A tie clip (also tie slide, tie bar, or tie clasp) is a clothing accessory that is used to clip a tie to the underlying shirt front, preventing it from swinging and ensuring that the tie hangs straightly, resulting in a neat, uniform appearance.
Tie clips are commonly made of metal and often have decorative patterns or embellishments. Some clips have a small badge indicating membership to a club or some other affiliation, or some other commemorative token, in a similar manner to the way in which ties themselves may be used as signs of membership. The use of tie clips gained prominence during the 1920s, during which period the use of straight ties made of delicate materials such as silk became more fashionable, and they largely came to replace the more traditional tie pin.
In the United States, a tie clip is one of the few items of jewelry allowed to be worn by servicemen and women.
Famous quotes containing the words tie and/or clip:
“Not because Socrates has said it, but because it is really in my nature, and perhaps a little more than it should be, I look upon all humans as my fellow-citizens, and would embrace a Pole as I would a Frenchman, subordinating this national tie to the common and universal one.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“O! let me clip ye
In arms as sound as when I wooed, in heart
As merry as when our nuptial day was done
And tapers burnt to bedward!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)