Missing In Action — Why Don’t Men Wear Ties Anymore?

When Ties Were the Mark of a Man

Growing up, I remember my father religiously wearing a tie whenever he went out. Whether going to church or dinner, a tie was a must. He took great pride in tying the correct Windsor knot, a skill that he (thankfully) passed on to me.

It was one of the few things I learned from my father.

I grew up around ties. Going to public schools and then boarding school, ties were essential to the uniform. In my professional working life, I always wore a tie except for a few occasions on casual Fridays.

On these days, I felt naked without my tie.

I wore them with distinction, and thanks to my father teaching me how to tie them, they usually looked good, if I say so myself.

When traveling on business, I often bought ties, and my family knew that an excellent tie on a birthday was always appreciated.

I stopped working full-time around the time COVID hit. Many businessmen saw COVID as an opportunity to ditch their ties for open shirts.

For me, I had withdrawal symptoms.

What was once expected to wear a tie to a business meeting or dinner now seemed out of place.

These days, you look out of place wearing a tie unless you are in a professional role that begs trust and confidence (some military officers, doctors, real estate agents, politicians, bank staff, or lawyers, for example) or diehard old men. (I am, neither, although the latter is creeping up.)

I recently went through the painful process of pruning my tie collection to keep only the ones with sentimental value. What a memory rush.

A kaleidoscope of feeling rushed back with almost everyone I picked up.

Everyone had a story; deciding which ones to keep was hard.

Then I thought, what if ties are not dead and, like all good fashion statements, they come back into vogue?

Maybe, I should put them in a box and keep them (I am a terrible hoarder of such things).

When Did This Crazy Fashion Start, and Why?

People started tying cloth around their necks in the 1600's, but the tie as a fashion item is much more recent.

It was Louis XIV’s fault. He got the whole French aristocracy hooked on cravats. As the amount of cloth turned into more significant amounts of pure white muslin (the whiteness and length reflecting degrees of luxury), the more elaborate and complexly they were tied, the more elevated the wearer’s status.

The necktie was invented in the 29th century, when gentlemen started working, especially in banking and finance.

In 1922, New York tie maker and designer Jesse Langsdorf designed ties made of silk with the weave cut on the diagonal to hold their shape better and be more resilient for the working man. This was the foundation for the modern necktie, which, like all good English words, became abbreviated to just ‘tie.’

Some studies were done at Cambridge University using mathematical modeling to determine that it was possible to tie 85 knots (some people will study anything!).

Ties became a standard part of uniforms and businessmen’s attire. Schools often adopted ties to reflect the school colors or alumni members.

It Still Makes No Sense (Even Though I Miss It)

Like many fashion accessories, the tie makes no sense whatsoever. In some areas where ties were considered an essential part of dress, they were a significant safety risk.

Recognizing this, police forces in many countries moved to clip-on ties so that officers could not be strangled with their ties. Military personnel tucked their ties into their shirts to avoid getting in the way.

I am sure many will admit to folding their tie into a bowl of soup or drink as they sit down or bend over.

I can remember someone I worked with who was also a tie freak like me. He changed to wearing only bowties when he came too close to a packaging machine and nearly ended up in the package.

A study in 2018 found that wearing a necktie can reduce blood flow to the brain by up to 7.5%. This can make you feel dizzy and nauseous and cause headaches. Ties can also increase the pressure in your eyes if they are too tight and are great at carrying germs.

So on the practicality scale, they rank very poorly.

Is the Tie On the Comeback?

It seems that ties are the latest fashion victim after 300 years of dominance in some form or another. Just like bell-bottom pants, flares, waistcoats, and cummerbunds, ties are becoming relics.

As more businesses adopt a relaxed dress code, the tie has all but disappeared. Some psychologists have said this trend affects productivity and performance because we often wear a specific persona. However, these are unsubstantiated facts.

Even in today’s world, the times of essential dress standards that once mandated ties, such as weddings, job interviews, or funerals, are giving way to a more casual look, except if you are a news reader or some other nonsensical situation.

But before you race out and throw away your last remaining ties (assuming you still have some), they may not be dead yet!

All good fashion items go in waves. With gender equality, women have started buying ties as fashion accessories for their pin-tuck suits.

Who knows what new strange fashion accessory they may start in the future? The current generation may remodel them as a feature item, re-branding them as their statement of independence.

I still maintain a well-tied, color-matched tie, which reflects a man’s attention to detail, pride in himself, and how much he values performance. That is not such a bad thing.

How many guys out there still have ties?

Am I the only one?

Till next time,

Calvin