
1970s · 1960s-1970s · British
Production
mass-produced
Material
silk
Culture
British
Movement
Hippie / Counterculture
A collection of rectangular sample cards displaying various silk necktie fabrics from British textile production. Each card contains multiple fabric swatches showing different weave patterns, colors, and textures typical of men's formal neckwear. The samples demonstrate a range of geometric patterns including small repeating motifs, diagonal weaves, and solid colors in conservative business palette. The cards are systematically organized with printed labels, representing the commercial textile industry's method of presenting fabric options to manufacturers and retailers. The silk samples show varying weights and finishes appropriate for tie construction, from smooth lustrous weaves to more textured surfaces.
These fabric samples and that electric pink sari capture the 1970s moment when traditional craft techniques collided with psychedelic sensibilities. The necktie cards show how British haberdashers were suddenly offering paisley swirls and geometric micro-patterns that would have looked at home in a head shop, while the sari's neon pink base sets off its intricate jacquard border like a kaleidoscope viewed through rose-colored glasses.
Follow this garment wherever the graph leads