Wearing A Tie

Tie Association, a Fashion Victim, Calls It Quits as Trends Change by Ray A. Smith in The Wall Street Journal reports about the decline of men wearing ties. According a Gallup Poll, only 6% wear ties everyday to work, down from 10% in 2002.

When I was working, I was one of those 6%. Until a few months before retiring, I wore a tie to work just about everyday.

When I started working, a tie was the norm for engineers and managers at my company. The only times we didn't wear ties was when working in the lab or pilot plant. At some point, tieless Fridays became the norm and then a transition to "business casual" occurred in the nineties.

After trying business casual for a time, I decided to go back to wearing a tie. Here were my reasons:

Be dressed for business. To me, wearing a tie means being serious about work and ready for business. Some business casual outfits could be mistaken for playing golf or going fishing :-)

Easier to dress for work. I found wearing a tie made dressing for work easier. Easier to match. Solid light shirt, dark pants and a matching tie. No need to worry about under dressing. I remember our organization once had a presentation to a senior manager of our company. Several people agonized over whether or not to wear a tie. For me, it was an easy decision. I dressed as I normally did and wore a tie.

Of course, except for a few professions, a tie is likely a thing of the past. When attorneys, bankers, stock brokers and accountants no longer wear ties, I will know that wearing a tie has become extinct.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial or business attire advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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