Tie widths through time

[Mojave Jack]

I'm assuming that the Golden Era was much like today, when someone wearing a tie 10 years out of date would be noticeably out of style, i.e. if someone today wore a square end knit tie. Is there a timeline by year or decade on the widths and relative lengths of ties from, say, 1910 to 1960?

 

[BellyTank]

Hi Jack!

You still see knit ties in 'designer' and high-end Mens' fashion boutiques.
They're always there-

B
T

 

[Mojave Jack]

Pure insanity! I think I have one around here somewhere. They were actually approved for wear in uniform in the 90s. I think (I hope) that went away, though.

 

[scotrace]

Knit ties

What else would one wear with a brightly colored checked shirt?


I'm also interested in this question, Jack.

20's: very short and cravat-esque
30's: narrower, longer
40's: fatter, shorter
50's: narrower then VERY narrow
60's: pencil narrow.
70's: Narrow AND thick!

With lots of variations in each decade, of course.
This is pure guessing. What's the real dope?

 

[Sefton]

Maybe Marc or Root could post a "Tie" sticky. What were average lengths by decade? Materials and designs that were popular.When did they execute the guy who invented the clip on? Most importantly; where the heck do you guys nab those great looking neck nooses!

 

[Tomasso]

Knit Ties Are Classic

I wear them all the time, though most of mine are pointed not square.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I like knit ties too. That said, I've never liked the way they knot.

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Maybe Marc or Root could post a "Tie" sticky. What were average lengths by decade? Materials and designs that were popular.

That's a big project there -- too big for me, at least. Tie widths overlapped eras, and sometimes several widths competed with each other within the same decade. Materials and designs could vary from year to year, and went in and out of fashion several times within a decade.
In short, the necktie market was far more lively, volatile, and confusing than we give it credit for.

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[Tomasso]

I've never liked the way they knot.

Like all ties, some knits knot better than others.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

some knits knot better ...

I think you just invented a new tongue-twister! lol

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[Tomasso]

I think you just invented a new tongue-twister! lol

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Funny, it just seemed to roll off my tongue:icon_smil

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Try saying it quickly ten times, smart guy!

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[Mojave Jack]

I wear them all the time, though most of mine are pointed not square.

Those are nice knit ties, though. I was actually thinking of those 80s New Wave versions, worn with horizontal stripe shirts, etc. The Air Force version was horribly cheap and cheesy, thus my aversion to them! I should not generalize like that then, since there are clearly good examples of the form!

That's a big project there -- too big for me, at least. Tie widths overlapped eras, and sometimes several widths competed with each other within the same decade. Materials and designs could vary from year to year, and went in and out of fashion several times within a decade.
In short, the necktie market was far more lively, volatile, and confusing than we give it credit for.]

No doubt! Lots of confusion there. But "too big"?! I'm shocked. Oh, woe is the Fedora Lounge when one of its icons, the cr?®me de la cr?®me of the FL jet set, does not rise to the challenge of a important and defining style attribute such as this.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

What a tragedy.

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[otterhound]

I'd certainly nominate the '70s as the decade of the ugliest ties.

 

[Dinerman]

knots

I love the tiny knots on '60's skinny ties.
My favorite is a black one with small red diamonds on it I found in a bin labeled "tie belts". Can you inagine turning a great vintage tie into a belt? terrible. I also found a 1940's tie made out of some synthetic material, made by drip-dri. I guess it's a travel tie?

 

[adamgottschalk]

"Deco" suits me

I've gotten some really sweet vintage ties lately on eBay. I look for 2.5" to 3.5" ties mostly (so I generally search for "vintage skinny" or "deco skinny" or some combination like that); I wear stingy-brimmed hats, and narrow lapels when possible. The first batch of so-called Deco ties I got, ranging from 1" (which is too narrow for me) to 2.5", 5 out of 7 of them are killer. I think sellers call them "Deco" because they either have a geometric design embroidered on them or the fabric is covered in a non-water-color non-flowery non-repetitive design. That and they're generally skinnier. I'll be posting a thread soon in the Display Case of "My Deco Ties." I got one lately that I'm not sure is actually "vintage" but to my eyes it's dead Deco, made by Pierre Cardin (can't be that old, right?); this one's 4", and reminds me very much of the Metropolis poster for Fritz Lang's movie. Got another that's about 3" that's got a nifty geometric theme going on, in orange and white diamonds, but the underlying tie is vertically divided with gold on one side and thin black lines vertically on the other. Ah, no use; I'll post some pics soon enough. Judging from the excellent list Scotrace posted, I'm guessing most of the ones I like most are 50s.

 

[matei]

I've got a skinny NOS tie from the '30s. It is from JC Pennys, but actually quite nice. Silk and Rayon mix. It is surprisingly skinny, aproaching 60s/70s skinny.

I am partial to 40s ties however. I love the Deco patterns, as long as they're not too loud.

 

[Hammelby]

But did anyone have a picture/ drawing, where you actually can see the typical variations for the diffrent decades? Sure would be real nice to print out and bring along when going vintage shopping.

Btw. i bought a tie yesterday where the bottom tip isnt symetric,
the tip leans some what to the right (damn in not allowed to attach pictures ) Could that unsymetric tip be a 50´s thing?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Btw. i bought a tie yesterday where the bottom tip isnt symetric,
the tip leans some what to the right (damn in not allowed to attach pictures ) Could that unsymetric tip be a 50´s thing?

I have seen this on many many many 30s ties. In fact most of mine have the asymmetric tips. It turns out that the ones that don't are the ones which would have been most expensive in their day.

As for width guide, i'm not so good on Euro ties any more. My first criterion is length. Around the early-mid 50s ties got substantially longer than they had been in preceding decades. At least US ties did.

bk