“There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.”
– P.G. Wodehouse – Much Obliged Jeeves

As an inveterate tie-wearer, I have long regarded the ties of Turnbull and Asser as representative of the finest examples of English style and manufacture. My collection, which extends to several hundred, includes not only their principal glory – jacquard woven silk in great variety – but also rarer items in cashmere and knitted silk with some vintage items dating from the 1970s and 1980s.

During the time I lived in London, I was a long-standing customer of Turnbull and Asser’s Jermyn Street store, where in those days one could discuss the style, design and manufacture of ties at the level of the connoisseur. As well as  the current stock, periodically older and rarer ties would appear from the archives to my delight.

The ties of Turnbull and Asser are hand-made to the highest standard. It was with particular pleasure that I was invited to tour the tie factory in Southwark in October 2008 and meet some of the dedicated men and women whose art made these glorious creations possible. The photographs below were taken by me on this occasion when I saw some of the ties being made as well as the pattern books and swatches.