Wedding Neckwear for Man

Neckwear is an important part of the wedding outfit for a man. This is because the poor man really have very little options in terms of varying their wedding suit. Other than choosing the colour of the suit and shirt, the only real thing that distinguishes their dressing is the neck wear.

History of neck wear

Neck wears or Neck ties are essentially pieces of clothing tied around a person’s neck. It is interesting that the first evidence of neck wear dates back to the time of Emperor Shih Huang Ti in 220 BC. His terracotta soldiers were all wearing neckwear. The modern neckwear started in France under King Louis the XIII. Soliders at that time wore scarfs or hankerchiefs around their neck when they visited the King. King Louis XIV subsequently named the neck wear cravate, which then became the current cravat. Let us look at the different types of neck wear commonly worn by grooms.

Types of neckwear for the wedding.
There are many different neckwear. I shall mention a few common ones that grooms wear for the wedding. If you are adventurous, you can look for traditional variation of neckwears but they definately cannot be found in Singapore.

Four in-hand necktie (Common neck tie)

This is the usual tie that men wear to work. It can be easily found in most shopping centers and can be made of various material including silk, cotton or polyester. The usual length is about 145cm, but it can come in varying width from 5.1cm to 10.2cm. The four-in-hand necktie is the most common type seen on men as part of formal and office clothing. It can vary in width, color and pattern according to the wearer’s taste and this is usually the tie you see on tie racks in most shopping malls. It can be made in silk, polyester or cotton. This is still the most common option for most grooms. Choose a skinny tie for a younger look and choose a wider tie for a more formal look.

The Seven-fold tie

The seven fold tie looks very much like the four in hand tie. The difference is that it is made from a square yard of silk folded seven times. IT is therefore much thicker and the knot when tied is also bigger. The seven fold tie is much more expensive than the four in hand tie, but is mostly unappreciated by people not familiar with ties.

Bow Tie

Bow tie is the most formal tie in the series. It is usually worn with tuxedoes for formal occasion. As such, it has become very popular for weddings. Before wearing a bow tie, decide on how formal you are planning your wedding to be. Bow ties are appropriate in formal weddings.

Cravats

The cravat is the predecessor of the modern necktie. As the common necktie became more popular, the cravat has been less seen in formal occasional. However, there has been a recent increase in popularity of the cravat especially for weddings because it is seen as classy and most ladies think of the cravat as a neckwear that Gentlemen wear.

Types of Cravat

Jabot – Cravat with lace. Given how lace has fallen out of favour for men, this is very rarely seen.

Day Cravat- Informal Cravat usually worn in the day time for semi-formal occasions.

Scrunchy Cravat – A popular type of wedding neckwear, also known as a scrunch rouche. As the name suggest, it is scrunched in appearance and makes the groom looks less old (and O-biang)

Ascot

The ascot tie descended from the cravat. It is a narrow neckband with wide pointed wings, traditionally made of pale gray patterned silk. The ascot is fastened with a stickpin or tie tack. It is usually reserved for ultra-formal daytime weddings and worn with a cutaway coat and striped gray trousers.

I have attempted to showcase the common neckwear available in Singapore and cmmonly used. Hope this helps with your prepartaion for the wedding.

Tip: Cravats tends to be expensive in Singapore because they are imported from Europe and most tailors here are not skilled in making them. However, they can be bought at a much cheaper price in Europe and some previous european colonies like Vietnam.