Bound and gagged
Most every man in the Western world has done it. He won’t admit it, that he has to sometimes, but he does. It is a strange sort of bondage. The Dutch crown prince has publicly declared that he will never do it again. It’s a cravat, a noose, a necktie.
The history of the necktie as a fashion accessory is relatively short yet consistently enduring. The necktie has identified status and affiliation for 382 years. How did this strange social practice begin, and why has it persisted? Why do men wear a cord around their necks, tied with a knot?
In 1660, victorious Croatian troops visited the court of French monarch Louis XIV. Invited to celebrate their military successes against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they distinguished themselves with colorful cravats, the ancestor of the sharply folded straps we wear today. The tie began, and remains, a sign of affiliation.
King Louis’ court found the accessory quite appealing and it quickly became a mark of status. When King Charles II returned to the throne of England, driving the protestant reformers from power, he brought with him the French custom. Styles did abound, from lacy silk scarves to sturdy neck wraps said to have stopped the thrust of a sword.
As conflicts turned from the battlefield to the playing field, the tie was again used as a sign of affiliation. Cricket and rowing clubs from Cambridge and Oxford created club colors for ties in the last half of the 19th century. They became school symbols for grade, achievement and especially graduation. The emerging Victorian middle-class man used ties to display his social superiority and proclaim allegiance to his alma mater.
In the 1920s, Paris fashion again refined the cravat to the neckties men wear today, that is except for Crown Prince Claus of the Netherlands. Opening a fashion show in Amsterdam, he pulled off his navy blue tie and threw it to the floor. He declared it “a snake around my neck” before a standing ovation.
Most men still do it.
But who buys the ties that bind?
According to All About Ties, one of many online tie vendors, more than 600 million men wear ties on a regular basis. Each year, about 800 million neckties are purchased.
The average American man owns eight ties.
Women purchase 80 percent of those ties. In major department stores, the tie displays and departments are often situated on the cusp of men and women’s clothing sections, quite often near the perfume or cosmetic counters. Wives, daughters, sisters and mothers will probably at some point buy a tie. In selecting that gift for a spouse, brother or father-in-law, it may be neccessary to don a man’s clothes for a moment.
Though ties may be required as part of a uniform, in certain arenas such as business or law, there is yet some freedom of expression in the choice of tie to be worn. Though a tie does denote status, distinguishing professionals from the working class, individuality can still exhibited within those bounds.
“For thousands of years human beings have communicated with one another first in the language of dress,” said Alison Lurie in her book, The Language of Clothes.
The Cornell University English professor writes that long before we are near enough to talk on the street, in a meeting, or at a party, we announce sex, age and class through what we wear. Choice of attire offers important information, or misinformation, about occupation, origin, personality, opinions, tastes, sexual desires and mood.
“I may not be able to put what I observe into words, but I register the information unconsciously; and you simultaneously do the same for me. By the time we meet and converse we have already spoken to each other in an older and more universal tongue,” Lurie adds.
How should such a strong fashion statement be chosen?
First there’s the size of the tie.
It may vary, but a width of 3-1/2 inches is generally proper and one that will not readily go out of style. The length of a tie should match the wearer’s proportions. Lengths vary from 52 to 58 inches and should reach to the belt when tied. Tall people or those using a Windsor knot may need to select a longer tie.
Choosing a well-made tie may be a consideration.
A quality tie is cut on the bias. That means the weave of the fabric runs diagonally to the length of the tie. A bias cut prevents the fabric from rolling up or curling. When purchasing a tie, check for the cut and whether or not the tie tends to curl. If it does, choose another tie. Turning the wider end of the tie inside out, there should be a loose dark thread. Gently pulling it will cause the tie to bunch up. This is another sign of a well-made tie. The stitching holds the pleats or the lining of a tie together, meeting at that single thread. It should run almost the length of the tie and move freely up and down the stitching. This will allow the fabric to move along the thread and not bunch up as it is wrapped around a neck and tied. Joss Langsdorf invented this slipstitch in the 1920s and added the flexibility needed in tying knots.
A quality tie will have a wool or wool-blend lining. The lining helps give the tie its shape. The higher the wool content, the higher the quality of the tie.
SMU sociology professor Antony Cortese has observed that in politics and business, ties are mandatory. The pervasive color choice in those arenas is red or blue. The current vogue, courtesy of television host Regis Philbin, is to match your tie to the color of your shirt.
“That ties change with season and the market shows their enduring nature,” Cortese said.
The color and pattern of a tie is probably the most expressive and thus most important element to be selected. Blue, a color that symbolizes integrity and tranquillity, has long been the most popular shade. The color has a calming effect.
A red tie has can signal love or anger, courage or danger. It shows energy and has become the power tie.
Red is the shade that gets psychologists most excited when measuring physiological reaction to colors. Crimson is said to be the shade that most evokes sexual connotations.
Muted yellow would have been the power-tie of choice a few years back, though it had to be offset with some blue or red motifs or spots.
Black is acceptable in a bowtie but is mournful in a necktie. Solid black identifies the wearer as a funeral director unless it is well balanced by a contrasting stripe. Stripes express a desire for orderliness, dependability and conservatism. Stripes are most often set at a diagonal on a tie, horizontal or vertical stripes aren’t often used unless coordinating with a convict’s uniform.
Paisley will show your creativity and easygoing manner, while maintaining conservative respectability. There are many beautiful, hand-painted and printed ties. Cats, dogs, cars, tennis rackets, cartoon characters, vegetables, or Tabasco bottles are fine, but remember you’re making a fairly obvious statement, though not necessarily about fashion. Ecologically significant green also evokes thoughts of St. Patrick’s Day. Spots, favored by stand-up comedians and clowns, lead to a humorous effect, especially if the spots are large.
Brown ties show the least dirt.
A good tie seems tough but can be easily damaged. Proper care of a tie will extend its life and keep it looking good.
Necktie care actually begins when it is taken off the neck. The easy and obvious method of removing a tie is to pull the narrow end out of the knot. This, however, damages the very structure of the tie. Instead, untie the knot first, reversing the steps used when tying it. This reversal of steps will untwist the fibers of the material and lining and will reduce the light creases. If creases are particularly severe, put the two ends of the tie together and roll the tie from the fold. Leave it rolled up overnight. In the morning hang a silk tie.
If the tie is knit or crocheted, lay it flat or roll it up and place it in a drawer. This should return the ti
e to its original state.
According to ‘Tie Wizard’ Michael Landman, ties should not be dry-cleaned. Cleaners may be able to remove spots, but in pressing the tie, the lining is compressed and the luster of silk will be dulled.
A water stain can generally be removed by rubbing it with a piece of the same fabric, like the other end of the tie. Stains that are more serious will often respond to a spot remover.
Knowing how to choose and care for a tie will leave the buyer, or the reciever, with a well tended statement around the neck.
This, of course, is if he still chooses to wear one.
