Times Change From Good Old Stiff Neck Ties To modern Gorpcore

Clothes change according to the times and decades

Good old stiff ties

Most people in the ’70s loved ties. Moreover, it was a formal dress that had to be worn on all formal occasions like meetings, board meetings, large official parties, and weddings. An outfit could not be complete without a tie. It was supposed to add class and sophistication to the look.

But have we ever thought about why people wear neckties?

They don’t keep anyone warm or dry and they do not in any way add comfort. So why do men love wearing them? Why do women wear them?

What is a necktie? A necktie is a piece of cloth that can be worn mostly by men but by women as well to have some color in their dress. It is worn around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat, and often draped down the chest.

The necktie can be textured, solid, striped, botanical, jacquard, geometric, 52 to 58 inches long, changing its shape from narrow to broad depending on the fashion of the day.

The necktie is considered to be a formal accessory generally in the male wardrobe and it provides an expression of personality, mood, or inner character. It brings about a splash of color, and distinctive pattern, and becomes a statement of individuality for a person.

Why do people wear neckties? The history of neckties shows that it traces the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)to Croatian mercenaries serving in the French army. the neckties r originates from the French “la Croate”, meaning “Croat”. It is the decorative cloths the Croatian Vallerists tied around their necks to make it easy to identify them. The silk neckties were reserved for officers and the soldiers wore neckties of simpler materials.

In the 1990s and onwards more and more offices and startups made it a business dress code. In many offices, ties became a novelty, with Tie Tuesday the new Hawaiian shirt day, and “casual Fridays” during the rest of the week.

Why do women wear neckties?

Women also love to wear ties when they are dressed in pantsuits or in a skirt. In many banks, insurance companies, airlines, and other offices women wear ties as their uniforms. A lot of women began wearing them to show that they could defy men in their professional looks. It provided color to the western dress worn by them. It gives them power too.

The change in styles

IN the changing times a large number of software companies opened up worldwide. These companies did not follow a formal wear style.

I remember my son who was in Microsoft and was posted in Hyderabad in India was asked to attend a meeting in Seattle. As parents, we insisted that he should get a formal suit made by a designer with a smart-looking tie especially for the meeting in the formal setup. He did get two of them stitched.

When he went to attend the meeting he was shocked to see his boss in shorts and many others too in the casual dress and he felt he looked like an overdressed guy. A fish out of water. After that incident, I have never seen him in formal clothes

The change from neckties came when organizations like Google, Microsoft and other software companies began to go for casual dresses instead of wearing uniforms.

In 2013 Barrack Obama The USA President and Vladimir Putin Russian President attended the G-8 Summit without a tie. Obama wears a suit without a tie. Can you wear a suit without it too was a question often posed? The BBC news said that George Osborne says he has been told not to wear a tie at the G8 summit in order to create a more “informal” atmosphere. In Newzealand Maori MP Rawiri Waititi refused to wear a necktie calling it “Colonial Noose”. As a result, ties are not necessary to be worn in NewZealand’s Parliament.

The modern Gorpcore

The final change in clothes has come about during the covid-19 period when work from home became the order of the day. New styles of clothes more casual in nature completely changed the scenario.

What is Gorpcore?

Gorpcore is a new word. It means functional becomes fashionable. The history of the word Gorpcore dates back to May 2017 when Jason Chen first coined the term “gorpcore” for The Cut,

“Gorpcore — named after the colloquial term for trail mix (“Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts”) — is a style focused on wearing utilitarian, functional, outdoors-inspired gear.”

The Cut says “The idea has had surprising elasticity — down puffers and full-zip fleeces have become down and fleece vests, anoraks have shifted to long-sleeved tees and short-sleeved sweatshirts, Tevas with marled-wool socks are now Tevas worn barefoot. The cool kids aren’t letting this go; they all want to dress like they can tie a Yosemite bowline”.

The Gorpcore word started with clothes for outdoor wear for hiking and going in the snow to inside casual wear at home and for shopping and meeting people.

Gorpcore fashion ranges from Jackets to fleece pants, plastic shoes, hats. People desire to wear clothes that are not only fashionable but are comfortable too.

What are the takeaways?

#1 Ties have not gone away: Ties are still in vogue. They have not gone away completely. There are many people who still think that ties are class and should be worn. They also think of the color of the tie that should be worn. Red is for power dressing. Biden wore a blue tie and was criticized for it by Russian news in June 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada has been praised for his fashionable skinny ties.

Moreover, many people consider ties to be formal attire and required for meetings.

#2. Casual fashion is in style: Since people have been working from home or in the hybrid mode they have certainly begun to enjoy casual fashions and are usually dressed in them at home or outside for small gatherings rather than wearing formal clothes.

#3. Formal and casual will operate together: As the world, trends are seen, formal and casual will remain side by side and cannot be one without the other. Some offices will still prefer formal wear when you attend formal meetings whereas others will have a casual style. It will be entirely the choice of the people and organizations.

To conclude

Ties or Gorpcore? Both will operate. It will be based on choice and the occasion that demands it. We have to learn to accept both in the coming times.

Things change, times change and we must also change with the times. Power dressing and casual dressing will both evolve with new trends in future.

Certainly, we will not wear formal clothes at home when we are in a relaxed mode. The casual clothes will also become more stylish with time to come. There will be new directions and new business too in the future.

©Dr. Preeti Singh, 2022.

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