Why doesn't Cruanyes wear a tie anymore?

One of the numerous controversial changes that TV3's newscasts have undergone concerns attire: the presenters have abandoned an item of clothing that, for decades, seemed indispensable for projecting seriousness: the tie. Today, this item of clothing is normalized and hardly surprises us, although at some point we may wonder what the point of wearing a cloth tongue hanging from the neck is. In any case, there is quite a bit of history and meaning behind this element, which has evolved in both form and function.

The origin of the tie is military. The legionaries of Trajan's Column in Rome (2nd century) wore a type of scarf called a cravat. focaleBut the piece we recognize today as a necktie gained popularity during the Thirty Years' War, when Croatian mercenaries fighting with the French army wore neckerchiefs as part of their uniform. Hence the name. cravat, derived from CroatianThese scarves had practical functions: providing an extra layer of warmth, protecting the skin of the neck from friction with the gorget (a semicircular metal piece of armor), cleaning the sword, or even serving as an improvised bandage in combat.

Later, Louis XIV transformed the cravat into a piece of courtly distinction. It also acquired a practical role: protecting shirt and coat collars from sweat, which accumulated particularly in that area. The wide mussoline ties and points of the 18th century evolved into rectangular, knotted pieces, accompanying the transformation toward the modern shirt. At the beginning of the 19th century, the British dandy Beau Brummell popularized the crisp white shirt with a perfectly knotted cravat, standardizing male elegance and turning the cravat into a symbol of extreme refinement.

The definitive birth of the modern necktie occurred in 1924, when American tailor Jesse Langsdorf developed a technique to prevent it from distorting when tying knots and achieve the perfect drape. This involved making the tie with three pieces of fabric cut on the bias (at a 45° angle to the thread), giving it elasticity and flexibility so it could adapt to the knot without distorting. Until the 1940s, ties were shorter and wider, primarily intended as an ornamental element for the neck. By mid-century, however, shirts began to lengthen collars, and the tie also became more stylized. Figures such as James Bond, the Beatles, and British Mods made the long, thin tie a symbol of modernity and youthful style.

Beyond their initial military and hygienic uses, ties immediately convey power, authority, and seriousness. They reinforce the perception of confidence and control, and for this reason, many anchors, especially those associated with news programs, have maintained them as a visual tool of formality and credibility with their audiences. Even today, many television networks have strict internal manuals on how to wear a tie, demonstrating that this piece of clothing continues to codify those who hold positions of responsibility.

Now, TV3 has decided to do away with ties on its newscasts, and we've gone from "always" to "never," turning what was supposed to be a relaxation of formality into a new rigidity of imposed relaxation. In any case, this isn't just an aesthetic change: it's a reflection on how we perceive authority and formality and, in the case of TV3, on credibility and trust, which ultimately can never be earned or retained with (or without) a "simple" tie.