Aside from odd people on this site who rag on nice and expensive clothing, most people around think Hermes and Ferragamo ties are quite nice. They are a standard of style, usually quite classy, and last forever. One of my good friends has a collection of them he stole from his dad that are twenty years old and still look excellent. I love the attitude around here a lot of the time, "Ugg its expensive and a name brand, how could you be so tasteless." If, you just want to save money and still dress appropriately, there is no need to buy expensive ties like Ferragamo and Hermes. You can buy ties off the street if you like and people won't care, thats up to you.

That being said, I wouldn't wear any of the Hermes or Ferragamo ties that senior bankers have just because you might wear the same tie on the same day, then you look like a tool. Personally I like to have one or two very nice ties (Hermes), a few good ties (Brooks), and the rest cheap ass sub $10 from Century 21.

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Best Response

there's an old banking tale, reportedly about Lazard: analyst walks into an MD's office wearing a Hermes tie. MD says "come over here," takes out a scissor from his desk drawer and proceeds to cut the tie in half while it's still around the neck of the analyst. MD takes out a $100 bill from his wallet and says, "now go buy 5 analyst ties."

ah, the good old days...yes, today it's fine for an analyst to wear expensive ties.

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ex-banker:
there's an old banking tale, reportedly about Lazard: analyst walks into an MD's office wearing a Hermes tie. MD says "come over here," takes out a scissor from his desk drawer and proceeds to cut the tie in half while it's still around the neck of the analyst. MD takes out a $100 bill from his wallet and says, "now go buy 5 analyst ties."

ah, the good old days...yes, today it's fine for an analyst to wear expensive ties.

thats pretty hilarious...

..but seriously what is the deal with the $150 ties with the dolphins and toy sailboats on them? im not putting them or the people that wear them down...i am just trying to understand the fashion statement being made by a tie with a hundred mini-dolphins on it?

 

I can understand why people would want to wear Ferragamo and Hermes ties to the office -- in a Wall Street culture where dress is so conservative, those kinds of ties are an acceptable whimsy.

That said, Brioni, Borrelli, Kiton, and Zegna all make better, classier (re: more serious) ties. And I don't like the thin feel of Hermes and Ferragamo (although Hermes has beautiful silks). I like a heftier tie.

Anyone who thinks that Ferragamo and Hermes are the end-all-be-all of ties and "must-wear" banker attire is a fool.

 

Everybody's different, so you can never generalize what a senior banker will think - but personally I like a kid who'll buy himself a Hermes tie. Having said that, they're not really the most practical purchases you can make when you're a junior banker paying off student loans.

I don't really get the whole concept of "being a tool if you wear a tie when you don't have to". I respect a kid who dresses for the job he wants, versus the one he has. Granted, there are plenty of ways to go wrong with this concept, but if you can wear the clothes with ease then I'm all for it. It's part of being presentable. I'd rather you come to work in a bespoke suit rather than show up looking like you just came back from a nightclub or the local Armani Exchange.

As for offending me, I think I'd have to be a pretty insecure guy to take offense at an analyst's expensive wardrobe. Come as immaculately tailored as you can afford, so long as you can pull it off and make it look natural.

 

If you can afford them great. If not, it's not a career breaker. Take a look at your group during your first week. Wear what they wear. Some groups dress up a bit more, some groups dress down a bit. Don't outdress your associate, vp or md.

Honestly, there are plenty of other things to worry about once you start working than the prints on your tie. I'd rather spend those extra 5 minutes double checking my model than debating what brand of tie I should wear to work.

Wear what you're comfortable wearing, and make sure you learn how to tie a tie properly. I don't care how expensive your tie is, if you can't tie a proper knot, it'll look unprofessional.

 

The knot is dependent on the thickness of the tie. I find a half-windsor to work well most of the time, sometimes a full-windsor is simply TOO big. You don't want a giant knot to make you look like a clown, nor do you want a tiny knot to make you look like a pinhead.

 

I have found the Hermes silks absolutely gorgeous. I would wear a Hermes tie regardless of what my superiors thought. You shouldn't lose ALL of your personality working in the industry- wouldn't you essentially be selling your soul to banking if you totally conformed to the industry norms?

I can't say the same about Ferragamo's ties. For me- they are just too thin, but this is just a personal preference. The only GREAT thing that I've ever seen Ferragamo produce is the Tramezza shoe line.

 

Thomas Pink is my personal favorite. Around $100. Tie extremely well. I would say Hermes, Ferragamo, and even VV would get more attention depending on the print, so it depends if you want more attention. As an Analyst, that's not always a good thing. And if you wear a print tie, you're best wearing a solid shirt. Wearing them with stripes or checks can make you look stupid--unless you do it right. I just go solid.

Also depends on how you wear them. Bust out a double windsor and you'll be noticed more than a four in hand. I personally go for the four in hand with no notch. We can all at least pretend to be ivy league.

 

ok i'm an hermes fan but i advise not to use an hermes tie regularly because you will be more worried about not staining it than doing your job. If you re worried about what the rest will think, no one will care. Actually, not everyone is going to recognize them as hermes ties. They will just look at them as chains and dogs bright colored ties...

 

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