FIT TO BE TIED

Clothes may make the man, but the type of tie he wears usually says a lot about his personality.

Most men were baptized into neckties at a young age, as tiny hands struggled to knot the requisite neck wear on Sunday morning, while a patient parent assured the tie was straight, even and the knot tied correctly.

Some not-so-patient lads sought solace in a clip-on tie.

While neckties have been part of men's attire since the founding of our nation, it's been in the past few years that truly unique ties are seen as an extension of the wearer's personality.

Rodney Bridges, who owns and operates Garber's Men's Wear in the Town Plaza Shopping Center in Cape Girardeau, said that until around the mid-1980s, men's neckties were generally conservative: usually solids, stripes and foulards.

But then the "specialty ties" emerged in men's wear stores, providing an outlet for the flamboyant.

"Ties definitely do reflect the personality of the man who wears one," said Bridges. "When I look at a man and the kind of tie he is wearing, I can tell a lot about his personality. It's a case of `I am what I wear.'"

Neckties originated in the neck cloths that men folded and wrapped around their necks, with ribbon tied over them to hold the ends in place.

The cravats of the 1600s and 1700s were often frilly and lace-trimmed. By the mid-1800s, narrow string ties, knotted bow ties and ascot ties had replaced the more elaborate cravat.

Around 1870, the wider, four-in-hand tie became popular for general wear, while the white bow tie was reserved for evening wear, and the black string tie for formal wear. The soft Windsor tie was used as an accessory for sportswear.

In the 1900s, formal black bow ties appeared, and more conservative men usually wore black string ties. Striped neckties also became popular at about this time.

Today, a man can choose from a wide selection of ties that reflect his personality.

Columbia Sportswear was one of the first to come out with the specialty ties featuring different species of fish, and later on, wildlife.

Garber's collection includes both the so-called, specialty, and contemporary abstract ties. There are neckties for car buffs, World Series ties, professional football and hockey ties.

Another collection features watercolor prints by Grace Newburger of New Orleans that illustrate themes of the deep south on silk.

An unusual collection is the Cattle Call tie collection, featuring Venus de Moolo, the Moona Lisa, and Holy Cow, complete with wings.

For the environmentalist, there are ties that feature endangered species. Movie buffs can sport ties illustrating the Wizard of Oz, King Kong, Casablanca, and other classic films. There are also ties that feature western themes and outdoor sporting themes.

Cartoon ties, with Snoopy, Garfield, Archie, and many others, also are popular.

Some men wear ties that reflect their particular profession or job.

Jim Englehart, director of student transportation for the Cape Girardeau Public Schools, sometimes wears a tie depicting a school bus.

As a classroom teacher in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Englehart generally wore traditional, conservative ties in the classroom.

But even then, on special occasions, he would break out with a special tie. "I have a Christmas tie that I received as a gift that plays jingle bells," Englehart recalled. "It was always a great hit with the kids."

David Ludwig of Jackson, a salesman for Moore Business Forms in Cape Girardeau, is one of those who enjoys wearing different kinds of neckties.

"In my line of work I call on banks, hotels, wholesalers and retailers," Ludwig said. "This gives me a lot of flexibility in what kind of tie I can wear.

"During the Christmas season, I wore a tie with small prints of Santa Claus. I received more compliments on that tie. It kind of jazzes up the working environment."

Although you might not see a banker or lawyer wearing a Snoopy or "fish" tie, the trend is changing, said Bridges.

"The guys everyone said would never wear these kind of ties now want something different," he said. "They're coming in with their solid black, gray flannel, or pin striped suits, and want to update their tie and shirt wardrobe.

"Most of them are buying the modern, contemporary abstract ties, instead of the traditional solids, stripes or pastels. However, some do take out a few of the non-traditional, conversationalist, specialty ties."

Former associate circuit judge Bill Rader, now a Cape Girardeau attorney, is known in area courthouses as a snappy dresser.

But Rader said the neckties he wore on the bench, or while standing before a jury, are much different than ties he wears to parties or other after-hours social activities.

"When I was on the bench, or before a jury, I always wore conservative ties with soft colors, nothing too loud," he said.

But Rader said that while sitting on the bench, he often noted how similar all the attorneys looked in their same gray and blue suits, white Oxfords and red ties.

"I thought it was a little monotonous," he said. "But if you drift away from the norm, you're considered peculiar.

"I guess it comes from our days at law school, when we were expected to dress appropriately for our profession. Of course I can remember when all doctors wore suits and ties. That's not the case anymore."

As for the conversational, specialty ties now in vogue, Rader concedes a temptation to wear some of them, but adds, "I don't have the intestinal fortitude to do it."

Bridges said he's also seeing more teenagers wearing neckties, and in school no less.

"They come in to purchase a specialty tie to go with their denim shirts and blue jeans for school," he said. "At one time, you would have had to beg or hog-tie a teenager to get a necktie on him.

"By the time they're in college, they are already used to ties as they move into the more dressier clothes and ties."