Tie lengths

[jake_fink]

I am thinking of selling some bits and pieces on the Bay and in going through my heaps I've discovered a number of ties - many of them deadstock. I remember buying these and being told they were from a store that closed in 1940 and subsequently kept with the family bric-a-brac for more than half a century. I will post pictures if I can get my new digital camera working and if I can figure out how to post them here once and for all, but for now I have a question regarding length.

What was the typical length for a man's (as opposed to a boy's) tie in the 1930s or 1940s? Can ties be dated with any accuracy by length? And finally, the $64,000, how the heck do you tie these shrimpy little things without ending up in a choker? [huh]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

No sweat.



The typical length of a man's tie in the '30s is between 47 inches and 48 inches.

The typical '30s width is between 3 1/4 inches and 3 1/2 inches.



The typical length of a man's tie in the '40s (up to around 1952) is between 48 1/2 and 50 1/2 inches. (Some were a bit longer.)

The typical '40s (up to around 1952) width is between 4 inches and 4 1/2 inches. (Some were 5 inches wide!)



Now, do you promise to show us photos of your ties? Please?

.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

... how the heck do you tie these shrimpy little things without ending up in a choker? [huh]

You tie them short, and wear a waistcoat (or at least high-waisted trousers). Waistcoats and/or high trousers make the ties look less short.

Men in the '30s and '40s never had their ties go lower than their waistbands.

.

 

[jake_fink]

Okay... the length of these ties is between 43 and 46 inches. Unusually short, or strictly for pencil necks?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Or ya shrink yerself. Or cut your torso down in size. We short arses have no problem with the short ties there, buddy.

I think my shortest tie is 42"

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Was wrong. My shortest is 45".

Marc can confirm or deny: I've found the most accurate way to date 30s vs 40s ties to be both fabric (more nasty hard fabrics in the 30s, slicker more common in 40s) and the degree to which the ties splays out towards the "thin" end. In the 30s ties i have, the thin and is much thicker than the 40s ties i have.


Also, don't know if this is universal: My 40s ties tend to have a lining (usually white, rayon) whereas the 30s ones are unlined ...

bk