Long Live Nonconformity
Ihad the privilege of attending a high school steeped in heritage and tradition. The transition from carefree primary school clothing to the regimented high school ensemble was significant, especially on Mondays when the school rules forced everyone to not only wear a tie, but also a blazer. Other days of the week were a bit less regimented, the crisp white shirt that made up a crucial part of your “step outs” relegated to the closet in favour of conformist grey – before it became popular in all fifty shades. But regardless of the colour of the shirt, the presence or the absence of a blazer, you always – always – wore a tie.
In his blog, All Men are Liars, Australian writer Sam de Brito writes of the tie as a symbol of slavery, quoting a passage from Paulo Coelho’s book, Veronika Decides to Die, where the title character, who is in a mental institution after a failed suicide attempt, discusses the idiocy of neckties with one Dr Igor. The latter states that “a madman would say that what I have round my neck is a ridiculous, useless bit of coloured cloth tied in a very complicated way, and which makes it harder to get air into your lungs and difficult to turn your neck”.
“If a mad person were to ask me what this tie is for, I would have to say, absolutely nothing. It’s not even purely decorative, since nowadays it’s become a symbol of slavery, power, aloofness. The only really useful function a tie serves is the sense of relief when you get home and take it off; you feel as if you’ve freed yourself from something, though quite what you don’t know.”
De Brito asserts that the tie shows a man’s willingness to conform, to bow to rules, and mutely signal, “I won’t rock the boat.” While De Brito’s assertion could be true in some instances – as could some psychologists’ view that it is a glaring phallic symbol – the tie is one of very few expressions of creativity and personality left to men when it comes to sartorial matters, especially in a formal environment.
Perhaps it’s bit of necessity, perhaps a bit of epiphany, but the humble tie has, over time, become one of my favourite accessories – so much so that I acquire one or two every month, despite only occasionally having the opportunity to wear one. Yet my love affair continues, up to the point of now having a collection that varies from understated, professional, and elegant styles and hues, to brighter, more modern, and more vibrant iterations.
The origins of the necktie can be traced to approximately the 1650s when the French – led by Louis XIV – followed the example of the Croatian mercenaries, who donned neck apparel. The tie is a piece of fabric that, over the subsequent centuries, has flourished and mutated into a wide variety of styles. In this day and age, wearing a tie is much less of a requirement in the corporate world, and definitely not the symbol of slavery or conformity some individuals consider it to be.
In the preface to Francois Chaille’s book, The Book of Ties, Jean-claude Colban states that: “[A tie] can convey a feeling, a situation, and above all the elegance of the wearer, since his choice of a tie is an expression of his inner self.” And Colban would know, as he’s the director of the distinguished Parisian tie shop, Charvet.
As with any garment that has stood the test of time, there are some basic rules to wearing a tie that all men should, at the very least, consider. Plain white shirts, while always classic and elegant, have made room for shirts in other hues, from light pastels to more rambunctious, bold shades. Similarly, the solid colour, finely striped, or elegantly patterned tie has made way for bright colours, bigger patterns, and lively stripes.
While matching or repeating the colour of your shirt in the design of your tie will always leave an impression of professionalism, elegance, and attention to detail, it’s also permissible to wear a tie that doesn’t match entirely. Some colours naturally work better together than others, and most men would know when the tie they have chosen doesn’t work with a specific shirt.
Don’t let the proliferation of striped shirts put you off wearing a patterned tie. The number one rule when it comes to matching these items is that the stripes of your shirt and the stripes of your tie should always be different sizes – unless you want to look like an optical illusion. Thick stripes on a shirt go with thin or small patterns on the tie, while thin stripes or patterns on a shirt go with thick stripes or patterns on the tie.
This is exactly why I love the concept of a tie in every shape and form: It’s a fairly simplistic thing, yet it can make such a big impact when used to show off one’s personality. And it takes but a minor paradigm shift to appreciate the style a tie can add to your outfit – and the difference it can make to how others perceive you.