I disagree with neck-ties being a symbol of 'slavery' or some-such.
I currently own around 400. All of them either silk or wool. AMA about which Vintage brands wear the best.
Ties originally came from Croatia - Cravat being a bastardation of the word Croat, where the military tied cloths around their necks, to prevent chafing against the hard woollen uniform coats. In the 18th C, men abandoned the elaborate lace ruffs their elite fathers and grandfathers wore, for a more sober, military look, and started adopting such easy, uncluttered single-cloth Craotian style neck-wear - mainly for comfort (eew, imagine a lace ruff, all starched, around your neck. What a relief to just wrap a white silk scarf, and tie it in a knot. One can even decorate it with a pin.). Also check the modern desendant -the bandana. It still absorbs sweat, and can be tied around the face at a pinch.
... but the main purpose of cravats was to protect coats and shirts from touching necks, thus making grubby stains( - and then needing frequent unnecessary outer-coat laundering), and also, the chafing issue.
During the industrial revolution, the neckties moved outside of the shirt-collar (although one could still wear a cravat, casually), and they became more colorful, striped, even. At this point, ties were a means of keeping the (separate) collar tidy, which also required studs, etc. The victorians were great with collar studs, tie clips etc, due to their fine mass-produced metal-wares.
I believe a tie is the one place where a gentleman can don some bright color. I also think there has been a campaign to deprive men of real clothing,. By the twentieth century, (with advent of the 'lounge- suit') men's clothing had evolved to be extremely ocmfortable to wear ( check the thirties 'zoot-suits' - ultra-comfortable) , and the suit soon proved to be a type of uniform - just because everybody wore them. A 'uniform' that anyone can wear. The thing is, the industrial revolution at this point, had enabled comfort, and style.
The beauty of this 'uniform' (oh, check the dudes in the WH - they all wear navy suts, white shirts and red or blue ties) is that it can be adapted for purpose, climate and taste. if one looks at pictures from the early 20th C, one will see that even dock-workers wore jackets, woollen pants and hats.
But it seems that NOW, the masses are taught to dislike well-dressed men, in the advertizing. The clothes sold in Target, etc., are horrible prison garb, and only in gray or black, it seems. So depressing. Plus, first they took the ties, then the collars (t-shirts), no hats anymore, then the sleeves (short sleeves). In the nineties, the minimalist trend became really bizarre, with skinny jeans, sweats, cropped t-shirts, and low-rise pants - an abomination of discomfort! There's a reason they went to thrift-shops so quickly. The public dress-sense became so bad, that corporations had to start issuing 'polo-shirts' i.d. shirts with collars albeit with short sleeves, just to remain looking 'professional'.
Now, men don't even know the difference between a suit and a blazer. (I am not even talking about archaic rules such as "no brown in town". Or 'no black with blue). The sad truth is, when confronted with a wedding or a funeral, a lot of men don't know how to even tie a neck-tie.
And riddle me this: Why do you think prep-schools have dress codes, and require students to change at least five times a day? Because they are prepping the kids for corporate or political work. Those guys will know how to tie a necktie.
Yeah, it's not a symbol of slavery. It a symbol of being well-dressed.
I disagree with neck-ties being a symbol of 'slavery' or some-such.
I currently own around 400. All of them either silk or wool. AMA about which Vintage brands wear the best.
Ties originally came from Croatia - Cravat being a bastardation of the word Croat, where the military tied cloths around their necks, to prevent chafing against the hard woollen uniform coats. In the 18th C, men abandoned the elaborate lace ruffs their elite fathers and grandfathers wore, for a more sober, military look, and started adopting such easy, uncluttered single-cloth Craotian style neck-wear - mainly for comfort (eew, imagine a lace ruff, all starched, around your neck. What a relief to just wrap a white silk scarf, and tie it in a knot. One can even decorate it with a pin.). Also check the modern desendant -the bandana. It still absorbs sweat, and can be tied around the face at a pinch.
... but the main purpose of cravats was to protect coats and shirts from touching necks, thus making grubby stains( - and then needing frequent unnecessary outer-coat laundering), and also, the chafing issue.
During the industrial revolution, the neckties moved outside of the shirt-collar (although one could still wear a cravat, casually), and they became more colorful, striped, even. At this point, ties were a means of keeping the (separate) collar tidy, which also required studs, etc. The victorians were great with collar studs, tie clips etc, due to their fine mass-produced metal-wares.
I believe a tie is the one place where a gentleman can don some bright color. I also think there has been a campaign to deprive men of real clothing,. By the twentieth century, (with advent of the 'lounge- suit') men's clothing had evolved to be extremely ocmfortable to wear ( check the thirties 'zoot-suits' - ultra-comfortable) , and the suit soon proved to be a type of uniform - just because everybody wore them. A 'uniform' that anyone can wear. The thing is, the industrial revolution at this point, had enabled comfort, and style.
The beauty of this 'uniform' (oh, check the dudes in the WH - they all wear navy suts, white shirts and red or blue ties) is that it can be adapted for purpose, climate and taste. if one looks at pictures from the early 20th C, one will see that even dock-workers wore jackets, woollen pants and hats.
But it seems that NOW, the masses are taught to dislike well-dressed men, in the advertizing. The clothes sold in Target, etc., are horrible prison garb, and only in gray or black, it seems. So depressing. Plus, first they took the ties, then the collars (t-shirts), no hats anymore, then the sleeves (short sleeves). In the nineties, the minimalist trend became really bizarre, with skinny jeans, sweats, cropped t-shirts, and low-rise pants - an abomination of discomfort! There's a reason they went to thrift-shops so quickly. The public dress-sense became so bad, that corporations had to start issuing 'polo-shirts' i.d. shirts with collars albeit with short sleeves, just to remain looking 'professional'.
Now, men don't even know the difference between a suit and a blazer. (I am not even talking about archaic rules such as "no brown in town". Or 'no black with blue). The sad truth is, when confronted with a wedding or a funeral, a lot of men don't know how to even tie a neck-tie.
And riddle me this: Why do you think prep-schools have dress codes, and require students to change at least five times a day? Because they are prepping the kids for corporate or political work. Those guys will know how to tie a necktie.
Yeah, it's not a symbol of slavery. It a symbol of being well-dressed.