According to the Financial Times, the tie a man chooses to wear can signal many things, including where he went to school. The way he chooses to tie his tie can also make a subtle shift in his total appearance. Of course, some ties are formal and some are casual, but the way the tie is knotted is also meaningful.
No one’s really sure when the practice of wearing a tie actually started. Some point to the Romans, who would wear fabric around their necks as part of their uniform. Others point to King Louis XIV, who popularised the wearing of a lace cravat in 1646. Others still place the blame squarely at the feet of the Victorians. Whatever its origins, the narrative of the necktie has come to rest on one main exposition – the demonstration of an individual’s work status and/or class background.
This is precisely the point at which most men go wrong when attempting to wear a tie. Function, not fashion, has come to dictate the terms by which the majority of modern ties are donned. Yet, sartorial intervention has meant that ties are now able to signify so much more, so why are most men still failing to take advantage of this?
Taking Responsibility
Just as Occam’s razor would have it that the simplest answer is most often the right one, perhaps the answer to this problems is that most men are just unable to think further than the colour of their shirt when it comes to selecting accessories.
Most men will wear a tie on at least a semi-regular basis, and so it’s important to free yourself of the above mind-set and take at least some measure of responsibility over such an intrinsic part of your wardrobe. By attending more carefully to the intricacies of your appearance, you will assume a greater degree of awareness and autonomy over yourself as a person.
The Intricacies of Tie Wearing
Perhaps the best place to start is to investigate all of the different significations that a tie may possess, according to cut, colour, material and pattern. If a tie is knotted in a Windsor knot, for example, how does this change the meaning of your apparel in relation to, say, a Trinity knot? How does a lace weave differ from a herringbone weave, and when should the two be worn? Is a knitted wool tie suitable for a formal function, or should silk be worn instead?
Taking Back Control
Once you’ve mastered the art of these intricacies, you may find new found freedom in your ability to make subtle changes to your necktie that are almost undetectable to the outside world, and yet which have a significant impact on your presentation. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t quite ready yet to venture out into the heady realms of palettes and patterns. By getting to grips with the technical aspects of this simple, yet very complicated piece of cloth, sartorial control will once again be within your grasp.
