Last week as I was pulling my sweaters out of storage I also started to look through my cool weather ties. While this primarily refers to wool ties I also include neats or foulards ties in this category. Neat ties are not exclusively cool weather gear, but because I almost exclusively pair them with tweed they fall into this category for me. As I was sorting through these ties I was noticed a theme. I had always known that I was attracted to neats with a pop of color, but what I didn’t know is that I have a strong preference for flower patterns.
What is a neat pattern? A neat (also commonly referred to as a foulard) is a symmetrical pattern that consists of small-scale repeating shapes such as diamonds, dots, medallions, pines, and of course flowers. A foulard is technically a kind of light weight silk, but today the term is used interchangeably with neat.
On to the flowers. A flower pattern does not look quite like an actual flower, but they do bare a resemblance. Just like real flowers they vary in size, shape, and color. I have included a few variations below to better illustrate what constitutes a flower pattern. All of the ties below also possess the “pop” of color that I was referring to above.
Neats or foulard ties make a great addition to anyone’s wardrobe. When choosing a foulard tie I look for vivid colors. What I enjoy most about the neats that I own is the contrast of vivid colors with the overall conservative appearance of the ties.
After you have a acquired a few striped ties and maybe one solid grenadine my next recommendation would be a neat tie. They work very well with suits and are considered to be a business/formal, but they look great with tweeds, and I have even used them to dress up a pair of grey wool slacks and navy blazer. I encourage you to reach into your closet and see what pattern you prefer.
A fine selection of neats, sir.
Excellent advice about starting with regimental stripes and proceeding to a solid navy grenadine.
Definitely the best Trad/Ivy blog on the Web.
That position used to be occupied by the now defunct Heavy Tweed Jacket and by Ivy Style, which seems to have forgotten that Trad/Ivy style is basically conservative.
Thank you for kind words OldSchool and Dutch Uncle. I am happy to hear that I am not the only proponent of conservative dress.
Dutch Uncle – I think that you will enjoy my next post!
The word “foulard” led me to investigate its meaning. I found that the word originally was a kind of lightweight fabric that eventually became a synonym for a type of tie. In modern French, foulard is the usual word for a scarf or neckerchief. The process of in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept has a name, “Metonym”
For instance, “Wall Street” is often used metonymously to describe the U.S. financial and corporate sector.
Thank you for making me curious and to Wikipedia for answers 🙂
I am a big fan of flower pattern neat ties as well. My collection has now eclipsed my rep stripe collection. I echo thoughts of Dutch Uncle as well.