Since the deep social and cultural changes of the sixties and seventies of the last century have tangibly changed men’s dress code, the tie, except on very few occasions, is no longer a “must”. For many of those who wear one, the less monotonous article of men’s clothing has become a source of pleasure. Pleasure for the quality, but most of all the pleasure of expressing oneself, revealing to the world the true shades of your soul. Until the beginning of the last century - through a variety of knots and later through a variety of colours or patterns - the tie, the only touch of fantasy allowed to all men, of any age or condition, has always allowed men to communicate their state of mind. Being in itself absolutely futile, and having also become optional, the tie expresses above all, the personality of the person who wears it.

HISTORY AND FASHIONS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

The necktie has its own prehistory. In ancient times, for hygienic or climatic reasons, soldiers from many armies, wore a piece of material tied  around their neck. The first  soldiers to wear it were the roman legions who were located in Northern Europe. It consisted of a strip of fabric called focale , tied in a knot at their throat, with the two ends which lay on their chest keeping them warm. We can see them represented on the Traiana column in Rome.

Also the soldiers of the first Chinese emperor (III century B.C.) of whom life-size clay statues have been found, wore a piece of material, knotted at their neck and folded into a triangle around their shoulders. This kind if scarf then disappeared, reappearing after fifteen centuries.

Sometimes wars can bring about some unexpected consequences that history books often ignore, less evident but just as deep and lasting as any new boundary. The thirty year war which devastated Europe from 1618 to 1648, directly influences the daily life of six hundred million men worldwide. They are those who every morning put on a tie. This religious war, which saw aristocratic protestants from Bohemia oppose the catholic authority of the Holy Roman Empire, rapidly involved the whole of Europe. The Imperial troops on one side fought against the French and Swedish on the other. It was a relentless war fought by mercenary troops recruited in central Europe whose strongest motivation was the systematic raiding of the lands which they crossed. Around 1635, nearly the entire one hundred and sixty thousand infantrymen and horsemen who were fighting for the King of France, had been recruited abroad. They were mercenary Croats, who wore a simple handkerchief tied around their necks, like a scarf.. It was a romantic symbol:  a gift from the wives, fiancés and lovers to the soldiers who were leaving for war in distant lands; tied around their neck to testify their bond and their fidelity towards their loved one.

The French officials, finding it much more comfortable than their starched ruff, adopted it and it soon spread among the aristocracy during the reign of Luigi XIV. Some say its name comes from the French word “cravatte” which has obscure origins. Another theory is that it comes from the Croat word hrvat which means “croat”. Originally it was called sciarpa croatta (croat scarf), then it was shortened into croatta and finally into crovatta.

Another theory, narrated by Tiziano Terziani, journalist, traveller and last but not least expert on Asia, writes in his book “A fortune-teller told me” that the tie was originally invented by the Mongolians “to drag prisoners tied to their saddles”.

Whatever is its origin, some refined aristocratic Europeans modified the simple Croat scarf, which took the shape of a wide piece of muslin or lace, knotted, often decorated with silk ribbons. It was similar to what we now call a papillion (which appeared many years later) and it was known as the “Lavallière”. From that day on, until the 1960’s, it was unheard of for an elegant man to appear in public without a necktie. 

FROM THE STEINKIRK TO THE NECKTIE AS WE KNOW IT TODAY

An article of clothing, in itself futile, but indispensible for the elegant man (and sometimes woman), the tie couldn’t escape from being a protagonist of fashions, sometimes long-lasting, sometimes short-lived. Its original style with an important knot, was followed by the steinkirk,a long narrow neckcloth whose ends passed through the buttonholes of the jacket, and then the stock, strip of fabric which was wound round the collar of the shirt with the ends tied behind. For its austere aspect, for its stiffness thanks to the use of starch, the stock, at the beginning of the XVIII century, reflected the rigour of the new middle class, perfectly. The aristocratic libertine dandies, however, embellished it with a gracious black ribbon, the solitaire. At the end of the century the stock was rejected by the new generations, particularly in England by the so-called Maccaronis and in France by the wild youth of that time who were called Incroyables (incredible).

However, the golden era of the tie came at the beginning of the following century, with a young dandy by the name of Brummel. For the more conservative members of the middle class, the stock continued to be worn, but alongside this, more flamboyant ties with various kinds of knots came into fashion. It was around that time that the first written works regarding ties began to appear. After Necklothania and Tietania by the Englishman J.J.Stockdale (1818),  particularly famous were”L’art de metre sa cravatte de toutes les manìeres connues et usitèes,  enseignè et demontrè en seize lecons” (1826), written by a certain baron de L’Empesè, who described 14 different types of ties and their 18 variants. Among these there was one called Ascot., which was worn on special occasions, for example at important weddings. However, the tie, as we know it today, still didn’t exist. It didn’t make an appearance until after the industrial revolution, when a certain middle-class were forced to go to work in the office. Firstly, in the 1860’s the long tie appeared, then round about 1925, the tie as we know it today. Because it was worn all day long, it had to be simple and comfortable. Its greatest limit was its uniformity, because in those days it was either black or white. Later this was compensated by a great profusion of materials, colours and designs .Since then this is what has given the tie its charm.

 LUXURIOUS FABRICS

If today, the universe of ties is predominated by synthetic material, what makes the tie noble is silk. Ties can come in many different materials like cotton, wool or leather, but only silk (sometimes combined with wool) can give the connoisseur that indefinable feeling, almost intimate and sensual, which is called mano (feeling) -  a feeling which is suave and at the same time thrilling, when caressing the fabric. A feeling which is partly due to the weight of the silk, but also the attention to every detail (often custom made) and the quality of the anima (interlining)  which sustains the tie -  all elements which contribute to that special feeling.

Few people realize how much creativity, technical ability and passion goes into making a silk tie. Either plain or printed, they are the result of the work of many people,  the art of  those who designed the motifs, the meticulous care of those who translated them into fabric and the ability of the craftsmen or the industry which confections them and last but not least the talent of the tie maker who coordinates all these operations for the satisfaction of those who will put their own label on the finished product.

Created from the most luxurious of fabric, silk ties are the most refined and the most elegant. In his book on elegance, James Darwen establishes an indisputable principle “Gentlemen’s ties are only in woven silk”. More expensive to produce than the printed ones, woven silk ties make up about a fifth of the production of silk ties. Today, we are witnessing their success because of the growing trend for ties which are lively without being gaudy. Being woven, in fact, allows a colour which could seem too bold, to be subdued -  giving it  body. The tie-maker in this case, can choose between different weaves, that is different ways to combine the warp and the weft. It could be plain weave, twill weave, sateen weave, braid weave or sable weave. To reflect the light from the different shades of colours, he can even use more than one of these weaves on very small surfaces.

The printed silk tie can have a greater number of motifs, and is the most common among the silk ties. For this procedure, it is necessary to prepare a number of screens through each of which is passed one colour of the design being reproduced  For this procedure,  extreme competence is required. To reproduce a work of art, for example” le Ninfee” by Claude Monet, which recently appeared on a tie, fifteen different screens, one for every colour in the painting, was used. Some of these colours were used to design some very small dots distributed over the surface of the tie.

A PROFUSION OF MOTIFS

Since the beginning of the twentieth century  motifs and  colours have become the determining element in the choice of this accessory. They could be small geometric patterns,  animals, flowers, sporting scenes, paisley prints, spots, stripes -  like those on the regimental ties, and of course humorous images. For the connoisseur, eager to improve his knowledge, these motifs are the most important domino in the history of ties. Since their beginnings in the 1930’s, they have been counted, analysed and divided into groups with great precision.  For an expert, the most important element of the motif is the quality of its manufacture and how it is arranged on the tie rather than its genre or style. On the other hand the disposition of the motif bestows the tie its style, more than the motif itself.

THE NECKTIE TODAY

After the disappearance of the stiff collar, which was inevitable after a crusade during the 1920’s in which it was accused of causing migraine headaches, congestion and deafness, long neckties and soft collars triumphed.. However, even if they were more comfortable, long neckties weren’t ideal. They were made of a simple strip of silk or cotton, which had to be knotted tightly for it to hold. When it was untied, with great difficulty, it had become a crumpled rag which sooner or later tore. It was thanks to the genius of a New York tie maker called Jesse Langsdorf, who invented the tie as we know it today. Langsdorf  had the idea of cutting the fabric on the bias and sewing it in three segments. This technique improved its elasticity and facilitated the fabric’s return to its original shape .In 1924 he patented his invention and after a few years made his fortune selling the rights to other tie makers all over the world. Since then most men have worn the Langsdorf  tie and the history of the tie halted there. It’s true that in the 1950’s it was narrower with a straight bottom end and that in the 1970’s it was much wider, but they were short-lasting fashions. Modern ties rarely differ from the classical form which has lasted for over 70 years and any attempt to change it, is doomed to failure .The essential tie today, is long, practical and comfortable with a simple knot, always in order. However it has become sober or even austere, with no room for fancy knots or flimsiness, and above all without the possibility of distinguishing itself from another, as was so in the past.