Red and Gold Corners

OK, we're back to forties era ties. No more thirties, at least for now. This is quite a gorgeous example. I call it "red and gold corners" because the stripes all turn a corner near the bottom of the tie.

On top of this pattern are scattered pieces of smaller boxes (smaller than the size of box implied by the one corner that is visible), with scalloped edges.

This tie has a lovely brocade woven into the fabric as well. The brocade pattern is somewhat strange also. Vaguely diamond-shaped patterns with heavily rounded edges slightly resemble Caspar or some othe friendly ghost. Each one has four dots, like giant buttons, down the front.

This tie was part of an eBay purchase within the past several months. Unfortunately there are no labels to transcribe. Just a beautiful forties exemplar. Enjoy!

Red Blobs

Blobs, that's not a very attractive name for this tie's design, but it's the best I could come up with. I mean, this tie is covered with blobs on several levels. There are big red and maroon blobs all over the tie, and those blobs are filled with smaller blobs.

Blob is an interesting word. Change one letter, and you've got blog, which is the medium in which I'm writing. According to one definition I read on the web, a blob is "an indistinct, shapeless form." So maybe these aren't blobs at all, since they do have shape. Most of them are at least vaguely circular in shape.

And they are fairly distinguishable. You can tell where each blob (if that's even what they are) begins and ends. So if they aren't blobs, what are they? Spots? Who cares? Let's talk about the tie, which frankly, is more interesting than those blobby spots that cover it.

What era is this tie from? I'm thinking it might be from the thirties, but frankly, I'm not sure. Why thirties? Because it's thinly constructed, with a very narrow seam around the edges, and no lining. And it's about the right width.

But, the pattern is NOT woven directly into the fabric, as most of my thirties ties are. And the construction on the back is almost (not quite) centered, not overlapping, or off centered like so many thirties ties. The small end is somewhat off centered, but the large end is only slightly so.

There are two labels, which provide some clues that could possibly date the tie more definitively. The first one is the seller's label, which reads:

Herbert Men's Shops
Stores All Over Town
Chicago

The second label is presumably the manufacturer's label, which reads:

"Beau Brummell"
Imported
Ties the best
Made by Hand

Trademark reg.
Resilient
U.S. Patent 1447090

A little Google searching on Herbert Men's Shops found ads listing them in a 1954 Life magazine, via Google Books, and a story about one located in Downer's Grove, Illinois, closing. The story is dated Sept. 13, 2007, but that particular Herbert Men's Shop opened in 1940. There are lots of other hits, which I don't have time to follow up on now.

The fact that a particular example of this men's clothing store chain opened in 1940 doesn't mean that others in the chain weren't open in the thirties. More research is needed. But I think it is safe to say that if this particular tie isn't from the thirties, then it is probably from the forties, or possibly even the fifties. One could check the patent number, and see when it was issued. That would give a "can't be earlier than" date for the tie.

Well, that's more than enough about this tie for today. I have places to go, things to do, chores to complete. See you later . . .

Matched Pair -- Maroon and Violet

Here are a matched pair of slightly plainer patterned thirties era ties. And what is especially unique about these is that one of them at least, the purplish one, has apparently never been worn, since it still has the original packaging label on it.

The other one is frankly in better condition, however. The purple one appears to be faded, most likely from exposure to sunlight. You can see that the wide end of the tie, facing toward the top of the picture, fades toward a much lighter shade of color.

The label has a top hat, and a cane, depicted against a city skyline. The top hat itself has the words "Smart Style" on it. The center band of the label reads "Schulco Brand" and below, the label says "Selected Fabrics For Longer Wear." At the bottom left, across the end of the cane, is an eschutcheon device with the letter "S," presumably for "Schulco" on it. The ties have no other labels attached inside or out, just this one.

The ties themselves are classic conservative thirties design. The design is woven directly into the fabric, and the construction is very off-centered in back (not visible in the scan. The design itself is what I'm calling conservative, consisting as it does of thin stripes criss-crossing at 45 degree angles. in the scan you have to look closely to see the second set of stripes on each tie, the primary ones being considerably more prominent.

The bright dots on each tie are where the stripes intersect. On the purple tie, some of the paired dots are bright red, not really visible in the scan. Others are silver, and some are a pale blue. On the marroon tie, the paired dots are bright green, silver again, and the same marroon as the rest of the tie.

What's fun about these, of course, is having a matched pair. Many ties through the decades have been made with the same exact pattern in various colors, but these are more difficult to find and collect for historical ties, since rarely did one individual buy more than one color at a time. There are other examples here on the blog, but I don't have time today to link to them all.

Jewel Toned Stripes of Red and Black

When I saved this scanned image to my computer disk, I named it "Blobby Red Stripes" but now that I'm posting it, "Jewel Toned" sounds so much classier, don't you think?

The tie is quite opulent in appearance, but restrained. That is, it appears ordinary and somewhat monochromatic, almost dull, from a distance. It's only when you see it up close that you can appreciate it's gem-like qualities.

In the right light, at the right angle, the brighter blobby red stripes literally shimmer and shine, glimmer and glisten. Even the duller stripes in between are covered in many small black and red dots, contributing to the overall effect.

I presume that this is another thirties-era tie, as the pattern appears to be woven directly into the fabric, and the construction is off-centered in back, as is typical of that era tie. However, the tie is lined, which is less common.

Finally, I suppose I ought to comment on the fact that it's been a month and a half since I last posted a tie here on the blog. I've used this excuse before in previous years, which doesn't make it any less applicable now. As an active church musician, organist, pianist, choir accompanist, March and the first part of April was a very busy time, leading up to Holy Week and Easter, one of the busiest times in any church musician's schedule. So I just didn't find the time to scan and post any ties. I hope I can do better in future, as I've got quite a few new ties to post!

Red and Blue Amoeba-like Blobs

When I started typing the title for this post, I inadvertently typed "blogs" instead of "blobs." Kind of a Freudian slip, I suppose, though don't ask me what it means.

This is another gorgeous tie from the thirties. Red and blue blobs, vaguely amoeba shaped, float about on a background of—guess what color? Maroon, of course. With silvery sparkles imbedded throughout.

I'll have to count up one of these days, but it seems like well over half the thirties ties I own have maroon as their primary color.

Each amoeba blob is paired with another smaller one, and one or the other of the blobs is cross-hatched. Sometimes it's the larger one, sometimes the smaller. The red blob is always bigger, the blue one always smaller. But whichever blob is cross-hatched, blue or red, also has a small silver dot, kind of like an eye.

Except that amoebas don't have eyes. Well these aren't really amoebas after all. Just blobs shaped vaguely LIKE amoebas. The blob which isn't cross-hatched, the lesser (not necessarily smaller, mind!) blob is mostly maroon in color, only without the silvery sparkles, with only a thin crescent edge to show that it is a blue (if smaller) or red (if larger) blob, as though it were in a kind of eclipse behind the more significant, cross-hatched blob with the silvery dot/eye on it.

What does this mean? What is the symbolic significance of this ornately realized design? Who knows? Does anyone care? Does it matter? What is the significance of life? Who knows? Does anyone care? Does it matter? Are these questions existentialistically significant? Who knows: Does anyone care? Does it matter? Is "existentialistically" really a word? Who knows? Does anyone care? Does it matter?

Now if any of that nonsense I've just written makes any sense to you, you're probably even battier than I am. And just how batty is that? Who knows? Does anyone care? Does it matter? Enough, already.

This tie has one label, sewed into the small end, as can be plainly seen in the scanned image. The label reads:

Orris
Chicago-Park Ridge

Who knows? Does anyone care? Does it matter?

Brown and Silver Thirties Era

Here is another 30's era tie. What I like about these is the opulent effect of the bright and glossy pattern woven directly into the fabric. Even when the colors are fairly conservative, as in this example, the sheen of the fabric, and the almost embossed look of the pattern create an impression that I can only describe as opulent, rich.

This one is basic brown, designed to go with any brown suit, with a contrasting color of silver, which is an unusual combination. If I were thinking of combining a metallic color with brown, it would more likely be bronze or gold than silver. But it works.

My wife tried to persuade me that the patterns repeated across this tie were paisleys. But I don't think so. They could be described as "almost" paisley, perhaps. They also resemble abstract ying and yang symbols, or perhaps a swirling galaxy, or a cosmic dust cloud forming into a star or planet.

This tie has the characteristic off-center stitching in the back that is characteristic of thirties tie construction, as well as the even more characteristic feature of having its design woven directly into the fabric, as I mentioned above. Slightly less characteristic is the fact that the tie is lined, which many in this style are not. It's width is still conservative, under 4 inches, about 3 3/4 inches at its widest point, te be exact.

The tie has no extant labels to record. One reason I chose this particular tie to scan and blog this week is that I actually wore it to professional meeting on this Thursday past. The first and only time I've ever worn it, as it, like the others posted in the past few weeks, is a relatively recent acquisition.

Silver, Green, and Red, on Maroon--Thirties Era

Here's another thirties beauty. Maroon is the primary background color, like so many others. I'm not sure if maroon was really a favorite color for men's ties in that era, or if it's merely a coincidence that so many of the thirties ties I have managed to collect are basically maroon.

This one has lightning-edged blotches of red and green imbedded in silver all over the tie. Like so many of my ties from this era, the pattern is woven directly into the fabric. The fabric has its own sheen, making it look rich and opulent.

If you look closely at each of the square-shaped blotches (that's what I'm callin them for lack of a better term), you'll see that the red or green starts bright, then fades toward a darker shade, and in fact, ends up the same maroon color as the background on the tie.

The short end of the tie has one label sewed in, which reads:

Normandy
Hand Tailored

Circles of Grapes

I described last week's tie as possibly transititional between the thirties and the forties. So I decided to continue with some additional thirties era ties that I have acquired since last posting any thirties ties.

This one I'm calling "Circles of Grapes" because it looks like clusters of grapes encircled by circular patterns. The basic color scheme is maroon, which seems to have been a favorite for the era, unless it is merely a coincidence that so many of the ties I have from the thirties are that color.

I don't have much time, so that's about all I'm going to say about the tie. It does have one extant label, which shows in the scan, but is upside down. It reads:

Cheney
Cravats
Resilient
Construction

Baroque Beauty

Well, it's certainly about time that I got started posting ties again. One of the problems I've had is that my regular computer crashed a few months ago, and I still haven't gotten everything rebuilt back to the way it was. For example, my all-in-one printer, scanner, copier had never been installed. I couldn't find the CD-ROM, so I had to go to the Brother printer support web site, and download the driver from there, and reinstall it.

So now I can at least scan the ties. I had been scanning them on my older computer, and then moving them across. A pain. Now that I've got the scanner installed, I hope to be able to post ties on a more regular basis. We'll see if I manage to actually do so.

So what about this tie? It's one that I acquired sometime this past year in an eBay purchase. It's quite dramatic in its own way. I don't know the era for sure, but based on its style, it looks to me like a transitional tie, somewhere between the thirties and the forties. The pattern appears woven directly into the fabric, and the construction is way off centered (you can't see this in the scan; I'd have to scan the reverse side of the tie for that), both of which are typical thirties characteristics. However, the tie is lined, which is more characteristic of the forties.

So why did I call it "Baroque Beauty"? I don't know. That's just what came to mind when I tried to think of a title. I'm using "baroque" here in the generic sense of "ornate, intricate, decorated, laden with detail," (definition from Wiktionary) which particularly describes the rosy maroon and silver stripes across the tie. The tie has no labels to record.

Scrolling Circles

Here's an unusually patterned tie! Scroll-like patterns separate circles with differently colored dots at the center of them. Some of the circles are yellow with green dots, some red with yellow dots, and some green with red dots.

I believe this to be a forties era tie, primarily because of the fabric, which is the smooth, thin, acetate or silk, so typical of that period. The design is almost op art, reminiscent of the sixties and seventies, but sixties ties were thin, not wide, and seventies ties, when they got wide again, were generally made from thick polyester. So I'm relatively confident in my forties identification.

The tie has one label, which oddly, is sewn onto the back of the large end, about eight inches up from the end. It reads:

FASHIONED
AND
HAND MADE BY
Marilyn

The first letter of each word in the label is red, the others black. The word "Marilyn" is in a script style font, the rest in block letters. There is a small image of a woman in a long skirt and apron apparently hand-stitching a tie, to the left of the text on the label. A row of X's and dots surrounds the writing on three sides, with the image of the woman on the fourth side.

Golden Teardrops

Another recent eBay acquisition, this beauty has a background that is somewhere between burgundy and brown, with golden yellow teardrop shapes splattered about, together with some teardrops that are lighter in color, lined with the background to create a patterned effect.

I wish you could see the brocade in this tie, but it really didn't come through in the scan at all. Parts of it are elaborate leaf and plant shapes, but another part shows a fantastical beast, which looks like a phoenix perhaps, or maybe a bird of paradise, or some other mythical or imaginary creature. The lower half of this bird-like beast devolves into what almost look like more leafish figures. It's quite an amazing image, and hard to make out with the naked eye, let alone in a scan.

There is one label sewed into the small end, which is faded, and difficult to read, but appears to show a small coat of arms, under which it reads:

Exclusive Fabric
Resilient Construction

Red Paisely (again?)

I know, I know, it's been almost three months since I've posted a tie here. I can hardly believe it myself. I wouldn't blame any of you who monitored this blog for thinking it was dead, or that maybe I was!

No, I'm still here, and I have a bunch of new ties that need to be posted. My wife gave me half a dozen or more great examples for my birthday last month, plus I've scored several great hauls on eBay recently.

So where have I been? Just busy, busy, busy. My life has seemed to overtake me, leaving little or no time for blogging. Getting on Facebook didn't help, as that's a real time sink, no two ways about it. But mostly, there has just been TOO much to do, too many errands, chores, tasks, responsibilities, which have filled up my Sunday afternoons, leaving no time for blogging.

Well, I'm back, and I hope things will slow down for a while, and I'll be able to get back into the swing of blogging ties for a while. So what about this beauty? It's one of the eBay finds I made in the past month or so. As is so often the case, I fear that the scan may not truly do it justice.

While it doesn't have the brocaded pattern woven into the fabric that my favorite forties usually have, it is made from a very shiny, almost brilliant satiny fabric that has a very luxurious and elegant, even opulent feel to it. The stylized paisley pattern is dramatically dispalyed in white and silver, with burgandy trim matching the striking burgundy background.

In the scan, the small end, and the other cross-wise pieces, which were behind the wide end on the scanner bed, appear much darker, brown or even black. Trust me, the wide end is closest to the real color, but the shiny, silky feel of the fabric barely comes through. The tie has one extant label, sewed into the inside of the small end, which reads simply "Brent." And sideways in very small letters "35J-S7".

I'm glad to be back and hope to present several more fabulous finds in the very near future.

Peacocks on Red

Here is a recent acquisition. It came in another batch of cheap ties on eBay. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for! I have this search set up that only alerts me if a vintage tie listing for $10.00 or less is within 48 hours of expiring, and with no bids. In other words, I'm the inveterate bargain hunter!

The ties that came in this particular batch are nice enough, but in relatively poor condition. This one has some small drops of paint near the bottom, and is generally a bit dingy, showing its age.

It may be fairly old, based on the construction, which is overlapping in back, not centered, as later ties tend to be. Also, there is no lining, just the tie fabric itself, with some stiffening fabric sewn in further up.

The design is pretty straightforward, if just a bit flamboyant. Showy peacocks strut their stuff amid hints of a fancy formal garden. The tie is done in what appears to be just three colors: the deep, almost brick-red, a blue-gray, and yellow, on top of white (one presumes). I say presumes, because I don't really know how the fabric was printed. It appears as though the red is the true background color, and I suppose the white, like the yellow and gray-blue, were printed over it, but somehow I doubt it.

The tie has one label, shown in the scan. I assume it's the seller's label. It reads as follows:

C.E. Pyle
Rochester, Ind.

Blue Strawberries

Strawberry season is already past, more or less, here in Western Washington, although there should be another season for the late berries. We were on vacation most of that time, as I recall.

Anyway, here's a tie that appears to depict strawberries, even though they're a fairly unusual blue color. And some of them are on top of leaves, although they don't look exactly like strawberry leaves to me.

The background color of the tie is a deep maroon color, sort of a wine color, and unusual shade. In the scan, it probably doesn't come through well. Right now, on my screen, it looks more of a chocolate brown color. The fabric doesn't have any brocade, but has a shiny, silky, sheen to it, like so many ties from that era.

The tie has two labels, shown in the scan. The first one, which I assume to be the retailer's label, reads

Armstrong's
"Quality is economy"
Cedar Rapids

The second label, which I presume to be the manufacturer's label, reads

Cahama
California
Swagger

Red & Yellow, Silver & White

I know, I know. It's been three weeks since I last posted a vintage tie here. Mea culpa. We were on vacation the first two weeks, and then the next week we were trying to catch up from having been gone so much. There often just aren't enough hours in the day or the week to go around.

But I'm back. And I hope you enjoy this tie. It's a classic forties era design, quite colorful, with a lively design.

I'm not really sure how to describe the design. I'm almost tempted to just refer you to the title I gave this post, and leave it at that. Except that it's probably more maroon than red. Red only in a very general, generic sense.

But to just call it abstract would be a cop-out. If you look carefully, the large maroon blob could be a leaf-like shape, I suppose. It almost looks more like a large toothy saw blade, with the yellow and silver ripper blades around the edges. And lower down on the tie is another smaller version of the same thing.

Instead of a saw blade, it could be some sort of amoeba blob thing, I suppose. I think my imagination may be getting a bit carried away. Let's go back to something tamer, like a highly stylized leaf or flower, maybe a sunflower! or something. Or something else altogether? You decide.

The tie has one label, sewn into the small end which reads as follows:

Ward & Ward INC.
Phila. PA.

Dad's Mums

In honor of Father's Day, I present this tie, the last of the ties (to be posted here) that belonged to my Dad. When I first became interested in vintage ties, back when I was still in high school, I went to my Dad and asked him if he had any old ties. Sure enough, he had a nice little collection of ties from the forties, some of them quite splendid, indeed.

Unfortunately, some of them were in the old farmhouse when it burned to the ground a year or two later, just before I graduated. But I have the three that survived, and this is the final one to be posted. The two earlier examples are Dad's Red and Blue Paisely and Feathers for Father's Day.

This one is just as attractive as the other two. I'm sorry that I had to scan it with the pointed large end of the tie off the scanner bed, but it was necessary in order to get the entire bouquet of carnations into the picture.

Yes, I know I called this post "Dad's Mums," which would imply crysthanthemums, but these are more likely supposed to be carnations. I just couldn't resist the wordplay supplied by that title!

My Dad's been gone for several years now, and my Mom can't keep up with the old place anymore. So she put it on the market, and now it has sold. This very weekend, she's moving away, to live closer to my one of my sisters. That in itself is difficult to deal with emotionally. My folks moved to that little farm (13 1/2 acres, more or less) when I was only three, going on four years old. That was over fifty years ago! And that's been the place I've thought of as "home" for all these years, the place I've always gone back to. And now it will be in someone else's hands. Kind of a tough way to celebrate Father's Day! But it was inevitable; we knew it was coming, and it's really only a kind of ironic coincidence that it happened on Father's Day.

But back to the tie. It has one extant label, sewn sideways into the short end of the tie, which reads:

Resilient construction
Towncraft Deluxe Cravat
Fabric loomed in U.S.A.

The tie is made of that wonderful shiny, silky, slippery fabric so common to the era, probably rayon. It doesn't have a brocade, but the design itself creates almost the effect of one, with the infinitude of small tine white striped lines that flow down the silvery colored portion of the tie's surface.

At the top end of the scan, you can just barely see where the fabric turns solid red, which would have had the effect of making the knot solid red in color, matching the featured slice of red that splays out across the center of the tie, and the two red carnations, which give the tie its dash of brilliance.

Looking at this tie, holding it in my hand, reminds me once again of my own father, bringing back many memories.

Happy Father's Day to dads everywhere!

Purple with Orange Birds

Last week's post featured pheasants in the brocade. This tie unfortunately has no brocade, but it also features birds, this time right on the tie, not hidden in the background.

What kind of birds they are, I'm not exactly sure, not being an expert birder or anything. But they look like fairly common ordinary type birds. At first glance, I thought they might be swallows, and the wing positions suggest swallows swooping, but the birds are a bit too plump to be swallows. They may not be realistic attempts to portray any particular species of bird, but may just be generic birds, who knows.

This is a gorgeous tie, with its combination of purple and orange, and with the background of branches, over which the birds are swooping and fluttering, indicate by the swirling movement lines connecting them. It and last week's "Pleasant Pheasant Brocade" exemplar came together in the same eBay purchase, the two of them sold as one lot.

There are two extant labels on this tie, sewn into the large end of the tie, rather than the small end, as is more typical. The first label is the seller's label, and it reads:

Goldstein-Migel Co
Waco, Texas

The second label is the manufacturer's label, and it reads:

California Classics
Hollyvogue
Made in California

As such, it joins four other Hollyvogue tie postings on the blog:

• Black and Silver (July 20, 2008)
• Autumn Leaves Number Seven (November 12, 2006)
• Coral and Starfish (August 6, 2006)
• Elongated Ovals (May 28, 2006)

The last of those posts talks a bit about the Hollyvogue brand, and provides a link to the current Hollyvogue web site.

Pleasant Pheasant Brocade

Now here's an interesting tie. Also a relatively recent eBay acquisition. On the surface, what you see is a kind of shimmering stripes of orangey brown and tan, fading into one another, and angled from left to right at about a 45 degree angle.

Right about midway up the tie (it looks higher on the scan, due to the limited range of the scanner, which can only handle 8 1/2 by 11 inch images), is a patterned stripe containing a vaguely floral pattern that could almost be Christmas inspired, with leaves of red and green formed into large draped garlands.

But by far more interesting than any of these details is the pattern woven into the brocade, which consists of what appear to me like stylized pheasants, or fancy long-tailed birds of some type. I suppose a more fanciful view might be that they are representations of the fabled Phoenix bird.

I suspected they would be difficult to see in the scan of the tie itself, so I selected one bird out, and saved it as a separate file, enhanced the color and contrast a bit to make it hopefully easier to see, and frankly, to make it slightly closer to the original, at least in my eyes. Of course, I realize that this is very subjective, since I have no way of calibrating my computer monitor accurately, so I don't know if the colors I'm seeing are even close to what you, gentle reader, may see on YOUR screen.

But hopefully the bird, at least, is more clearly visible in this closeup view. So that you can make up your own mind what kind of fowl it represents. These birds literally cover the entire surface of the tie, since they are woven directly into the fabric of it, even under the stripe of darker brown, red and green swags.

The tie has but one label, which is printed directly onto the fabric just a couple or three inches from the bottom of the large end, on the back side. If I hadn't already loaded two separate images, I would have been tempted to scan the label and show it too, but I didn't want to take the time, having some chores yet to do today. The label reads as follows:

Van Heusen
Original

So there you have it!

Brown & Tan Clouds

Here's another recent eBay acquisition. It's a nice example of forties color, style and design. It's not quite in the first rank so far as opulence goes, without any background brocade pattern woven into the fabric, but the fabric itself is shiny and glossy, as typical of so many forties ties.

The tie seems to depict a brown sky full of stylized brown and tan clouds. The entire tie has an orangy cast to it, one of the favorite color schemes of that era. Back in January I posted links to several ties utilizing this general range of color. Not to mention the "Orange and Brown Rosettes" from a couple of postings ago.

This specimen has two labels extant:

Resilient Construction
Towncraft Deluxe Cravats
Fabric loomed in U.S.A.

reads the first one. The second simply says

Fidelity Cravats.

Both labels are shown in the scan. Well, that's it for this week. Chores are calling (like gathering up and taking out the trash) and we still have to go on our walk.

A Green Dream

Isn't this a a gorgeous beaut of a tie! I call it "A Green Dream." It's maybe a bit TOO flamboyant, but I like it a lot. I have to tell you its story (the limited part I know):

I found this tie languishing in a junk store--oops, make that a second-hand store, located right next to the discount mall in Seaside, Oregon. It's a favorite place for us to stop and poke around whenever we're passing through Seaside, which is not too often these days.

I say "languishing," because the tie was almost completely disassembled when we found it. It was completely unsewn in back, all the stitching that holds it together had come undone. Consequently, we didn't have to pay much for it, 99 cents, or less, as I recall.

When we got back home, we took it to the dry cleaner, where a seamstress also plies her trade, but she refused to have anything to do with sewing it back up. Too tricky for her, I guess, although she didn't give a reason, just said no.

So Arline (that's my wife for anyone who doesn't already know), sewed it up herself, carefully stitching it up by hand, a process that took her a couple hours of painstaking work all total. In addition to the stitching, she had to carefully iron it, removing the wrinkles that were imbedded, from its having not been in the correct shape, or form for quite some time before we acquired it. That was truly a labor of love on her part! Thanks, my dear!

The tie itself is quite spectacularly over the top. It's a deep glossy green, with three downward pointing triangle shapes near the bottom, with a large pointed spear of fluorescent yellow-green stabbing down toward the center of the tie. I now realize I'm going to have to scan and post another shot of the tie further up from the bottom, to show what happens there. My scanner just isn't big enough to do it justice all in one scan. I really do need a larger scanner bed.

As you can see in the second scan, the three triangle shapes are repeated further up the tie. I'm also posting the label, which is embedded directly into the fabric and design of the tie itself. It reads as follows (although I'm sure most of you can read it for yourself):

Cutter Cravat
Artist Original ©

In addition to its striking design and colors, the tie has a large scale brocade woven into the fabric, giving it yet another aspect of opulence. The brocade consists viny curlicue patterned shapes, somewhat reminiscent of the classic paisley design.

Well, that's more than enough said about this tie. Hope you enjoy it!

Orange and Brown Rosettes

Here is another very nice forties vintage tie, which came from another eBay purchase. In this case, two ties were bought in a batch. I don't recall the price, and am too busy (or lazy) to look it up just now, but I am fairly sure it was more than I paid for the last four.

The basic pattern revolves around some vaguely floral patterns that I'm calling rosettes for lack of a better term. It's interesting that the brown dots make up the filler for the rosette shapes, but similar sets of orange/tan dots are just splotched onto the tie as kind of shadows to the darker ones, outside the rosette shapes, slightly above and to the left of each one.

The rest of the tie's design consists of concentric lines drawn around the floral rosette shapes, in ever widening circles, like the ripples around a stone thrown into a pool of water. It reminds me of one of my favorite doodles when I was younger. I'd start by drawing a few randomly placed circles, squares, triangles, etc. on the page, and then begin drawing concentric lines around each one, until eventually they began to merge with one another, and the whole page would be filled with concentric designs, much like this tie.

The tie also has a brocade in the fabric, probably not very visible in the scan, except as a kind of shadowing here and there. The brocade pattern consists of paired straight ribbon like lines, about a quarter of an inch apart, moving toward and away from each other in a sort of diamond shaped pattern. Actually, you can see them on the orange part of the tie. This tie, like quite a few from the period, switches to a solid color (orange in this case) partway up the tie, so that the knot would be entirely in that complementary color.

There are no labels on the tie, so that's about it for now. See ya next week!

Grapes and Flowers

I guess those are grapes. Not sure what else they could be. However, the flowers are more grape colored than the grapes themselves, which are more of a silver gray color than seems natural. Oh well, at least the leaves are green. And the flowers ARE a fairly spectacular shade of blue. Blue IS my favorite color, after all.

This is the last of the four ties I got on eBay a few weeks back, for $2.00 plus $4.00 shipping. Quite a bargain, I think. Since then, I've bought several more batches of ties the same way, albeit for a bit more money, most of which will undoubtedly end up here on this blog eventually.

This beauty is fully 4 1/2 inches across at its widest point. No extant labels to transcribe, unfortunately. I love that word, "extant," don't you? Here's one definition I found:

Still in existence; Currently existing; not having disappeared.

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to get a quick word definition is via Google? Just put "define:word" (without the quotes, natch) into a Google search box (note: no space between the colon and the word to be defined). And Google will display any definitions it has found on the web. Very handy, and if not ALWAYS 100% accurate, it's pretty close.

Well, I see I've wandered well off topic, which means it's probably time to close this blog entry. I mean, what can one really say about a tie like this that the image of the tie itself hasn't already said better? This is one of those cases where a picture is definitely better than words. Of course that never stopped me from blathering on. It's one of my specialties. Until next time, then . . .

Basic Blue -- Backside View

This tie is SO ordinary, so plain, so basic blue, that I decided to show you the backside, rather than the front, in order to demonstrate a point about the construction of some older ties.

The tie is made of wool, virgin wool, to be sure, but wool all the same. It has no pattern, no design, nothing hand painted or otherwise imprinted on it. Certainly no brocade woven into the fabric of the fabric (ha!). So why even bother to scan and post it?

Because it is indubitably old. The construction alone, says so. Note how it is unevenly folded over in back, with one side wide, the other narrow. This occurs on both the wide and narrow ends of the ties. This type of construction is typical of 1930's era ties, which are almost ALWAYS constructed that way, and some early 1040's ties, as well. But by later into the 40's, most ties were constructed with a more evenly divided fold in back, although many 40's ties still had a slight overlap, one side over the other.

Another clue to this tie's age is the lack of any type of lining. Most later ties had a lining of some sort inside, for stiffening, if nothing else.

The label reads as follows:

Fortmann's
Charmeen
by
Superba
100% Virgin Wool,

The tie is in great shape, given its age, and makes a fine example of simplicity in form and function.

Red Sections on White

Easter is past, from the standpoint of a church musician. All of those extra services (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday) and Holy Week recitals (two of those), choir rehearsals, extra anthems (3 for Easter Sunday), and all the extra practicing that went along with it. All done and over with for another year. Phew!

So I managed to find time to scan and blog a tie this afternoon. Last week? Not a chance!

Continuing the color theme from the past two ties posted, we go with another stunning red exemplar. This is another of the ties purchased on eBay. I actually got this tie, and the last red one posted along with two other ties, all for $2.00 plus $4.00 for shipping. Which goes to show that bargains can be had, if one shops carefully and consistently.

Admittedly, all four ties are in less than perfect condition. Mainly, they've lost most of their resiliency, and are somewhat limp. But look at the design of this beauty! Look at the color! Look at the pattern! It all comes together to make a truly stunning design.

The fabric is lovely, with a great brocade pattern woven into it, which is probably most visible in the short end, and perhaps on the narrow piece to the right, as well. Click the image to bring up a larger version in your browser, to see it better. The brocade pattern consists of small roughly rectangular shapes, spaced in even rows and columns across the tie.

The tie has no extant labels to transcribe. Enjoy!

Irididescent Red

Where does the time go? Last Sunday again found me without enough time in the day to scan and post a tie. And I'm almost there today. Just barely squeezing this in between chores and tonight's Masterpiece showing of the first episode of Little Dorrit.

Here is an unusual--but spectacular in its own way--tie! Just plain red, right? Wrong! There is no printed or painted design or image on the tie. Just brilliant iridescent red, with a maze-like brocade pattern imbedded in the fabric enhancing the shimmer.

This tie, like last week's, is one of a group of recent acquisitions, purchased ubiquitously on eBay. I bought two batches of ties there not too long ago, for quite reasonable prices. You just have to watch, and bid carefully, and you can get some real bargains there. I don't have time to look up exactly what I paid just now, but in each case I got 2-4 ties in a batch, and paid less than $20 for each lot. A trip to the dry cleaners adds a little more expense, but cleans up the ties, and voila!

The tie has two labels sewn into the small end, and shown in the scan. The manufacturer's label reads "Hand tailored Smilock." The seller's label reads "J.C. Penney Co. Sioux City, Iowa."