Tie one on
Fall fashion trend steers men back to neckwear
Men’s neckwear is shaping up to be one of this season’s most important trends. And it’s no longer relegated to a necktie tightly knotted at the throat and quickly loosened at the end of the working day. This fall think urban dandy or rugged cowpoke instead of corporate preppy.
Loosening one’s tie doesn’t mean you have to look undone, as the options are endless. Hermes, one of the first houses to capitalize on this trend, has introduced not only a variety of sizes, widths, materials and patterns for fall/winter 2012 but also a host of vintage silk and cashmere carres, or scarfs, as well as an assortment of innovative ways to “tie one on.”
“Like many things, the pendulum is swinging back toward ties this fall and it really reflects the mood in men’s ready-to-wear, with slimmer silhouettes, darker tones and rich textures,” said Hermes president and CEO Jennifer Carter.
Case in point: Hermes has recently moved toward a narrower tie, reducing the size of their heavy twill line from nine centimetres to eight. Designed inhouse and featuring graphics incorporating universal symbols, such as Keyboard, Mini Jack, ON/ OFF and USB, these ties are a nod to the digital era. (The symbols’ meanings are revealed on the label on the narrow end of the tie.) This slimmer width also lends itself to the easier, more chic demi-Windsor knot as opposed to the complex, classic Windsor knot suitable for thicker more conventional ties.
Take it easy in Hermes’s most new addition: the jean tie. Made of denim canvas, it is definitely a diversion from their formulated light twill neckwear featuring animal prints and geometric shapes.
“Whatever you choose, accessories are a vehicle for creativity,” explains Carter. “Neckwear is an easy way to update or change a look.”