A lot of women love to incorporate ties as part of a fashion statement, but others shy away from them because they can’t quite seem to make them look right. When they go about tying a knot, the neckties end up hanging too low. When they make the necessary adjustments to make sure the tie hangs at the right place, they have trouble with the knots looking as good as they’d like them to. Well, vintage neckwear is here to the rescue! Many vintage ties are shorter, this allowing for both the knot and the length to look and drape as women wish them to.

The Problem with Tying a Knot

Why don’t some of the same knots look as good on women? Because of the physical adjustments women have to make in order for the tie to drape down to its intended resting point. If a woman wraps a tie around her neck to start the knotting process, and has the thin end on the one side pulled down as far as her husband or boyfriend usually has it, when she is done, the tie will hang too low. So she starts over with the thin end pulled down farther. The tie ends up hanging just right, but the knot is often too big because more fabric was used to create it. It is an unfortunate fact that when the thin end is pulled farther down, the part of the tie which is used to make the knot is wider and contains more fabric.

Many vintage neckties are shorter, so women don’t need to compensate when tying them. Ties from the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s are much shorter, partly because fashion dictated that they be worn several inches above the waist line. They range in length from 46 to 51 inches and are 3 to 4 ½ inches wide. The skinny rockabilly neckties from the 50’s and 60’s are also ideal. While they are a bit longer, averaging between 50 to 55 inches, they involve much less fabric because they are so skinny, so the longer ones will also work well, without the need for a woman to compromise the look of the knot.

Neckties got really wide in the late 60’s and throughout the 70’s, and while they were made from a variety of materials, many were constructed from thick polyester. It was a time of suits with wide a lapels and men chose the Windsor knot in order to create big knots to match. While that was the fashionable way to wear a tie, it is hardly what women want out of theirs. Many of the fabrics are too thick. The ties from this era are very wide and all that excess material makes it that much harder to create an attractive knot, so it is best to stay away from them.

In the 1980’s neckwear became skinny again, but some of the thicker fabrics remained, so it is best to stay with silk and rayon.

Patterns Common to All Eras

For those women seeking patterns commonly found today, not to worry. Solids, stripes, dots, plaids, geometric designs and floral themes have been popular since the beginning of the 20^th century, and it is just a matter of personal taste and matching color to one’s outfit. What’s more, many unusual designs have far greater appeal for those women interested in a one-of-a-kind look.

Conclusion

If today’s modern tie don’t work, try going vintage. The shorter length makes tying a tie much easier, resulting in a tie which drapes down as far as one needs it to, without the need to make any more adjustments.