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Dress for Success: The Case for Neckties


If it isn’t already marked on your calendar, International Necktie Day is on 18 October. One of the most controversial pieces of fashion of the last few decades, the outlook for the necktie appears grim. Its haters include figures like Richard Branson (“a symbol of oppression”), Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ayatollah Khomeini (who described it as “decadent and un-Islamic”). Against the claims of Silicon Valley, work-from-home culture, and the Ayatollah, I argue that the necktie is all the more necessary in an age without means of professional self-expression.


The necktie entered European attire with Croatian mercenaries in the early 17th century. The French, who called these regiments cravats, soon began to use the term to refer to the distinctive burgundy scarves they wore with their uniforms. Like so many new trends, the cravat was popularized by Louis XIV at Versailles (along with high heels, ballet, and the slave trade in the Caribbean). It was the Industrial Revolution, however, that transformed the baroque assemblies of lace and ribbon into the familiar length of patterned silk. These new ‘Langsdorf’ ties (named after their inventor) were symbols of modernity and the optimism of the fin de siècle. Instead of complex knots and elaborate ornamentation, the necktie as we know it today could be tied by anyone on the street. It also had the advantage of being easily tucked away if the wearer was engaged in work with heavy machinery. By the 1920s, both the factory worker and the Wall Street banker had this piece of fabric in common. A symbol, perhaps, of the victories won by the working class was their equal status in neckwear.


In the following century, ties have fallen in and out of favour, but it seems they have never been as much at risk of extinction as they are today. In the public sphere, neither Parliament nor Congress oblige members to wear ties. Even in France, a sartorial powerhouse, the official parliamentary dress code was dropped in 2017. However, the decline has perhaps been most noticeable in the private sector, where under 30 per cent of workers employed in middle-class professions in the UK don a tie regularly.


In an economy that has moved away from the office, towards remote work and non-standard employment, promoting a more casual style of dress makes sense. Even office jobs are now seen to have taken a comfortable tack, possibly inspired by West Coast start-up culture. In matters of work dress, culture, and space, the modern professional world aspires to be as much like home as possible. Is this an entirely good thing? Your time doesn’t feel all your own when you’re responding to emails on your off days. This extends beyond work, too. I prefer a consistent time of day to do my readings or write essays rather than odd hours at the library. Study, as well as work, is best done within time constraints, distinct from the time we keep to ourselves.


As the distinction between our work selves and our leisure selves disintegrates, dressing intentionally might help us keep the two separate. I propose the tie as a mechanism by which we opt in and out of being ‘at work’. The trope is already familiar: upon getting home after a long day at the office (or the library basement), we loosen the knot and gratuitously cast the piece of fabric aside. Similarly, the ritual of picking the right tie and fastening it around the collar is a way of consciously entering a ‘productive’ state. I’m sceptical of my grandfather’s claims that a tie improves posture or present-mindedness, but it’s certainly true that I feel more inclined to write or read with one on.


More obviously, the necktie offers a vehicle for self-expression. As dress codes collapse, and more and more of us are coaxed into ‘business casual’ environments, jackets without ties proliferate. Greys and navy blues dominate the professional attire of men, resulting in a limitation of opportunities for sartorial expression. You could opt for cufflinks and lapel pins, but some more substantial way of representing yourself is missing. Traditionally the centrepiece of the suit, the necktie provides a necessary vibrancy to sober-coloured clothing.


For four centuries, the necktie or some variation thereof has been a mark of distinction, professionality, and a method of self-expression. It would be a shame to see it go now, as our formal wear remains just as drab as before. Historically, the tie has been one mechanism to separate the public self from the private self. It did so without sacrificing individuality, but in fact, promoted the wearer’s unique taste and character, and I believe it ought to continue to do so.


Illustration by Isabelle Holloway

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