Once upon a time, in mid-20th century America, a necktie was the sartorial equivalent of masculinity–along with the grey flannel suit, it was practically a fabric substitute for Man himself. Today, few guys are required to wear ties, so fashion, sensing a vacuum, moved in. There are still plenty of traditional manufacturers around (as any glance at the evening news will confirm), but younger designers often break–or bend–old rules of propriety and take full advantage of neckwear’s creative potential. We recently discovered one such createur, Jonathan Meizler, an artist and designer who’s turned his hand to producing a line called, rather cleverly, title of work.

The name refers to a gallery’s method of tagging art pieces (the packaging even carries a red “sold” dot on its white label). And like works in a gallery show, Jonathan’s ties run the gamut. Some are utterly plain (dark slivers to wear against a white shirt), while others sport grommets, amulets, bands of Swarovski crystals (like the example above) and even diamonds. At a recent Spring 2012 preview, we saw plenty of chic twists on classics, as well as an edgier group celebrating what can only be called body metal: belly-button rings, bar bells, etc. And while accessories like these aren’t for everyone, rest assured: chic men of all sorts will find Jonathan’s ties surprisingly wearable.

–Mark Grischke