Collar in Women's Dress: Semiotics of Borrowing and Decoding Power

The incorporation of the collar into the women's wardrobe represents a complex cultural phenomenon that goes far beyond fashion. It is an act of semiotic appropriation, a political gesture, and a tool for constructing gender identity. The history of the women's collar is the history of the struggle for social roles, read through the language of accessories.

1. Origins: Androgynous Rebellion and the Uniform of Emancipation

Until the end of the 19th century, elements of men's clothing in women's wardrobes were marginal and associated with specific activities (horse riding). A turning point came with the emergence of the "Gibson girl" in the 1890s — a new, sporty, educated woman's image created by illustrator Charles Gibson. However, the true manifesto was Marlene Dietrich. Her appearance in the 1930 film " Morocco" in a smoking jacket and with a butterfly tie, and then in a free suit with a long tie, was a cultural shock. This was not cross-dressing, but a declaration: the attributes of male power and freedom can be claimed by a woman to create a new, dominant femininity.

In parallel, the collar became part of the uniforms of women's auxiliary services during the world wars (e.g., British WAAF). Here it symbolized not rebellion, but duty, discipline, and equal contribution to the common cause, while remaining within the strict hierarchy.

2. 1960-1980s: From the "Blue Collar" to the Power of the "White Collar"

The second wave of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s gave the collar a new, political meaning. Yves Saint Laurent became the icon when she presented the women's smoking suit "Le Smoking" in 1966. The butterfly tie in this ensemble was the key element, translating the symbol of male evening formality into the field of female luxury and confidence. This was an elegant deconstruction, not direct copying.

The real revolution occurred in the 1980s with the arrival of the generation of career women in offices. The "power suit" (suit of power) with broad shoulders and an obligatory silk tie, often in plaid or diagonal stripes, became their armor. Women, entering the corporate environment — a territory codified by male rules, — were forced to speak in its language. In this context, the tie performed three functions:

Mimetic: Masking under "their own" in the male world.

Status: Direct borrowing of the symbol of power.

Decoding: The very act of wearing it by a woman undermines its exclusively masculine semiotics.

Interesting fact: In the 1980s, even a special term "floppy tie" appeared — a soft, often silk, and bright tie that women wore with blouses and jackets. It was less strict than the male equivalent, allowing to soften the image without renouncing the attribute of power.

3. Modernity: From Decoding to Free Play with Codes
In the 21st century, the collar in the women's wardrobe has finally been freed from the need to prove equality. It has become a neutral but meaningful element of style, used in various registers:

Irony and postmodernist play: Wearing a tie with a dress, a bulky sweater, or over a T-shirt refers to the aesthetics of "slash code" (mixing opposites: male/female, strict/relaxed). Here the tie is a citation, not a uniform.

Corporate androgynous style: In creative industries and IT, where a strict dress code has been abolished, a tie (especially a butterfly or thin cord) can be used as a conscious choice to create an intellectual image, continuing the line of Marlene Dietrich, but without political pomposity.

Uniforms of subcultures: The tie is a common attribute in styles such as grunge, indie, as well as in the LGBTQ+-community, where it can serve as a visual marker of gender non-binary or a reference to a certain aesthetics.

Scientific perspective: Semioticians such as Roland Barthes could read the women's tie as a sign whose denotation is "tie," but whose connotations (cultural, historical associations) have radically changed. From a symbol of patriarchal power, it has become a sign whose meaning fluctuates between play, irony, nostalgia for a certain aesthetics, and conscious violation of gender boundaries.

Conclusion: An Accessory That Has Overcome Its Utility
The collar in women's clothing has gone from a shocking rebellion against gender norms to a tool of mimicry in the corporate environment, and then to a free element of stylistic self-expression. Its history reflects the evolution of the female social role: from the struggle for access to male privileges to the deconstruction of the concepts of "male" and "female" in clothing.

Today, the women's tie is a sign devoid of a single code, but rich in historical memory. Its wearing can be a reference to the glamour of old Hollywood, to the power aesthetics of the 1980s, or to modern gender fluidity. It no longer has to prove anything, which is the ultimate evidence of victory: an accessory that was once an exclusive symbol of male power now belongs to everyone, becoming a tool of personal, not gender, narrative.

Permanent link to this publication: