
1970s · 1970s · British
Designer
John Michael
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
silk damask
Culture
British
Movement
Disco
Influences
Victorian paisley shawls · 1960s psychedelic patterns
This wide kipper tie displays the characteristic exaggerated proportions of 1970s menswear, measuring approximately 4-5 inches at its widest point with a dramatically pointed blade. The silk damask fabric features an intricate paisley pattern in bright orange against a cream ground, created through jacquard weaving that produces subtle textural variations. The paisley motifs are densely packed and flowing, typical of the period's bold pattern preferences. The tie's construction shows clean edges and proper interfacing, indicating quality manufacture. The kipper style, with its wide blade tapering to a sharp point, represents the decade's departure from narrow 1960s ties toward statement proportions that complemented wide lapels and flared trousers of the era.
That camel three-piece suit and orange paisley kipper tie are both children of the same 1970s impulse to reject the gray flannel straightjacket of the previous decade—one through sheer scale, the other through sheer width. The suit's earthy brown wool and relaxed proportions promised leisure over labor, while that orange silk tie, fat as a dinner napkin and loud as a traffic cone, turned the conservative necktie into a billboard for male peacocking.
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