In 1992 I bought my first vintage necktie at a hospital rummage sale in Damariscotta, Maine. The tie dating from the late 1940s or early 1950s, has a bold design of polka dots in light tan, white and pale orange on a brown and celadon background. Costing only 10 cents, it was coming home with me. For many years it remained my only vintage necktie. Then I started to pick up more old ties, mostly from the 1940s, at local thrift stores. They were cheap (never more than $2.00) and they were colorful. It wasn’t until around 2007 that I started to concentrate on finding neckties from the 1920s and 1930s.

 

 

 

Common 1920s & 1930s Necktie Misconceptions

Wide neckties with bold designs over a solid color moire background date from the 1940s and 1950s. This is what people erroneously think 1920s or 1930s ties are like. A misconception readily apparent in the costume design of contemporary TV shows and movies set in the 1920s and 1930s. The Netflix series Damnation (2017) is set in the United States midwest of 1931. But some of the cast’s neckties date from the late ’40s or early ’50s.

 

There’s a lot that the costume designers get right in the Amazon Prime series The Last Tycoon (2017). And most of the neckties seem to be from the 1930’s or are very, very close approximations. But sometimes they get it wrong as in the image below, showing a nice skinny tie from the late 1950s. They also make one very big mistake with some necktie jewelry, but more on that later.

 

 

Common Necktie Characteristics

So what are the clues that can help you date a tie from between the two World Wars?

1: Lining; look at the back of the tie. The tie below does not have a lining. Most neckties made before the 1940s will not have one. The exception to the rule are expensive silk ties, they were either partially or fully lined.

2: Bell Bottom Flare; the part of the tie that hangs in back will usually flare out towards the bottom, like bell bottom trousers. Neckties from the mid-1920s and the late-1930s  have less flare than on ties from dating from around 1928 – 1936.

3: Width;  Most ties were on the narrow side. In the mid-1920s neckties were only 3 inches wide. The width started to increase by the end of the decade. By 1930 the width increased to 3 1/2 inches, it would continue to widen for the next couple of years reaching 4 inches by 1932. The Depression brought on conservative times and wide flamboyant ties must not have been proving popular as the width started to go back down to between 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches for the rest of the decade.

4: Length; necktie length of the 1920s & 1930s is short when compared to today’s ties. When knotted the bottom point of the tie is just below the sternum.  A vest was part men’s fashion so the length of the tie did not need to be long. Plus in the era before the Second World War seeing the bottom of a necktie was considered a fashion faux pas.

5: Design; stripes and plaids dominated necktie patterns between the World Wars.

6: Fabric; most neckties made in the 1920s and 1930s were: Rayon, cotton and wool. Silk dominated the more expensive tie market. While for more casual or sporty occasions knit ties were a good choice. In the 1920s one could even buy seersucker ties for summertime wear.

 

 

Some of the Neckties in my Collection

1920s

 

1930s

Stripes

 

Plaids

 

Early-1930s Patterns

 

Mid – Late-1930s Patterns

 

Knits

 

 

Vintage Necktie Prices

What can you expect to pay for a vintage necktie? Prices will vary greatly. When buying a necktie from a thrift store (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.) they should be in the $1.00 – $2.00 range. At a flea market expect to pay from $1.00 – $10.00. But at a good vintage clothing store or an antique or vintage clothing show the price goes up considerably. In these venues $20.00 – $50.00 is the general going rate for a nice 1920s or 1930s necktie in excellent condition.

 

Condition

A vintage necktie in excellent condition should last a good number of years. So before buying one, look it over carefully. Any wear and tear (shredding silk, rips, stains, etc.) will only get worse fast once you start to wear it. Rayon and silk neckties tend to wear out faster than wool or knit ties. Wool ties can suffer from moth damage. If the tie is inexpensive enough and the damage is in not too visible spot, buy it and enjoy it. But if you are going to spend over $20.00, the necktie should be in excellent condition.

 

 

 

Finishing Touches – Necktie Jewelry

While there aren’t many types of jewelry to accompany neckties, there are a few typical pieces one can and should wear with neckties. Starting from the top (neck) down (chest) –

1: Collar bar or collar clip. These clips attach to the collar bringing it in to frame the knot and also pushing it forward. Coming into popularity in the late-1920’s, use of collar bars started to wane by the late-1930s. They enjoyed a revival in the late-1970s through the early-1980s.

 

2: Tie Tacs: Tie Tacs are little pins, often topped with a pearl or gold ball that one pushes through the tie and fits into a back piece. The back piece usually is attached to a chain and bar. The bar goes through a button hole and if the two pieces separate, the bar in the button hole prevents it from falling. While very stylish, I personally do not like them as they put a hole in the tie, which is not good for nearly 100-year-old fabric.

 

3: Tie clip: This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a clip that attaches the necktie to the shirt to hold it in place. In the 1920s and 1930s they did not have moving part and one just slides it onto the tie and shirt. Later ones (1950s and later) have a moveable clip on a hinge with teeth in the back that clamps onto the tie and shirt.

 

 

4: Cravat Chain: This is my favorite type of necktie clip. The clip portion attaches to the shirt under the necktie. Then the tie goes through the chain, which hangs down in front. Cravat chains usually have a fob with one’s initial(s). Sometimes they are souvenirs from a world’s fair or other tourist site.

 

 

How not to wear a cravat chain –

 

Of course if you ever need vintage necktie inspiration or really want to know what was popular in the 1920s or 1930s, just watch a movie from back then or flip through an old magazine, it will be your best guide.

 

Anthony (One half of the Freakin’, ‘Tiquen’ Guys)