The Tie: A Global History

The Steinkirk. The Jabot. The Lavallière. The necktie has been worn many different ways throughout the centuries, but there is still no better symbol of a man’s sartorial sophistication.

This small detail can pull together the components of an outfit while also speaking volumes about the wearer’s sense of personal style. And, just as the preferred embodiment of the tie has shifted over time, so too has what it signifies.           

The Tie: A Global History takes readers through the necktie’s long history, from the seventeenth century through to the present day, when it has enjoyed renewed popularity thanks to the keen eyes of street style photographers and the well-turned out characters of the popular television series Mad Men.

Today, as at the pinnacle of its popularity in the 1950s, the modern “long tie” calls to mind for most the working professional, but the tie’s history has included forays into womenswear and even rock and roll.

Consistent throughout the popular accessory’s past is the predominance of Switzerland as a source of both designers and silks in trade, and the book documents the tradition of Swiss quality and style, drawing on the vast archives of the Swiss National Museum in Zürich, the home of an accompanying exhibition.           

Lavishly produced with more than one hundred full-color images, The Tie follows on the enormously popular Pirate Silk, which reproduced photographs capturing Switzerland’s historic silk trade, turning the focus on the important moments in the history of this accessory.

The Tie: A Global History