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Ties

Hey, that's a point - what about bowties? What do they represent? They must be a newer affectation, surely?

Yes - at least in the case of the bow tie as we commonly know it. However, a short (neck area only) knot or bow without a dangling strip can be traced all the way back to the ancestral cravat.
 
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A Texan style string tie could be the way to go,
 
This article has a lot of pictures, which are interesting on the evolution of the modern necktie.

It leads me to a related thought: will ties look as dumb and weird to our ancestors as the ruffs of yesteryear do to us?

I never wear a tie myself, even though I wear collared shirts to work every day; I don't even own one.
 
... It leads me to a related thought: will ties look as dumb and weird to our ancestors as the ruffs of yesteryear do to us?

Only if and when we successfully master time travel and go back to show them what they led to ... :evillaugh:

(Just answering the question as originally posed ... )

Otherwise - assuming you meant 'descendants' ...

Yes, I suspect so ... It seems our mania for ridiculing our own past knows no bounds and has no expiration date.


I never wear a tie myself, even though I wear collared shirts to work every day; I don't even own one.

A permanent change in collar stylings may end up being the main factor in rendering ties completely obsolete. Closing or adorning the collar was a factor in necktie evolution.

On the other hand ... Neck-encircling adornments - especially those carrying tacit power or status connotations - aren't likely to disappear entirely. I can think of multiple workplaces in which tie-less employees proudly brandish lanyard-loads of (e.g.) ID and access cards / tokens to indicate how "connected" or "enfranchised" they are.
 
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neckties still all the rage in blade runner i note ...
 
neckties still all the rage in blade runner i note ...
They drop in and out of fashion, the styles in Blade Runner were basically 1940s filtered through an early 80s fashion sensibility. Ties may be back in the Blade Runner universe, which is a little to one side of ours in 2019.
 
Working folks' neckcloths and farmers and cowboys' bandanas had real utility. Ties and cravats had none. Except all kept the collar closed. Please tell me why.
 
A little side note - I still get a thrill of excitement when I read about gentlemen making notes with a pencil on their cuffs. It took me a while to realise that cuffs, like collars, we detachable from the shirt and interchangeable. So a man about town could write things on his cuff without "ruining" his shirt.
 
and similar to the dozens of documented practical uses of a cowboys stetson, neckties are likewise multi-functional

The most popular hat worn throughout the cowboy era was the Bowler (aka Derby), not a Stetson.
 
Working folks' neckcloths and farmers and cowboys' bandanas had real utility. Ties and cravats had none. Except all kept the collar closed. Please tell me why.
i would say that as long as weve clothed our bodies, weve secured the materials at the apertures - cuffs necks ankles, waist maybe - with whatever was available ... collar effectively being formed of surplus material at the neck, folded over, would help hold in place whatever tied at the neck ?
 
A little side note - I still get a thrill of excitement when I read about gentlemen making notes with a pencil on their cuffs. It took me a while to realise that cuffs, like collars, we detachable from the shirt and interchangeable. So a man about town could write things on his cuff without "ruining" his shirt.
sometimes leaving only the shirt font ... dang i must get one of those to complete my hobo look
 
The most popular hat worn throughout the cowboy era was the Bowler (aka Derby), not a Stetson.
all hats essentially being a crown and a brim of varying sizes, secured with a band, pinched and bashed to taste ... each a version of the other (even caps) ... a wider brim wouldve been appreciated in the open sun, places where shade was scarce
 
A little side note - I still get a thrill of excitement when I read about gentlemen making notes with a pencil on their cuffs. It took me a while to realise that cuffs, like collars, we detachable from the shirt and interchangeable. So a man about town could write things on his cuff without "ruining" his shirt.
Something else I've heard, which on reflection smacks of legend: cuff buttons on jackets were introduced to stop military officers wiping their mucky gobs on their clothes in the mess hall.
 
Buttons - as fasteners - originated circa 800 years ago. Neck adornments date back to ancient times. The origin of the cravat (ancestral to today's necktie) was originally for symbolic / group identification purposes. The ongoing use of a fabric band or strip wound and / or tied around the neck was largely continued as a decorative thing or a flexible and more comfortable way of closing the collar around the neck.

The earliest developmental stage following the wrapped cravat - the stock - was essentially an close-fitting neck sheath akin to a turtleneck dickey.
What is a Turtle neck Dickey? sounds a bit dodgy
 
all hats essentially being a crown and a brim of varying sizes, secured with a band, pinched and bashed to taste ... each a version of the other (even caps) ... a wider brim wouldve been appreciated in the open sun, places where shade was scarce

Here's Butch Cassidy and his gang - all with Bowler hats (and some nice ties too)!

PSX_20190708_155820.jpg
 
A turtle neck dickey is when you haven't been circumcised.
 
What is a Turtle neck Dickey? sounds a bit dodgy

A faux under-layer typically consisting of the collar area alone, worn under a shirt or blouse and visible only at the neck. They were common fashion items in the Sixties. Nowadays service personnel sometimes wear heavy-duty versions as dedicated neck / chest warmers.

Unknown.jpeg
 
A little side note - I still get a thrill of excitement when I read about gentlemen making notes with a pencil on their cuffs. It took me a while to realise that cuffs, like collars, we detachable from the shirt and interchangeable. So a man about town could write things on his cuff without "ruining" his shirt.
I remember my Grandad having shirts like that.
 
Something else I've heard, which on reflection smacks of legend: cuff buttons on jackets were introduced to stop military officers wiping their mucky gobs on their clothes in the mess hall.

Yes, I've heard that attributed to Catherine the Great who was supposedly disgusted by her troops' habit of wiping their noses on their sleeves.
 
A little side note - I still get a thrill of excitement when I read about gentlemen making notes with a pencil on their cuffs. It took me a while to realise that cuffs, like collars, we detachable from the shirt and interchangeable. So a man about town could write things on his cuff without "ruining" his shirt.

Wouldn’t it be difficult to get the collar and cuffs to match?

maximus otter
 
I had one of those woollen dickies when I was a child. I can attest that those things add great warmth under the coat in the depths of a Canadian winter.

Yep ... I picked up a couple of these obsolete fashion accessories from charity shops and keep them on hand as very effective and convenient neck warmers for cold weather. As effective as a scarf, but nothing you have to futz with repeatedly.
 
What a great question. Here is a link

https://www.tie-a-tie.net/the-evolution-of-the-necktie/

Before the Croatian incident and for a long time after, the collar was emphasized by lace. The photo at the top shows I believe a modern necktie and its predecessor the cravat. In thinking about costume, in the late 19th century , cravats held the neck of the shirt together in office wear. Look in all those Spy prints. Anyone who did not work in an office would wear a collarless shirt with a neckline that buttoned. Women were always able to wear whatever damn thing they wanted around their neck.
 
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