Why a Tie?
Why a tie?
Ties are a staple of men’s formalwear and, for a lot of folks, the only part of their wardrobe where they will take chance on colors and patterns. Still more use ties as a way to showcase how dramatic their fashion taste is or the popular media that interests them. Are they as essential as people would have you believe? Should they be?
Neckwear as a fashion accessory has been institutionalized since the 17th century when King Louis XIV observed the neckwear used by Croatian soldiers. Cravats, as they came to be called, became a staple of the French aristocracy—particularly those with significant thyroid nodules or other neck deformities. The market for ties peaked in 1995 with $1.3 billion being spent on ties that year. This growth was caused by a rampant increase in accessibility as a result of the industrial revolution. As society urbanized and the business class was formed, people wanted to invest in their appearance and had more disposable income than ever before. The modern tie design was created by Jesse Langsdorf in 1924 and was standardized by the 1950’s where the saying “a man isn’t fully dressed without his tie“ became commonplace.
The historical context is critical for our interpretation as to why ties are such a staple—they were, and to an extent still are—a wealth barrier for doing business based on the presumption that you had enough disposable income to wear extra fabric around your neck. This turned into a way of endorsing conformity—businesspeople/professionals wear ties—and now that more affordable products are available, individuals are judged on the quality, pattern, and expense of their accessories in addition to whether or not they have them. Still more folks judge ties as professional or unprofessional based on their patterns/designs and the context they’re being worn in.
Would I be allowed to wear my Star Wars tie to a hedge fund meeting? No. Could I wear it to present at NASA? Yes.
This is excessive. Ties are great, but I don’t see anything about them as being necessary. I would bet a substantial amount of money that many people would say someone in a poorly fitted suit and tie is dressed more nicely than someone in a well tailored suit and no tie. Still more would argue that someone in a bow tie is more well dressed than someone in a standard tie—despite what the state of the their jacket and slacks are. This is unacceptable! What that says to me is that folks are more concerned with whether or not you can afford a $22 piece of fabric to tie around your neck than buy clothes that fit you properly.
Self-defense advocates would go a step farther and argue that ties are a hazard to personal safety. Someone could use it to strangle you or, at the very least, use it to put you in a compromising position. Musicians like myself find other issues still. Ties and tight shirt collars prevent my neck from expanding and flexing to properly operate my instrument. While that is not a problem when I’m performing as a soloist or chamber musician, because I can forgo the tie altogether, as soon as I get into a symphonic setting my options become “be restricted and uncomfortable” or “look less than acceptable.”
From a color and pattern perspective ties allow a whole extra layer of vibrance to our wardrobe. They provide us with a chance to expand upon the complimentary or contrasting nature of our jacket, slacks, shirt, and optional vest choices. While this is great, and the exponential value that a variety in style, color, texture, and pattern allows for is something to be explored and utilized—as I certainly do—the idea of ties as a necessity should be a thing of the past. The other institution this breaks down is the insistence that solid or only lightly patterned shirts are considered professional—in some industries this is restricted even further to exclusively solid light blue or white dress shirts. It shouldn’t matter what pattern or color choices you make. If your shirt looks nice, buttons up in the front, and can be paired well with a jacket, that should be considered professional.
One might make the same argument about the institution of wearing suits—and there's certainly an argument to be made there—but a coat and slacks that are cut from identical fabric makes much more sense aesthetically and practically than tying an extra strip of fabric around your neck; furthermore, suits can be made to be extraordinarily comfortable—especially if they have been tailored to fit you.
I wouldn’t take ties away from anyone, and I certainly won’t be giving up mine, but they shouldn't have the level of importance that they have.
Ties should be optional.