Why the tie won't die
By Megan Byrne | theage.com.au | 14 March
A stylish shirt can look the part
There are calls for its demise, but the tie is here to stay.
Oscar Wilde once remarked that "a well-tied tie is the first serious step in life". Many a private-school principal trying to enforce a dress code on boisterous teenagers would agree, but what about in the workplace: do men need a tie to succeed, to be taken seriously? And if they don't, why are they still wearing them?
Wilde, a rampant satirist, lived in Victorian England, in an era of frock coats and smoking jackets for the gentlemen, and corsets and petticoats for the ladies. Those were the days of modesty and respectability, when one's attire was an indication of position in society.
While there's no doubt that first impressions count, two centuries later there is a much greater emphasis on skills and experience. Many employers consider a formal dress code restrictive and unnecessary, and several - particularly those in creative industries such as advertising and web design - have done away with the suit and tie to help employees feel relaxed and comfortable at work.
In some places, the tie is banned. A 2004 study of ties worn by 42 doctors at a big New York hospital found that almost half carried disease-causing bacteria. In response, British hospitals banned doctors from wearing ties in 2007.
Increasingly, the tie is being considered a form of repression. In his book Manhood, author Steve Biddulph described the tie as a "slave collar"; a piece of clothing that "symbolises something very profound: a willingness to submit". In 2007, Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer commented on the suit and tie's ability to stifle workers, with the dry remark: "Heaven knows what waves of creativity might be unleashed when men are freed from conformist garb."
So the tie is finally dying, right? Wrong. While the casualisation of dress codes increased dramatically in the mid-to-late '90s, the recent unemployment threat has seen a return to more conservative attire. A report in Britain's Daily Telegraph last year attributed a 10-20 per cent increase in tie sales to worried employees trying to impress the boss and hold onto their jobs.
Imogen Lamport, from image consultancy Bespoke Media, says wearing a suit and tie is a mark of respect and authority, and they won't disappear any time soon.
"Wearing business attire says, 'I am a professional, and I'm serious about my work,"' Mrs Lamport says. "In conservative occupations such as banking, finance and law, the suit and tie will always form the standard dress code. These are the people we want to feel we can trust - the more conservative they look, the safer we feel about dealing with them."
But Mrs Lamport issues a few words of caution on tie selection. "Steer clear of lurid colour combinations and cartoon or message ties - they are inappropriate."
Supporters of the suit and tie see the combination as a statement of power, influence and style. In response to an online poll about business dress codes, one man said he thought of his expensive, tailored "power suit" as "body armour for corporate combat zones", saying it gave him a feeling of control.
The Age's fashion editor Janice Breen Burns says that while the tie is immovable in the corporate arena, there are plenty of stylish alternatives for people who work in more flexible businesses and industries.
"If you don't have to, or choose not to wear a tie, concentrate on the shirt. A beautiful shirt with different components can look fantastic," she says. Ms Breen Burns also suggests tone-on-tone knits in fine gauges, draping scarves around the neck to create a layering effect and swapping sports jackets with a light trench or pea coat.
"Dress codes are already changing as younger men begin entering boardrooms and setting new standards," Ms Breen Burns says.
"In another generation, we may see corporate dress codes change entirely. But not yet."
First published by TheAge.com.au on March 14 2009
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