Castilleja’s Tie Ceremony last August marked not only the renewal of the school year but also the renewal of the class ties. Many students were surprised by the new All Basics ties this year, as they look nothing like the old Dennis ones.
The Dennis uniform class ties were long, satin and unstructured–what Castilleja students in recent years knew as the traditional Casti tie. However, upon a closer look at the old Senior Ovals, the ties predating Casti’s switch to Dennis were quite different: shorter in the back with a large knot positioned low on the blouse. So, this year’s new class ties from All Basics are not really new at all, but rather a return to the classic Casti tie.
One of the big changes to the class ties this year was the length. When switching to Dennis Uniforms, “[the] fabric changed, so [Castilleja students] started wearing [the ties] a lot tighter,” Lizz Babb ‘82, Director of Alumnae Engagement said. “And that huge thing hanging out the back? [It’s] not supposed to be [there],” she added.
According to Babb, ties should be worn with a thick two-inch knot, positioned at the second button of the middy blouse. However, the material the old uniform retailer of over 30 years provided prevented the fabric from being tied in a large enough knot.
“That fabric precluded wearing it properly. So we’re not going to change it back so that there are these long tails. What we can change and improve is the fabric,” Babb said.
The new ties have been controversial: “[The new ties are] really stiff and bulky, and they’re really hard to tie. It just doesn’t provide that really nice and classy look we want,” Eleanor Mead ‘29 said.
The new everyday uniform retailer, Colours, is a woman-owned and operated business. While the current dress whites retailer, All Basics, is only temporary for this year, students can expect all uniform pieces to come from Colours Uniforms starting next year. “[Colours Uniforms] has super beautiful items,” Babb said. “They’re branching out into things like athletic gear for gym period.”
According to history teacher Heather Pang ‘84, the position of the knot, as well as the colors of the ties, have shifted from decade to decade. In fact, in the 1930s, class ties were worn at or below the waist. “The big difference is that what we think of as the dress whites uniform has elements of what used to be the daily uniform,” Pang said. “Specifically, the shirt with the middy collar used to be the daily uniform and the dress whites uniform. The difference with the dress white uniform was just the white skirt instead of the blue skirt.”
As Castilleja’s uniform has evolved significantly over the years, the uniform change this year is a return to tradition. And controversial or not, the newly traditional class tie design seems to be here to stay.
