Morris Wild Tulip Silk Tie

DESIGNER'S NOTES

A pale blue Fox & Chave silk tie with pale pink tulip blooms and stylised carnations after a textile design by William Morris (1834-1896).

Moorish and Persian influences can be clearly traced in the work of William Morris and the Morris & Co. circle, particularly in pattern, rhythm, and flat ornament. Morris admired Islamic design for its unity, abstraction, and moral seriousness, qualities he saw as antidotes to industrial vulgarity.

Wild Tulip, upon which this tie design is based, was created in 1884 and reflects this influence through its all-over repeat, disciplined symmetry, and sinuous vegetal forms reminiscent of Persian textiles and Ottoman ceramics. Rather than naturalistic depiction, the tulips are stylised, interlaced, and rhythmically balanced, creating a sense of infinite continuation.

This approach aligns with Moorish principles of surface decoration, where pattern becomes structure, and beauty arises from order, restraint, and harmony rather than illusion or depth.

COLOURS

STYLING

A Fox & Chave silk tie looks best tied in a classic Windsor or half-Windsor knot and worn with a collar style of your choosing. Cutaway or spread collars offer the greatest opportunity to display the detail of your unique silk tie design.