy to find your way around and purchasing
is a snap. They have a feature on the site that allows
you to select only ‘freestyle’ ties so you
can eliminate a few pages of the ‘pre-tied’
variety. But you won’t find any really outstanding
designs on this site. A lot of very standard fare, and
you’ll see the same print in about seven different
colors.
Shipping
was quick but the packaging was of the ‘minimalist’
variety. If you’re on a really tight budget, this
may be your best choice because they do have a few bargains
at about $10 to $20.00. But it certainly isn’t
best of breed.
Wild
Ties = 1.5 bows
Kotty
Design - www.kottydesign.com/bownec.html
Every
once in while one experiences a pleasant little surprise.
A restaurant that doesn’t look like much turns
out to have just the right ambience, and is a bargain
to boot. We only purchased one tie from Kotty Design,
but it was surprisingly nice. Surprisingly, because
the prices are quite low and the website gives you a
sort of ‘all on one page, low budget’ look
(sort of like ours, but we’re not selling anything).
The
upshot of that one page design is that it’s very
easy to compare ties and to move quickly over a lot
of screen real estate. Select the tie you like and you
have a couple of levels of magnification to view it.
The shopping cart and purchase processes were very easy.
They have a variety of designs wide enough for almost
any taste – traditional to some very edgy stuff
- and some harder to find colors.
The
turnaround from purchase to the time we received it
was the fastest of any vendor on the Web. The packaging
was adequate, but the quality of the tie, the pricing
and the service were all first coach fare.
Kotty
Design = 4 bows
Ben Silver http://www.bensilver.com/fs_storefront.asp?root=1&show=197
If money is no object, and you
love those classic “school” ties from England,
then this is the site for you. Ben Silver is very upscale
and the prices reflect it. Bow ties are in the range
of US$60 to $70. If you’re going to purchase,
do it now as they have a $10 price increase in the new
catalogue and the Website reflects it already –
even though the prices supposedly don’t take effect
until the new catalogue ships.
Their Website is nicely designed
– perhaps the classiest of the lot. But it is
horrific to try to navigate through, which is why we
posted the deep link for bow ties. It might take a diligent
and determined buyer fifteen minutes to FIND the bow
tie section. The shopping process doesn’t give
you a feeling of confidence either. I always get nervous
when I see patches of code pop up on my screen while
trying to purchase.
The upside is they have a strong
selection of very unique ties. They boast ties you simply
won’t see on any other sites. Check out the “crested
collection” for instance – if you can find
it.
Ben Silver - 3 Bows
Nadine
DeLange . - http://www.nadinedelange.com
Nadine
DeLange is a Canadian enterprise and the bow ties she
creates have a very edgy, hip, one of kind look about
them. If you live in New York or Los Angeles, you're
probably going to want to bookmark her site. On the
other hand, if you're only interested in the conservative
end of the bow spectrum, these won't be for you.
One
visit to the Web site says it all. There are few sites
that so perfectly express the character of the product
as well as this one. It's cool. Funky jazz music is
an option while you search for the perfect tie, and
the designs are - well - different. Navigation on the
site is no problem. The ties are priced in Canadian
Dollars, so be sure to calculate the conversion rate.
The site does not provide this service. These ties are
at the pricey end of the the spectrum.
One
major complaint.. the site is very dark and it isn't
easy to get a good feel for the colors you're looking
at. They try to compensate by providing a description
and suggestion about coordinating the ties with jackets,
but the ties have very subtle coloration and it just
isn't possible to see them well on the Web - especially
the darker ones. They publish a liberal return policy,
and it is probably a good idea. Given the subtle coloration
of the ties and the difficulty of viewing them, buyers
may need to exchange a tie or two before they get it
right. Packaging is primitive and a bit disappointing,
given the prices. Ties come in a cellophane wrap in
a Canadian post cardboard envelope.
Nadine
DeLange = 3.5 Bows
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