Are neckties going extinct?
Filed under: Men, Celebrities with Style
You didn't really just give your dad another tie for Father's Day did you? I hope you included a gift receipt.In the past century we've seen bow ties, skinny ties, fat ones, long and short ones ... you name it, guys wore it. And now the latest trend in neckties for guys is ... no tie at all.
E! Online has a gallery of A-list guys who've been seen sans necktie, including George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and John Mayer. While the red carpet scene is (of course) faster to accept the tieless look than Wall Street, it definitely could be a sign of things to come.
Is this the beginning of the end for the old "suit and tie" duo? Before you insist that ties are here to stay, think about this: What purpose does a necktie really serve? A fashion accessory without a purpose is always at risk of disappearing completely (think powdered wigs), or else becoming something that's only worn to look retro or classic (think kids wearing top hats and long coattails to prom.)
josh 6-18-2007 @ 5:20PM
I sorta doubt ties are going anywhere. I would even argue that they arn't out of fashion right now. Some celebrities arn't wearing them but the vast majority of people--and trend-setters--still are.
Men always will have to wear a suit and tie. While all suits look essentially the same, ties are where men can flaunt their inner peacock.
Also, useless pieces of clothing don't necessarily get dropped. Powdered wigs have become extinct, but we still wear jewelry which seves no functional purpose. For that matter, suit lapels don't really serve any purpose either.
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Jim Murphy 6-19-2007 @ 11:49AM
Hmm… second attempt at posting here…
I have to agree with Josh. The suit has been on something of a hiatus, but it seems to be making a comeback. In business, of course, appropriate business attire will always involve either a suit or a blazer/sports coat, trousers, shirt and tie. A step down from that is the ever-popular “business casual” (e.g. golf shirt, Dockers, leather shoes). Then there’s Casual Friday, where some of us actually get away with wearing jeans and sneakers.
Proper business attire, though, (where and when actual business is conducted) will forever be the suit, I think. Corporate executives typically don’t sit down at a board room in anything less. Men looking for a half-decent position in corporate America had BETTER show up at the interview in a suit, shirt and tie… but only if they really want the job. (The better you dress, statistically the higher the salary offer goes!)
Josh is also right in that the tie is our one chance to show the world that we men, when suited up, aren’t complete fashion retards. Men’s suits simply haven’t changed all that much in the last 100 years. Lapels widen and narrow, the number of buttons may vary, there are different colors (but God forbid you choose a color outside the scope of social acceptability - - think Dumb and Dumber). Shirt colors are allowed to vary more widely, but it is the TIE where men find the greatest aesthetic freedom in business fashion.
Also, as far as PURPOSE for the tie… while it’s no longer required as a shirt closure, it nevertheless serves to tie two or more disparate colors (which may appear elsewhere on the man) together. “Why is that man wearing a blue shirt with a tan suit… Oh! No, it’s cool… he’s got a blue and tan necktie, I see.”
With all of this said, it’s not just kids going to a prom, trying to look retro who wear tuxes or tails. They’re both quite the fashion in wedding parties and at $1,000 / plate dinners and at annual balls in high society.
Powdered wigs? Well… there’s always a market for them among re-enactors in Williamsburg, Virginia!
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Jim Murphy 6-20-2007 @ 8:51AM
Hey Brigitte... you can send ME a necktie for Christmas...
I'd ask for a powdered wig, but they're pretty expensive! ;)
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Bud 6-20-2007 @ 8:44PM
It's always easy to make excuses for not dressing nicely - most of those "red carpet" types look and dress like bums just to show their independence. "Wall Street" dressers look like gentlemen and do not have to make any excuses for looking like that. Ties should stay forever when dressing nicely is the proper dress (not for bar-b-ques, etc).
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J.B 6-20-2007 @ 9:15PM
#4
No truer words have ever been written. American's are great with the excuses why they don't look nice. COMFORT is their cry and it spell's
SLOB in my book. One can be comfortable and still look smart and good.
I would NEVER hire a guy or girl who looks like a slob, we are in sales
and need this tie to look presentable to our customer. So keep using your excuses America, ok with me, BUT I will NOT hire you.
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Scotto 6-20-2007 @ 9:59PM
I say, KILL the neck tie!!!
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Scotto 6-20-2007 @ 10:01PM
I say, KILL the neck tie!!!
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Jim 6-20-2007 @ 10:03PM
The suit and tie for men has become, I believe, very cliche. In the summer, women can wear light and airy skirts with strappy sandals and still be considered well-dressed. Men on the other hand are expected to wear a suit and tie which is basically winter clothing. A man would be ridiculed for wearing shorts and sandals in the winter, so why is it not considered odd to wear a constricting tie and lace up oxfords in the middle of summer? I'm not suggesting that men go to a job interview wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops. Women now have city shorts that can be worn as a suit. Maybe a similar item could be adapted for men. At least give us men dress sandals that we can wear with a suit. Stuffy, old school bosses will just have to deal with it!
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stanley 6-20-2007 @ 10:08PM
I am a guy who likes to think I can be metrosexual. The reason I hardly wear a tie anymore is that I am under the impression that when I walk into a store to buy a tie, I seem to be at the mercy of some conservative merchandiser or store management's purchaser.
The ties I see featured in GQ or worn by models are expensive, fine, but I don't see less expensive versions in regular, non-high-end stores. Likewise, how come I don't see narrow black ties for sale?
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vincent 6-20-2007 @ 10:15PM
NOTHING COMPLETES THE LOOK OF A SUIT OR SPORT JACKET, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND FORMALLY AS A TIE. TRUE, IT MAY NOT BE EVERYONES FAVORITE, BUT IT DIFFERENTIATES THE FORMAL AND PROPER FROM THE CASUAL, AND I MIGHT ADD......CLASSY. SURE THE RED CARPET SET LOOKS GREAT WITHOUT ONE, WITH FACES LIKE THAT, WHO'S LOOKING AT THE TIE!...BUT PUT THEM IN A GREAT SUIT OR TUX, AND ADD A TIE,......CLASS!
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Linda 6-20-2007 @ 10:32PM
NOTHING beats a good looking man (or even average guy) in an awesome tie. My husband jokes that the only reason i fell in love with him is that he wore a tie on our first date and I must admit he did make an impression with that tie. He LOVES his ties. He's a class act. George Clooney can go tie-less, but regular men need extraordinary ties to make a statement.
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schmittdon47 6-20-2007 @ 10:39PM
For those of us men who can still go to a fine men's attirey and not have a women tell us what to wear, the tie will always remain a vehicle to the top of the food chain. And I don't need the opinions of a group of castrated "metro" men who take pride in being just like "one of the girls" influence my world view of things - and ties will remain a reality.
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John D. Larsen 6-20-2007 @ 10:45PM
Come on people. This is Hollywood we are talking about. And scince when have any of the hollywood types set the standard for business attire? It's time for America to get a grip on reallity. These people deal in fantasy for a living. If anyone is expecting me to give up my neck-ties, you have a long wait ahead. And just for the sake of all you anti-establishment folk out there, I do not find the neck-tie to be constrictive, binding or strangling in any way.
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Jim Murphy 6-20-2007 @ 10:49PM
...uh... Jim (the other Jim)...
The suit would be cliché if it were not so long-lived. It has since gone beyond that. The suit is TRADITION.
As for the suit being winter clothing, well... there are different weights and materials of fabric, and some colors (lighter colors) are more conducive to summer wear. If it gets REAL hot out, businessmen will sling their jackets over their shoulder after they've rolled up their sleeves... but they'll still wear the tie.
Okay... I'll admit it. Today I didn't wear a jacket all all. I went to work in a shirt and tie, though... one day before the summer solstice.
As far as a man being ridiculed for wearing shorts and sandals in the middle of winter... he SHOULD be. Anyone who's foolish enough to dress for the beach when there's blizzard outside needs to take more than cold medication.
As far as men going to a job interview wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops, hey... that's great... if you're trying to get a position as a lifeguard. Just be sure to show them your American Red Cross Advanced Lifesaving Certificate. A word of warning though. The career of lifeguard is highly glamorized and dismally paid. I speak from experience. The Army stationed me as a lifeguard in Hawaii. Beautiful state. Boring job.
If you want a more highly paid position in a more lucrative environment, and you want to be taken seriously, then you dress for success. When it comes to that "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." You can show up in your Roman sandals in Corporate America if you WANT to... just remember that the "stuffy, old-school bosses" that have to deal with your appearance will have to only so long as your interview. After that, you can deal with not being hired!
Just a little friendly advice!
Enjoy the beach!
- - Jim Murphy
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MYOB 6-20-2007 @ 10:50PM
I HATE ties! Whoever created the tie is an idiot.
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hobert3 6-20-2007 @ 10:53PM
Aw-w-w-w c'mon. Everybody get naked! That will take out a world of fashion rules.
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nick 6-20-2007 @ 10:56PM
TIES ARE EXPENSIVE PHALLIC SYMBOLS. WHY SPEND 75$ ON A BROOKS BROS TIE, OR 300$ FOR 4 TIES, BECAUSE YOU CANT BUY JUST ONE. I THINK THE TIELESS FAD COMES FROM THE MIDEAST. HOW MANY AFGANIS OR PAKISTANIES WEAR TIES. LETS NOT GIVE HOLLYWOOD FOR THIS CHANGE.
NICK
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Jim Murphy 6-20-2007 @ 11:06PM
...oh... and Linda...
...just so you know... The tie does something even for those of us who are kind of ugly in a funny-looking sort of way.
Brigitte is trying to decide now whether or not she wants to give me the neck tie she didn't give to her dad for Father's Day or get me a powdered wig, because the glare prevents her from reading the YOUR AD HERE sign tatooed to my scalp. ;)
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Jim Murphy 6-20-2007 @ 11:17PM
MYOB - -
If you want someone to blame for the tie, blame the Croatians. That's where the tie comes from... in fact, the name Croatia hints at their historical relation to the tie... or should I call it the CRAVAT?
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lou concepcion 6-20-2007 @ 11:27PM
Suit and tie equals class, tradition, respect, professionalism.
Some guys are just lazy slobs, many of whom do not even know how to knot a tie properly. There are a few different knots, by the way, and are used depending on the fabric of the tie, and the type of shirt collar. The correct tie length is important also.
Real classy women appreciate a guy in a suit and tie, especially when they are worn with a proper fit.
And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are a lot of quality suits and ties at reasonable prices.
The key is quality, and proper fit.
And the self esteem, confidence, and pride that it takes to dress nicely.
It takes a certain kind of man to care about these things. For the rest, I feel sorry for them.
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