Panta Ties – Made in New York
This week has sort of inadvertently turned into a Made in America kind of week. We had Chris Despos’ suits from Chicago and Dallas on Monday, and today an introduction to Panta Clothing, run completely out of New York City.
Panta Clothing was founded a few years ago by Ed Morel, and until the last few months sold his goods exclusively though StyleForum. Now they’ve moved to an online store, with new things trickling in as they’re available. Ed’s a guy who saw a problem and tried to solve it – “I think many guys struggle with ties, so I try to simplify the thought process. A solid navy silk or cashmere tie will go with pretty much anything.” It’s this back-to-basics approach that guides Panta’s offerings. And boy do they nail the basics.
Ed sent me a selection of ties a few weeks ago (in addition to the cashmere herringbone number I’ve been happily wearing for a year or so now), and I’ve been wearing them around to get a feel for their construction and design. In short, the construction is faultless and the designs exactly the sort of thing we like here at Simply Refined.
The ties are hand-made in New York City and the silks all sourced from England and Italy. Style-wise, it’s a mix of lined, unlined, untipped and self-tipped 6-fold ties, with each combination giving a different feel and knot. Ed prefers these types of construction because “you get a great drape…you also get more silk, less filler.”
It sounds like a pretty limited number of combinations, but the variety of the results is staggering. The untipped, unlined blue herringbone with embroidered spots, for example, is extremely light weight and ties a smaller, tighter knot, while the solid navy in a brilliant 50oz silk twill (the beauty of which is impossible to convey with a photograph) ties a sturdy knot and hangs as beautifully as the best cut coat or trousers.
It’s a bold claim, but I would put Panta right alongside Drakes, Marinella, and Finickey on neckwear Olympus. Each does their own thing, and does it the best though, and Panta’s ability to take something complex and detailed and hide it behind the veil of simplicity is stunning.
That 50oz navy twill has an almost leathery hand to it, and it’s the sort of tie you put on and have to keep reminding yourself not to play with all day. The raw purple silk, which most people tie on in the warmer months, is another case of Panta letting the natural materials shine through. I personally love the way raw silk looks with tweed and flannel, and I think this is the tie I’ve been wearing most lately.
The level of detail work is second-to-none, and you can see the little hand stitches around the edges of the tipping. Tails are finished just as beautifully as front blades, and the ties spring back beautifully after wearing. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this by now, but roll them when you take them off (gently, by the way), and then hang after a few hours.
Widths are either 3 1/4 or 3 3/8 inches, depending on the material, but I find both to be good for most people. The ties are on the long side though, at 58″ and as a shorter guy I still have a fairly long tail even tying a double four-in-hand. Not a bad thing in my opinion, just a heads-up.
Panta’s commitment to creating something superlative and honest extends beyond the finished product. ”We manufacture everything in New York City,” Ed reiterated when we spoke last. ”It not only gives us control but we know the working conditions of those that manufacture for us. I know the names of the women who sew our ties and scarves, the names of the guys that make our pants. I see them at work, I know what their hours are, I know that they get a lunch break. Knowing that the people who make for us are treated well and enjoy what they do is important to me.”
It’s this dedication to quality and ethically produced products that has delayed Panta’s impending trouser and sportcoat offerings. Ed wouldn’t make them until he could have them done right, and right in New York City. If they’re anything like Panta’s ties, I’m sure they’ll be well worth the wait.
