Style and Identity

The aesthetics of the tie and male-female relationships

How the Tie Shapes Gender Relations

A tie is not only a symbol of elegance, it is an unbreakable link between the male and female worlds, shaped in emotional moments of human history.

Long before the tie spread across Europe, women created and tied scarves to their loved ones as a sign of love – a counterpart to the modern engagement ring. This act was more than a practical gesture – it was deeply symbolic, a statement of love, belonging and loyalty. By tying a tie, women expressed choice, trust and commitment to men, but also gave them a symbol that emphasized their elegance, stature and spirit.

A tie, as a vertical symmetry on the male body, represents masculinity, upright posture and strength, while it is precisely women who have shaped the tie throughout history as an ornament, symbol and artistic expression. In this act, the beauty and nature of a woman are tied to the character of a man – creating a unity that transcends time.

To this day, women are often the best choosers of ties, recognizing what best emphasizes male elegance. The tie thus becomes a symbol of communication, mutual respect and the harmonious synergy of two worlds.

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Read More

A Sign of Belonging
How colours, stripes and patterns on the tie became a discreet language of shared identity
The Cravat in Art
How the repetition of a single form turns the tie into a rhythm of colour, pattern and difference
The Cravat in Art
How the tie remains one of the few stable signs of identity as the face dissolves into darkness in Bacon’s portraits.

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Cravat Knots
How the attempt to imitate the Duke of Windsor’s style gave rise to one of the world’s best-known tie knots.
Proportion and Harmony
On slight irregularity, proportion and the trace of the hand that give a well-tied necktie its character.
The Great Masculine Renunciation
How the increasingly restrained male suit turned the tie into a small space for colour, choice and personal expression
Evolution of form
From Neckclothitania to The Art of Tying the Cravat: how named knots, manuals and rules transformed neckwear in the early 19th century
European Traces of the Cravat
Zadar Inventories and Dress in the Croatian Style
The Visual Language
When the Tie Speaks – A Silent Expression of Personality and Culture