But first what is an ugly tie?
Ugly ties can not go out of fashion. They transcend fashionableness because they can't "go with" anything. That funky, offbeat tie that only looks good with a black shirt is not an ugly tie. An ugly tie is irredeemable; it is matchless. Ugly ties can not look 'good' no matter what shirt, sweater or suit you might wear, unless it should cover the tie completely. They are uncomplimentary
Ugly ties are not novelty ties. They are intended with all seriousness. So that tie with the cute pigs does not qualify since its ugliness is purposeful. Most people do not have an ugly tie in their closet. Rarer still would be an ugly tie with a holiday motif.
Ugly ties should make you wonder why -- not just why this tie, but why this fabric? Why this pattern? What were they thinking when they came up with this?
This gallery is devoted to the ugly ties. This current show is intended to initiate the museum-surfing audience in the concept of ugliness in ties, as not just a negation of style but as an instance of deliberate ugliness.
Remember, ties are among the most expensive and perishable members of most men's wardrobes. As garments men own, proportionately, they constitute the largest investment in clothing. As such, ties require sophisticated manufacturing technology. Ugly ties -- any ties -- are created from the most extravagant fabrics, usually silk, and are sometimes the only garment a man wears that is actually hand made. Ugly ties represent an elaborate and expensive process that produces a costly garment that is unwearable. The willfulness involved is akin to artistic creation but with a negative aesthetic. A subversive intent may be at work since the tie could be the product of a disgruntled or demented employee, but that does not explain the collusion of the other players in the haberdashery service chain: the fabric designer, the tie designer, craftsman, the wholesale and retail buyers, even the clerks who display the tie for sale.
Why, then, the ugly tie?
Certainly as a cultural artifact, the ugly tie deserves attention. It is a semiprecious part of material culture. Further, as a violation of decorative precepts, the ugly tie provides a unique glimpse into the rubrics of adornment.
