The tie reveals a lot about its wearer, his social position, his aesthetic tastes or political stance. From the 17th to the early 20th century, a diverse combination of fabrics, colors and knots adorned the male – and occasionally also the female – neck. Today, the accessory is re-interpreted, traditions are questioned, and the appropriate context for wearing a tie is reconsidered. The tie is evidently back in fashion, with TV series such as ‘Mad Men’ or the modern ‘James Bond’, Daniel Craig, fuelling this trend.

Switzerland’s, and in particular Zürich’s, textile designers, silk traders, and weaving mills supply their products to fashion houses and other makers of ties around the world. This new book draws on the vast archives of the Swiss National Museum, which keeps the legacy of a number of vanished companies that have built the fame of Switzerland’s silk industry. Coinciding with a major exhibition at Landesmuseum Zürich (September 2014 to January 2015), The Tie: A Global History features a wealth of images documenting the history of the neck tie, but also of designers’ and manufacturers’ sample collections, art works. Essays are contributed by international authors including scholars, fashion critics, and journalists. A photo essay by Swiss photographer Walter Pfeiffer rounds out this beautiful volume.