Of the ways to fill an open shirt collar, I like the neckerchief, like the one worn by the late French actor Philippe Noiret, best. But just try to find one - Jermyn Street's New & Lingwood is the only place I know of that stocks them and the last time I checked they had them hidden in a drawer.
To my mind, neckerchiefs deserve more popularity than they receive. Whether worn discreetly, with the ends left inside the shirt, or flamboyantly exposed for all to see neckerchiefs have fewer negative connotations than ascots and are considerably less expensive than silk squares like the one worn by Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief. That is because the 24"/61cm square neckerchief requires less silk.
Wearing a neckerchief is simple. The square is folded into a triangle and rolled up, and the ends are knotted in front of the neck. Try it, if you can find one.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Silk and the Open Collar
Photo: Tony Barsom/Getty Images
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14 comments:
We've seen you in ascots, Will; when do we get to see you wearing a neckerchief?
While I agree that an open shirt collar needs to be filled, I can't get on board with the neckerchief--even if Fred Astaire sometimes wore one. For me, it has both cowboy and homosexual connotations that I can't get past. I also associate them with the awfulness of the Peacock Revolution. I can wear a bandana around my neck when camping, but other than that....
Yet I have no problem with ascots. Go figure.
Charvet and Hilditch & Key Paris (not Jermyn St) both sell cashmere-silk neckerchieves of the sort Noiret is wearing in the picture, which appears to be a silk mix with cashmere or wool rather than 100% silk. He has been pictured wearing another H&K Paris motif.
My Father use to wear a neckerchief when he wanted to dress up an open collared shirt. He always looked good and I liked his style. I tried it a few times but I seemed to sweat around the neck a bit. Maybe I had it on too tight or it was just too warm to wear it. I like the look on others better than myself.
I wear cotton and silk neckerchiefs when the weather's appropriate (as someone observes silk does not work when it's hot).....Drakes offer them....but as an alternative use an oversize hankerchief folded....a section in Flusser's book shows you how to do it....cotton doesn't cause overheating which is why I wear them when gardening.
you know, you should try thrift stores. this may not be down your alley and probably isn't the solution for your clients, but that's where i've found all my silk neckerchiefs. if only i had the balls to wear one.
A couple of clicks into the Drakes link on the ASW site reveals that it has a couple of colorways in what it calls a bandana, in cotton. Now, growing up as I did on a farm I knew the bandana as something quite utilitarian for the farmer, usually in red or sometimes blue. As for what Drakes calls a bandana, how does it differ from a neckerchief--is it the cotton only makings?
There are good reasons to obscure the male throat, of which I think most men are blissfully unaware. Covering up, or, as I like to think, leaving something to be desired, might help re-establish the male throat as erotically charged. The Victorians knew. Here's my take: beingmanly.blogspot.com: I like to be tied up
You can get them quite easily in the women's section!And if you will not find them in your wardrobe when you need them, look at your loved one's neck!
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"Homosexual connotations", Horatio? *raised eyebrow*
JC, to me a bandana is cotton, may be worn on the head or around the neck, and exists to absorb sweat.
Neckerchiefs are silk, only worn around the neck, and entirely decorative.
I am not sure about the size, but silk squares called cowboy 'rags' are something I stumbled on for hiking and keeping cool in summer, warm in winter (snowshoes). The silk works better than cotton that I tried first. So, I have tried them for that but not 'regular' wear.
Urbane Legend,
I'm not sure where I got it, but I associate flouncy neckerchiefs, especially silk ones, with femmy "men" who swish around while wearing them. I wish I didn't, but there it is.
I am so pleased to read that others feel the same way about open collars. The simple elegance of a neckerchief is, to my eye, just enough to rescue the mandated business casual. In particular when going out after work. Like others, I find it challenging to find squares in the appropriate size.
Doesn't this just risk inviting ridicule?
Daily show: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-5-2010/roland-martin-wears-an-ascot
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