Wool Ties
By: Eric Langlois
If you ask your average person to describe a necktie, they’ll probably say that it’s a piece of cloth tied around the neck with a collared shirt. With a little more encouragement, they might specify that neckties are made of smooth, shiny silk. Of course, only a portion of ties are made of silk, and even among those there is plenty of variation. Plain weave and twilled silks may be the most common in the necktie market, but knit or grenadine silk ties, or matte slub-silk ties are elegant alternatives. In the hottest months and tropical locations, ties might be made of cotton or linen, which breathe better and are easily cleaned if stained with sweat. But for fall and winter, few things capture the warmth and coziness of cool-weather clothing like a wool tie.
Well into the 20th Century, neckties were a piece of daily wear clothing for men of the middle and upper classes, or those in service roles who worked with the public. In the days before mass-produced acrylic materials, silk and silk-satin ties were expensive and relatively delicate. Ties in wool or other materials were more common as a harder-wearing alternative across all classes. Hunters, from the upper class on down, often wore wool neckties, as much to keep the neck and chest warm and to keep the hunter’s scent from startling game as to conform to social norms. Wool ties were also commonly worn as part of military and civilian uniforms during this era.
Perhaps the quintessential wool tie is a knit one, a simple rectangle that mirrors a knit scarf and gives the impression that it keeps your neck warm. When knit neckties first took off in the fashion world of the 1920s, the progenitors of the style were the wool ties knit for and worn by soldiers in the trenches of the First World War. Easily made from limited materials and comfortable to wear, they were one of the military style cues that were quickly absorbed into civilian fashion. While the most common knit ties today tend to be silk or silk-like acrylics, wool knit ties are seasonably available across a variety of brands. Vintage shoppers are in luck, as they are often extremely easy to find at reasonable prices, usually from the brand Rooster which made an impressive volume of knit ties between 1957 and 1989.
Woven wool ties, constructed and configured the same as their silk counterparts with rolled materials and pointed ends, can appear a little more refined than knitted ties. In a world where merely wearing a tie puts you ahead of everyone else, that’s not a major concern, but it can be helpful as a rule of thumb when assembling an outfit for the day. Wool/silk blend ties often appear at traditional clothiers during the fall/winter season, as a bridge between plain wool and plain silk, having the warmth and texture of the former while including the smooth refined nature of the latter.
Woven wool ties come in a variety of patterns, from plain colors to weaves like houndstooth and herringbone, to repp ties in muted fall tones. I recently saw a handsome wool/silk repp stripe tie with embroidered horsemen riding across one of the stripes in a pile of vintage ties at an estate sale. Wool ties in a family or school tartan are an excellent choice for those who want to quietly display a Scottish or Irish connection, and can be found through all kinds of Celtic cultural organizations. Wool ties naturally pair best with heavier, fall- or winter-weight clothes. A knit tie tucked into a v-neck sweater or cardigan is a relaxed way to dress up a bit in cold weather, and is an ideal outfit choice for Thanksgiving dinners or holiday parties. Wool ties pair ideally with flannel or tweed suits, capturing the cozy, country squire style that those materials convey, but I like to see them
worn with traditional workwear like chambray shirts and corduroy trousers. They hearken back to the early 20th Century era where laborers and hunters might have worn neckties, and add some stylistic contrast to an outfit. On the chilliest days, a wool tie paired with a wool or wool-blend shirt will keep you extremely warm without sacrificing style.
As Thanksgiving creeps up on us and the days get shorter and colder, it’s time to adjust our
wardrobes and our self-image to meet the new season. When you’re waiting for a train or going out to a frosted over car in the morning, there’s a sense of security in being dressed for the weather. Along with sturdy shoes and a warm coat, having a wool tie knotted around your neck can put you in the right mindset for whatever the day might bring.
