Brushstroke Swirls

Another '30's era tie. This one I'm calling "Brushstroke Swirls" for lack of anything better. My scanner really seems to have problems with dark shades of maroon. I had to really run this scan through the image enhancement software process in a major way to get it to come even close to the actual color.

It's pretty close now, but just a bit on the dark side. (Not the dark side of the force, mind you 8^)

I believe I mentioned embroidery in one of my previous 2007 entries. These ties have a unique kind of fabric that resembles embroidery, but unlike embroidery, the design is not stitched on TOP of the fabric, but is embedded into the fabric itself. I wish someone with more knowledge of fabric would explain it to me. How this fabric is made, that is, and what the proper terminology for it is.

I have said several times before that these scans don't really do it justice. But then, the ties themselves, from any distance at all, appear rather plain and ordinary, dull even. It's only when you take a look at them up close that you can perceive the richness, the sheen, the jewel-like colors, the elaborate stitching effect that is created. These ties are much more subtle than those from the next decade, but are not nearly as dramatic and flashy. But seen up close, they are just as stunningly beautiful. That's my view, anyhow, and I'm sticking to it!

Maroon and Silver

Here's another Christmas present tie. This was part of the group of ties my wife purchased from the little antique shop in downtown Olympia, and gave me for my Christmas present from her. See my post from two weeks ago for the first one.

I'm not happy with the color cast from the scanner, and despite all I could do with my graphics editor, I couldn't really get the on screen version to match what I see when I hold the tie in my hand. Of course, I'm looking at the tie under incandescent light, and often colors look different than they do under either sunlight or fluorescent light.

The real color is more of a classic maroon than what I've captured on the scan. The contrasting patterns are fairly accurately captured, shiny silver, with occasional blue streaks in amongst the silver.

Not much else to say about the tie, except that like most of these thirties vintage, it is narrower, and looks fairly prosaic until you get up close and examine it carefully at close range. Then its brilliance and glamor become more apparently visible. No tags to record.

Blue Number Two

Here's another blue beauty from the thirties. This on is more monochromatic even than last week's, but is still exhibits a brilliant sheen and shine replete with jewel like colors embedded into the fabric.

It doesn't really come through in the scan, but each of those patterns which dribble down the face of the tie, which somewhat resemble rivers on a map, is actually bi-colored, one side a lighter, glossier silverier shade of blue, and the other an almost maroon or reddish hue. The two colors cross over each other occasionally as they meander down the tie.

The small independently floating shapes are likewise made from the same two colors, paired together. It's a very subtle yet beautiful effect, especially when seen directly, not through the computer's attempt at recreating the colors. Click on the tie for a slightly larger version, where the two colored embroidery is a little more visible, though still not as clearly as in the actual tie itself, unfortunately.

This tie has a label which has survived! Fastened to the inside of the large end of the tie, it reads:

Li-Ro
Cravat
Hande Made
Wool Lined

Blue Beauty

Take a look at this blue beauty! Narrower than the other thirties era ties I've posted, but just as dramatic in its own way. This tie has an almost patchwork quilt like quality to its design. For once, I think the scan has captured at least some of the brilliance and opulence of the fabric in this tie.

This tie was a Christmas present from my wife, who found it at a little antique shop in downtown Olympia, Washington, with three more, one of which I may post next week. Another is a forties era, which will have to wait until I decide to slide back into that decade, which won't be for a while yet. And the final one looks like a homemade tie, perhaps from the sixties. Attractive in its own way, but not appropriate for the blog at this time. Maybe someday.

We need to go back and check out the antique shop again, as they told my wife they thought they had more vintage ties, but that they just weren't sure exactly where they were. In a box in their storage somewhere, undoubtedly.

It's rare for labels to have survived in these thirties era ties, and this one is no exception. That is to say, there are no labels in it. And I've yet to wear it. I'll have to find the right outfit and occasion! I have a pair of navy corduroy slacks which have a bit of a sheen to them that will probably work nicely, perhaps with my gray-blue shirt. Time will tell.