
And then I tried this clip, now I'm a believer. Our friends at Ellsworth & Clyde hooked me up with a gorgeous wood and leather tie bar to try out for myself, and I must say, I'm impressed.
One of the things I noticed and respected about the company right off the bat was the attention to detail. Even the packaging shows extensive time and thought being put into their craft, and for me, that says a lot about a company.

The way I see it, any company could start crapping out cheap tie bars and packaging them in little tiny ziplock bags to save on production costs and get every single cent out of customers. For a company to spend extra time, extra money, and extra care on the packaging and overall quality of a product...i dig that.

Ellsworth & clyde offer three main color and styling combinations: teak and brown leather, ebony and black leather, and rosewood and black leather. I went with the rosewood because I felt that it blended formal and casual looks without leaning too far in either direction.


The idea behind these tie bars is actually super simple: two pieces of wood, one strip of leather, and four brass pins, all treated and assembled by hand by a 98 year old man in an antique work shed (okay the part about the old man isn't true, but they really are handcrafted). Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest. I've heard that the best things in life are free, but I've also learned that you get what you pay for, so let's just agree that the whole "free" concept isn't really a good idea when it comes to menswear.
After wearing the e&c clip a few times, it was apparent that the functionality on this thing is on a whole other level. a strong magnet pulls the wood together, holding your tie against your shirt. The magnet strength is spot-on too--not too strong to where the tie is pinched tight, but also strong enough to stop your tie from flapping around in the wind.


the other brilliant feature is the adjustability. The clip features two pieces of wood of different lengths. No, it's not an oversight; this just means that you can wear it on ties of various widths without a problem. It fit my 3" ties like a glove, and my 2.5" ties like a different, but equally perfect, glove.

I've had the clip for a few weeks now, and i've worn it on numerous occasions. It hasn't worn down at all. Nothing is falling a part or fading or breaking. I guess it just goes to show you, making stuff with your bare hands, when done correctly, adds a bit of longevity to product lifespan. Translation: this thing is going to last forever.

I really can't say enough positive things about this tie bar, which probably means I should stop while I'm ahead. I'll just say this: these tie bars are awesome and I highly recommend you stop by their website and pick one up right here.
- james