The Tie Makes a Difference

Q. You often discuss men’s neckties, but these days I am seeing fewer and fewer guys wearing ties. This seems to suggest that men are dressing more casually. Do you think this is actually true? I am in an industry – and an office – where we still dress in suits for work. Even though most of the others go without a tie, I wear a tie, unless it is wickedly hot outside. Are some fields different? I guess what I’m asking is: Are ties still important?

A. Yes, the standard office style of dressing depends largely on the industry, and some fields are more formal than others. Sadly, you are also right that fewer men are wearing ties. In fact, these days a lot of men don’t. But in many offices at least one or two guys still wear them. This is especially true where those one or two men are the ones with a large dose of self-confidence and an ongoing desire to look professional.

Over the years that I have been lecturing and writing about how men can dress to look their best, I’ve often heard them complain that the uniformity of men’s clothes forces them into a sea of sameness. Yet, as you point out, this one item in a man’s wardrobe – the one that not only allows for individuality and distinction, but that actually cries out for it – is often the first item that men eliminate.

A dark suit or dark jacket plus a light shirt is still pretty much the business – and dressy social – uniform. In a room full of men dressed in this get-up without the welcome addition of a colorful necktie, the overall effect is sure to be dull, dull, dull. Personally, I cannot fathom why any man with a strong sense of self would want to disappear so completely into the background. In every other aspect of life, most people try to stand out, to distinguish themselves from the herd. Why not – at least somewhat – in their dress? But then, I am not exactly the most objective person to ask about this.

I may seem to be pressing hard to encourage the pendulum’s continued swing from “business casual” to more formal business attire. Well, yes, I do favor such a return and am pleased to see the renewed interest in dressing well for business (and also social occasions). But I’m not fooled into thinking the tide will turn totally or dramatically any time soon. A certain degree of casual dress for business has become too firmly entrenched to disappear completely. Even those men who are influenced by the new formal/dressy “Mad Men” look and are wearing more suits than before, now choose somewhat more casual suits than the dark pin-stripes and chalk-stripes of a decade ago.

The important point about today’s way of dressing – one of the biggest changes from the “business casual” look of five to seven years ago – is clearly evidenced in the shirts men are now wearing. Back then, business casual truly was casual; we saw a lot of polo-type knit shirts worn alone with khakis or under sport coats. That look is pretty much gone. Today, whether a man wears a suit or a sport jacket – either with or without a tie – he will usually be wearing a dress shirt. In fact, dress shirts are hugely popular these days! And they are often a dressy style, such as a straight-point collar or spread collar, instead of the more relaxed button-downs that were synonymous with Wall Street a while back. A lot of today’s dress shirts go beyond the expected solid whites and solid blues. The big swing is to what the clothing industry calls “fancies”; these include gingham checks, diamond-weave textures, tattersalls, and all varieties of stripes. Another variation from a while back is that shirts are slightly trimmer in cut – not body-hugging tapered, but certainly less voluminous than the old Brooks Brothers cut. In addition, French cuffs (which at one time were limited to dressed-up occasions and dressy ties) have become extremely popular, even without a tie.

So, yes, we are seeing more suits than a few years back and more dress shirts, and also, yes, we are seeing many more men wearing those suits and shirts without a tie.

Nevertheless, I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that wearing a tie is a smart move for a man who wishes to set himself apart from the crowd. Good for you. Stick to your guns!