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There are many social norms that are widely accepted even though they don't really make sense, such as when we think it's normal for everyone in a room to turn into an amateur exorcist as soon as another person sneezes.
There is something to be said for the idealistic sentiment of " never stop asking questions ," but if you spend all day trying to understand the origins of the many rituals of daily life, you will not achieve much.
As anyone who has been stuck with a five-year-old for more than four minutes knows, sometimes it is easier not to overthink why you are doing something and simply accept " Because " as an answer.
That said, "Because" is not always sufficient.
The tie is the very essence of fashion and function, because having a long piece of fabric tied around the neck is more of a hindrance than anything else.
People have been wearing ties in various forms for thousands of years , but if you want to know the origins of the modern tie, you need to go back a few hundred years and familiarize yourself with the tie.
The tie - which is actually a light scarf - was the preferred clothing accessory of the Croatian mercenaries hired by Louis XIII , who has the honor of being the member of the French nobility most frequently cited by rappers.
When Louis XIV came to power, the necktie had taken Paris by storm. The city suddenly resembled a yo-yo competition at a scout camp, as people rushed to find new ways to tie things.
However, it will take some time before someone finds the "right" way.
The necktie underwent some evolution (as well as some competition) over the following centuries, but the next major step towards the modern necktie did not occur until the 1860s, in the form of the four-handed knot.
It is believed that this knot, which was originally used by coachmen to prevent their ties from flapping in the wind when working in bad weather, was adopted by members of an influential London social club of the same name before becoming popular with the public.
The four-in-hand became very popular when workers began to adapt to the impact of the industrial revolution and sought a simpler way to secure the cloth they always felt obliged to wear around their necks for one reason or another.
However, despite all the progress of the time, it took some time before the modern tie as we know it came into being.
In the 1920s, New York tailor Jesse Langsdorf devised a way to make a tie using three different pieces of fabric, in order to obtain a straighter cut and give its owner the possibility of wearing his tie more than once without having to wash it.
This style of tie quickly became the everyday standard, while the bow tie - the Rick and Morty of ties - was reserved for more formal occasions (ascots were practically forgotten by everyone except people who use cigarette holders when they smoke and Fred from Scooby Doo).
Langsdorf's design has remained the standard, although the tie has constantly evolved since its creation.
There is no evidence that the tie - especially in its most recent form - has ever had a tangible and practical role, in the same way that a coat protects you from the cold or a hat protects you from the sun (although certain styles and patterns - such as stripes - may make you look a little slimmer).
More than anything, ties are actually a fantastic anthropological barometer of fashion and culture over the last century.
The commonly accepted width and length have varied greatly, with the thinnest ties reflecting periods when a more fitted look was in vogue (namely the 1950s and 1960s and the resurgence of thin ties in the late 2000s and early 2010s).
In the 1970s, the tie became less of a fashion accessory and more of a form of expression, with more traditional patterns (or the absence of patterns) giving way to more colorful patterns inspired by the counter-culture movement.
Ties continued to serve as a means for people who are otherwise restricted by a standard dress code to display their personality with their outfit, which explains why the 80s and 90s saw the rise of graphic ties covered with cartoon characters or drawn like a keyboard.
The pendulum eventually swung back the other way and we now live in a world where a more conservative and discreet look is the norm.
I personally blame the French, but it seems that the real answer boils down to one thing: tradition.
As we have established, ties have no real purpose other than to enhance one's outfit. One could almost say the same of watches , which could be considered equally useless now that everyone has a mobile phone.
Yet, they both continue to hold their own.
For now, the tie is the accessory of choice when you want to give an air of formality to a given situation, whether it's a party, a funeral, or a business matter.
It is possible that it may one day suffer the same fate as popped collars and Zubaz if another accessory comes along and changes the game, but I don't see the tie disappearing anytime soon.
Discover how to draw a tie .
Find out if you should wear a tie to a funeral .
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