1970s Christian Dior Gold Tone Metal Paper Tie Clip

This tie clip was made for Christian Dior in the 1970s in gold-tone metal. In that decade the house, led artistically by Marc Bohan from 1961 to 1989, extended its name into menswear with the Christian Dior Monsieur line, and men's accessories such as tie clips and cufflinks carried the Dior signature into everyday tailoring.

In the 1970s several Paris couture houses turned to menswear, recognising a market of men who wanted designer names on their ties, shirts and accessories. Dior was among them. Small accessories were an accessible entry point, allowing a customer to wear the house's name without buying a suit.

Even as dress codes relaxed in the 1970s, the suit and tie remained standard for business and formal life. Tie clips, cufflinks and watches were the details that distinguished a carefully dressed man, and designer versions signalled attention to style as well as correctness.

A tie clip has a simple job: to hold the tie in place against the shirt. Its visibility on the front of the outfit makes it a small piece of jewellery as well. The gold-tone metal gives warmth against a shirt and tie, and the Dior name turns a functional accessory into a signed one.

Vintage men's accessories from couture houses are collected by those who value the details of classic tailoring. A 1970s Dior tie clip is both wearable and a record of the house's early expansion into menswear.