Necktie Glossary
Compiled by Peter Kuklinski, aka the “man of cloth”. Peter lives in Bala Cynwyd, PA and has been a part of the woven manufacturing textile industry for over 3 decades. Peter works for Valdese Weavers as a Regional Sales Manager in their NYC office.
This glossary accompanies Peter’s article on necktie fabrics and history.
Below please find a general grouping of terms connected with neck ties. The more you explore neckwear cloths, the greater will be your eyes for distinction, coupled with an appreciation that is duly forged for these amazing textiles that adorn our lives–past, present, and future.
Bar Tack – The short horizontal stitch to secure the closure and preventing the tie from being undone.
Bias – In tie manufacturing, the tie cloth and lining are cut on a 45-degree angle across the grain of the fabric which allows the tie to keep its original shape and achieve proper drape after knotting.
Blade - The end of the tie and categorized as narrow or wide.
Dandy – A man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance.
Flat End Tie – Necktie that has a straight edge rather than a pointed tip. Typically used in knitted ties and practical for ties of 3” width or less.
Foulard Tie – A tie featuring a small geometric design.
Four-in-Hand Ties – The tie construction consisting of three or four separate pieces of the shell that is sewn into the shape of the tie. This method is the simplest and most common.
Interlining – The hidden layers within the tie’s shell that aid in creating and maintaining the tie’s shape while adding texture and bulk. Typically, a fine brushed wool is used in better ties.
Grabatologist – A necktie collector.
Keeper Loop or Keeper– The loop on the back of the ties that holds the tie’s tail in place and can be in the form of an insignia label or a loop of the tie’s material–or both.
Kipper Tie – An enormously wide tie, often up to 5” width that comes in bold colors, small feminine prints, and psychedelic swirls.
Macclesfield Ties & Spitalfields Ties – Weaving centers in England that specialized in tightly woven jacquard geometric patterns, typically expressed as circles, squares, and diamonds, but also including more elaborate motifs in a broad color range. The terms once independently expressed are used interchangeably today.
Madder Ties – Printed ties that are multicolored and historically printed on a special gum-twill silk creating a chalky hand and a somewhat faded, or powdery look. Matte ties of overall busy and colorful patterns also fit this term.
Neck – The mid part of the tie.
Repp & Regimental Ties – Either woven or printed and showcasing diagonal stripes and perhaps the most popular tie offering ever, these narrow and wide stripe patterns with unique color combinations and often employing a repp weave are classic. Their origin relates to the British military, but has been a mainstay of American fashion since the early 20th century.
Rolled Edge – Edge of the tie from front to back that is carefully rolled and pressed to provide fullness versus a flat crease.
Tipping – The material that covers the backside of the tie’s bottom, also referred to as lining. Self-tipped ties employ the same material as used in the tie. Untipped ties have a finished hem while decorative tipping employs a different material, often a satin cloth with the maker’s insignia.
Seven-Fold Ties – Can use 1.25 yds of a 27” wide fabric for a single tie. This folding tie manufacturing method constructs a tie from a single piece of the fabric shell rather than combing pieces. It is more handcrafted technique requiring high skill to create and can be overall heftier, thus not needing an interlining to hold the shape of the tie.
Shell – Also known as the envelope, it’s the outermost fabric of the tie.
Skinny Tie – A tie that is 1.5” – 2.5” at its widest point.
Slip Stitch – The thread running down the underside of the tie vertically, which offers flexibility to the material in movement during tying and untying ties.
Swing Ties – Modeled after late 1950’s and early 1960’s jazz greats, these ties are wide and short but flared in the front.
Tail – Narrow end of the tie that lays behind the wider end of the tie when knotted.
Tie Bar or Tie Clasp – an ornamental clip for holding the tie in place.
Tie Knot – The knot is created when typing the neckties and there are a myriad of ways to tie a knot, with the most popular being the four-in-the-hand knot. The Windsor and Half Windsor knots are also popular.