The Art of Tying the Cravat.

Appendix 1.

In the previous Installment Chapter 80, entitled "Taking Stock of the Cravat," I had made reference to two little volumes published in the early nineteenth century; and these innocuous tomes are so invaluable, (and in some ways so misunderstood,) it warrants a further and closer look at them. The original post imbedded the scans as presented from GoogleBooks. In this Appendix, they have been re-edited and presented with minor helpful annotations and insertions to make it more readily accessible for my readers, most notably the inclusion of the original illustrations.

(These books are currently hosted and imbedded with GoogleDrive; which features onerous restrictions on bandwidth -- if the limit has been reached, and they do not appear below, click the "download" link in the window, which will switch the window from a GoogleDrive viewer to a PDF viewer. If this continues to be a problem, I'll try to find a more suitable hosting service.)

The Art of Tying the Cravat is a serious essay on the history and crafting of cravats, and would be an invaluable resource to those that actually want to learn what the various styles were and how to tie them -- if it were possible to actually read this rare book online with the illustrations, which are never scanned and included. Thus, I have produced a version myself for Dress Like A Grownup! that contains the illustrations for you. Read through it, and you will discover not just a slice of history, and how to form the historical cravats from a contemporary source, but you will discover within its pages the direct forerunner of every variety of modern neckwear, from ties to scarves.

Neckclothitania, on the other hand, has been referenced by many online sources that proport to expound the ancient art of the starched cravat. The illustrated frontispiece is most often shown, unfortunately separate from the text of the book. Well-meaning costumers, living history aficionados, and amateur historians have gone so far as to attempt to recreate the illustrations in actuality.

What all of these people fail to recognize or make mention of, is that Neckclothitania is a college student's work of social satire. It is not to be taken seriously -- it is a humorous work, the subtlety of which is lost on modern readers; largely because we are not familiar with the style of the serious Essays published at the time, that this work is lampooning.

The first clue is the title itself: To young scholars, "Titania" would have been a well-known reference to both Ovid's Metamorphoses, as the daughters of the Titans, and as the name of the Fairy Queen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, (make of that what you will,) so the pun of TIEtania would have been instantly understood. Virgil's quote on the title page holds a sly double entendre in this light. Nods to the formal essays of the time that you may notice, are the ridiculously pompous Dedication, the liberal sprinkling of high-sounding French and Latin phrases throughout (notice especially the description of cravat colors!) and the many referenced "sources," which are themselves contemporary works of satire.

Notice, too, that half of the cravats shown are exactly the same, differing only in the number and position of creases in the starch! (These are not the "actual" forms of the starchers; for that you must go to The Art of Tying the Cravat.) The other half dozen are roundly ridiculed for their ridiculousness. The subtext is that to the untrained eye, all Starchers look the same, and the endless minutiae and variations lavished upon them can be seen as just a bit silly -- much like those today that agonize over the proper tie knot to use, when the average person can't tell a Four-in-Hand from a Half Windsor.

Tietania does have its purposes, though, aside from the first recorded use of the word "tie" to refer to a cravat. Namely, it is an invaluable contemporary look at the culture of the "Starcher" from the perspective of a sardonic student with a keen sense of humor. Read it with tongue firmly in cheek!

Click here to go back to the original installment that this Appendix references: "Taking Stock of the Cravat."

The Table of Contents

The most natural method of reading any blog is just to start at the most recent post, and work through in reverse chronological order. That may work fine for non-sequential blogs, but our format is a bit different: the installments (that's what we call our posts here) run roughly from the basics to more involved topics, starting at the earliest post. This has spawned several different methods of reading, that will better avail to the reader the information he wants quickly.

Readers that have dropped in through a Google search for a specific topic, (and if you have, welcome,) you can find similar or related topics using keywords in the Indexatron or the Search box, in the column to your right. Also, the end of each installment in a Series links to every other installment in that same Series.

There are a few different methods if you want to read the entire blog in a logical order to get the most out of it. The easiest is simply to read each installment in chronological order, from oldest to newest. This is easily done: for in addition to the intra-series links I just mentioned, I have also linked every installment to its next and prior chronological installment, and back to the very beginning.

Our Year @ A Glance™ sorts every post throughout each year by its Series, in prose form, to give a good outline of everything covered in that year. If you're the sort of person who likes to browse a blog in scattershot style, the Year @ A Glance™ serves as a good checklist to ensure you don't miss anything.

This Table of Contents, though, is our definitive method of organizing the posts. Every single installment in the entire blog is listed and linked "in book order," regardless of its actual posting date. It takes the reader straight through a logical progression of topics from simplest to more complex, building each upon a framework laid down by the previous. Read it in order, and it becomes the ultimate Tutorial for The Average Guy. Every previous post is accounted for, and any new Appendix that is to follow will be inserted into its proper place in the Contents as well, so the Contents will always be up-to-date.

I: INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

       --Who I am, what the blog is for, and a general welcome to all.

II: DRESSING THE AVERAGE GUY

PART A: CLASSIC STYLE
   
1. The First Great Secret
         --The real purpose of clothing.
2. An Army of One
         --"Dressing Well for Dummies" with just a sports jacket.
3. How, More Than What
         --The importance of balance and insouciance.
4. It Is What It Is
         --Sussing the purpose of your clothes by their names.
5. The Path of Least Resistance
         --An admonition to "go the extra mile."
6. But What of the Oscars?
         --Introduction to the rules of Classic Style.
7. The Science of Style
         --Proper proportion must relate to the human form.
8. Throwing Fits
         --The use of illusion can improve your form.

PART B: THE GREAT SECRETS

1. Lost in the Eighties, For Instance
         --The Second Great Secret.
2. Lost in the Other Eighties
         --The Second Great Secret's codicil.
3. Personality, Incorporated
         --Blending proper balance with the Second Great Secret.  
4. Proving the Rule
         --The Second Great Secret, illustrated.
5. The Kentucky Derby: or Why The British Hate Us
         --The Third Great Secret.

PART C: TREASURE HUNTING

1. Sock It To Me
         --Of socks, and tone-matching to your environment.
2. The Need for Tweed
         --The art of tone-matching, explained.
3. Keeping Your Balance
         --Find your sartorial center; the basic Continuum Cube concept.
         Appendix 2: The Calculus of Dressing
                  -- The full version of the advanced Continuum Cube.
4. The Measure of a Man
         --How to take your own measurements.
5. To Save or Splurge?
         --The economies of dressing well.
6. Want. Get. Have.
         --Clothes shopping, the manly way.
7. Back to Basics
         --A short admonition to "be prepared."
8. The Futurists Lied to You
         --Learn to appreciate the economy of time.

III: FOOTWEAR

1. The Game's A Foot
         --A look at proper footwear.
2. Shoe-In
         --A diversity of shoes.

IV: HEADWEAR

1. Da Capo
         --The flat cap as transitional headwear.
2. Hatiquette
         --The logic behind when to wear a hat, and when not to.
3. The Hats of Summer
         --Of warm-weather headgear.

V: NECKWEAR

1. Spicy Tie Recipes
         --A short introduction to proper neckwear.
2. A Ruff History of Neckwear
         --History, from 1500 to 1800.
3. Taking Stock of the Cravat
         --History, from 1800 to 2000.
         Appendix 1: The Art of Tying the Cravat.
                  --A closer look at the classic works.
4. Win, Lose or Tie.
         --An overview of modern tie options.
5. A Four in Hand is worth Eight in the Bush
         --The art of knot tying.
6. Bow Diddley.
          --The bow tie and its proportions.
7. You Bet Your Ascot
         --The formal ascot: wearing, making, and substituting.
8. Day Cravattitude.
         --The casual day cravat: wearing, making, and substituting.
9. It's Hip to Be Square
         --Neckerchiefs: variations and history.
10 Scarf it Up, Scarf it Down
         --Is the scarf the tie of the future?

VI: ACCESSORIES

1. A Pocketful of Balance
         --Balance, accessories, (and a detour to the Mayan calender.)
2. Accessorial Tutorial
         --Traditional accessories and their uses.
3. Kitted Out
         --Ideas for modern accessories.

VII: SEASONAL VARIATIONS

1. Spring Break Experimentation!
         --Vacation wear.
2. Venial Equinoxious
         --Dressing for the Spring.
3. The Shirt Off Your Back
         --When to not wear a jacket.
4. Go Out and Play
         --Autumnal recreational attire.

VIII: PACKING AND STORING

1. Time to Put Up Your Toys
         --How to pack away your summer shirts.
2. As The Wardrobe Turns
         --How to pack away your winter wear.

IX: FABLES

1. Drastic Measures Required
         --A short fable of modern headwear.
2. Aaah! They're Coming This Way!
         --A fable on attire when society crumbles.
3. The Fighting Yank is Laid Low
         --The fable of a little statue.
4. The Fighting Yank Rises
         --The vindication of the little statue.
5. The Fighting Yank 3: Yank's Revenge
         --The little statue returns.

X: LESSONS OF HISTORY   

1. Yes, Miss, I find your shallowness most diverting.
         --The importance of proper social education in youth.
         Appendix 3: Mandatory Finishing-School.
                  -- Put the polish on your own social education today.
2. Former Casual, Formal Causual.
         --The development and evolution of what we wear.
3. Downton, Things'll Be Great When You're Downton
         --Lessons from historical drama like Downton Abbey.
4. The Political Uniform
         --Why the universal black suit is a bad idea.
5. Easter Parading
         --The history of the April sartorial tradition.
6. Proper Toppers
        --A brief history of the top hat.
7. The Essential Accessory, Pt.1
         --The history of tobacco, from antiquity to 1820.
8. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 2
         --The history of tobacco, from 1820 to today.
9. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 3
         --Correlating smoking to fashion.
10. The Essential Accessory, Pt. 4
         --The search for a new essential.

XI: EVENING SEMIFORMAL -- THE DINNER SUIT

1. The PROMulgation of the PROMise of PROMpt PROMiscuity.
         --The Prom as an introduction to Black Tie.
2. The Tony Tygers
         --Critique of the 2011 Tony Awards
3. Emmy or Isn't He?
         --Critique of the 2011 Emmy Awards
4. Just Feel Those Golden Globes!
         --Critique of the 2012 Golden Globe Awards
5. SAG Like A Gansta In The Quarter-Formals, Yo!
         --Critique of the 2012 SAG Awards
6. Oscar Grouching
         --Critique of the 2012 Oscars (part 1)
7. Who's the Dandy? Oscars Edition
         --Off-site critique of the 2012 Oscars (part 2)
8. Correspondents and Spectators
         --Critique of the 2012 White House Correspondents Dinner.
9. Generation Degeneration
         --Critique of the 2012 Billboard Music Awards.
10. Em & Emmy
         --Critique of the 2012 Emmy Awards.

XII: NIGHT FORMAL --  THE DRESS SUIT

1. The Scariest Thing I've Seen This Year
         --A look at White Tie, through the Alfred E. Smith Dinner.

XIII: DAY FORMAL -- THE MORNING SUIT

1. The Wedding of the Century, version 2.0 (beta)
         --Introduction to morning wear, via Will and Kate.
2. The Wedding of Prince Georg Von Sloppypants
         --Morning formal wear, and the perils thereof.

XIV: THE ISLAND OF MISFIT CLOTHES

AKA: THE TAILORING SERIES

1. Manly Machinery
         --Essential equipment.
2. Say Hello To My Little Friend
         --How to make your own tailor's form.
3. Who's Got The Button?
         --A simple adjustment of your button stance.
4. Going to Waist
         --Waistband alterations, quick-and-easy style.
5. Waist Not, Want Not
         --Waistband alterations, in-depth style.
6. Presto Change-O Jacket Size-O
         --The interrelationship of size, balance, and fit of a jacket.
7. Suit and Suitability
         --Choosing a project suit for our purposes.
8. Carving a Turkey
         --Disassembly.
9. Wrapper's Delight
         --Marking and pinning.
10. Marked Improvements
         --Stitch-marking and unpinning.
11. Sliding Into First Baste   
         --Manipulating and basting.
12. Things Start Coming Together
         --Hand-stitching; shoulderwork.
13. Cold Shoulders
         --Setting the sleeves.
14. Happy, Sleevey, Doc
          --Sewing the sleeves to the armscye.
15. Hemming and Hawing
         --Lining and finishing.
16. Liner Notes
         --How to simply un-line a jacket for use in the summer.
17. Let's Get Shanked
         --Re-visiting button stance, with shanked buttons.

XV: HARDWARE

1. I Am Iron Man
         --Rebuilding a classic iron: disassembly.
2. Ion Iron
         --Derusting via electrolysis, and operating diagnosis.
3. Irons in the Fire
         --Repair and refurbishment.
4. Strike While the Iron's Hot
         --Cleaning and reassembly.

XVI: MEN OF THE YEAR

1. The TT&S Bow Tie Man of the Year (2011)
         --The exemplars of the art of the bow tie.
2. The TT&S Razor Square Man of the Year (2011)
         --The exemplars of the art of the pocket square.
3. The TT&S Bow Tie Man of the Year (2012)
         --The exemplars of the art of the bow tie.
4. The TT&S Razor Square Man of the Year (2012)
         --The exemplars of the art of the pocket square.

XVII: EPILOGUE

1. Epilogue
         --A bookend for the blog.
   

Wheels of Progress

At last, the moment you've all been waiting for -- the rusty old wheels in the blog machine have begun grinding and churning again! We've taken some time off (well, a year off, actually) from posting regular installments, but as I mentioned last time we met, the blog has not been forgotten in the interim, and all those topics I had mentioned last time -- and more! -- are indeed in the pipeline, and there will be bloggy goodness forthcoming in future weeks!

The format will be a bit different, as I alluded to earlier, and I've put some serious thought into how Dress Like A Grownup! will operate in the upcoming months and years.

I began the first two years of posts as a self-contained tutorial that the Average Guy, starting from zero, can use to learn to dress himself in an adult manner; and I want to keep that original intention intact. So what to do with the new posts? I could make a new start with a sort of Phase Two that covers more esoterica, sort of a "Year Three Advanced course." I get the nagging feeling, though, that particular tack would detract from the core readership of Dress Like A Grownup! that we've set out to reach. It's important to keep the Average Guys in mind, and not leave them behind. In some way, we need to make the information always relatable to the sartorial neophytes.

I thought about how I could take that new information and intersperse it right in amongst the old posts: go back and insert elaboration of specific topics right where the old ones left off, and back-date them to a day after the original posts. Although artifically inflating the previous two years has its advantages, (not the least of which is greater consistency amongst the topics,) doing so runs against the very nature of a blog -- posting new information in sequential order. More importantly, it would be unfair to new readers, who would have to plumb the depths of previous posts to suss out the new data. It might work if I were editing a book, but it's important to keep what's already been written at least somewhat historically sacrosanct.

Then it hit me -- "if I were editing a book." That was the key! That's how I can include tangential, esoteric information, relate it back to the Average Guy who is starting from Square One, and still keep it in the forefront of the blog as new, up-to-date postings: new posts will be in the form of Appendices. Each appendice will relate in some form to a previous installment, and will link to and from the original post. That way, the Average Guy working through the Series can have a ready link to advanced information, new readers can link from new posts into the Series, and any new stuff is right out front for everyone.

The new format will give me a little latitude: most notably, I can devote some new posts to expanding upon those topics that have been most popular with readers. I can elaborate on some topics that have not been given proper attention previously. And I can get a little crazy and include some oddball topics as well. But most everything from here on out will be in the form of an Appendix.

The new topics will be coming occassionally and irregularly, as time allows and the whimsy takes me; but each will be for the most part in my favored long-form or multi-part format, so the wait will be worth it!