In this moment in time when so many things are being fixed or at least being broached for fixing, Jeffrey A. Tucker, a Senior Editor for "The Epoc Times," thinks the
"back to the Office" movement may be a broader phenomenon.
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Times of great social and political upheaval, epochs in which a paradigm shifts from one cultural moment to another, invariably involve changed fashions. It has become apparent in the world of menswear.
We are going back to jackets and neckties. Thank goodness and it is about time. A man is never fully dressed without a tie. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the tie completes the outfit. No open-collar shirt can achieve the same look.
This has been true for centuries, even back to the time of the cravat and all the crazy bows of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 20th century gave us the standard necktie and made it available to everyone, not just the elites. They have been standard for a reason: they look right. They suggest that the wearer should be taken seriously. It’s as simple as that.
It was only a couple of years ago that I was tottering around in a menswear shop and asked about ties and how they are selling. I was in the business in the old days so I’m always curious what people are buying. The man informed me that the tie is completely dead. No one buys them at all. He acted like this was a permanent shift.
I knew for sure that he was wrong. Ties come and go, and usually their disappearance is a sign that something major has gone wrong. They were fashionable in the early 1960s and vanished in the late 1960s with shock over assassinations and conscription. They returned in the 1980s and then vanished in the 21st century with the popularity of hoodies and tennis shoes among the tech bros.
Let me say this again: What you wear is not really about what you are saying about yourself; it is what you are saying about others, the occasion, and the venue. People dress up for court or for Congressional testimony and that has never gone away. It’s because they are showing respect for the institution.
These same people will not dress up for the office or for a cocktail party, so what message is that conveying by comparison? It should be obvious that it betrays a lack of respect and appreciation.
For years I’ve heard excuses for looking like a slob. I don’t have to impress people. My achievements stand on their own without having to put on a fancy get up. I’m more comfortable in sweats and sneakers. And so on.
None of this has anything to do with anything. How you dress is a direct reflection of your attitude toward the event and others there. This is why it is so sad to me to see people at the symphony dressed like they are at a baseball game. For that matter, it is sad to see people at a baseball game dressed like hobos.
“Neckties may never regain prepandemic levels of popularity,” writes the Wall Street Journal, “but sales data show signs of resurgence. After tumbling to $61.4 million in 2020, U.S. tie imports rebounded to $106 million by 2022, according to the most recent data from trade-tracking website Observatory of Economic Complexity.”
The new interest seems to be driven by Gen Z, which associates back-to-the-office with actual office clothing and adulthood generally. Rightly so! Many years have gone by in which the boss was dressed down so seriously that new employees felt the need to emulate. But that seems to be changing as younger people clearly see the advantages.
Oddly, this is especially true in Zoom meetings. A person is shown only from the chest up so that one’s shoes or trousers do not matter. But you can wear a tie and look rather respectable. Plus it is a way of saying: I’m not one of those stay-at-home losers. I actually make some effort to come to the office and dress properly.
Let’s explore why the tie seems to be suddenly back. The lockdowns were also associated with constant shabbiness, plus there seemed to be a pandemic chic development that one’s clothing should be as close to rags as possible, almost in the garb of penance. This tendency lasted for longer than two years, as if we all had to behave like flagellants.
But those days are gone, and everyone is marching back to the office. In fact, this trend will soon come to Washington, D.C. which has mostly been a ghost town for years, since only about 6 percent of federal workers even show up full time. The Department of Government Efficiency is determined to change that.
No question that the Trump victory is also a victory for dressing up. He is always in a suit and tie unless you find him on the golf course. That sends a statement. To be sure, he has a habit—a bad one in my view—of leaving open the button on his suit jacket. This is a mistake. Trump will never change, but I hope this habit does not catch on.
Where to get your ties? Sure you can pay retail of $50–350 but you can also find astonishing prices on eBay. A brief look reveals fantastic fabrics and designs for as low as $1 each. To my mind, I really do not know why anyone would shop in other places.
A few cautionary notes. Avoid wacky ties with cartoon characters and abstract art. Those are and always will be tacky. A tie should be patterns, stripes, dots, or just solid with or without texture. Nor should they be in extreme colors. They should be silk and some wool or cotton depending on the season. Any tie with a synthetic fabric on the outer shell should be thrown away instantly.
As for the knot, there are really only three that are suitable: four-in-hand, half Windsor, or full Windsor. The rest of the alternatives such as the infinity knot are preposterous and should never be worn.
In any case, so much is changing and there are so many wonderful shifts in the air. It’s a moment when many things are being fixed and there are signs of restoration everywhere. The rise of the necktie is surely among them, so that men can look like men again.
Jeffrey A. Tucker
Jeffrey A. Tucker is the founder and president of the Brownstone Institute and the author of many thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press, as well as 10 books in five languages, most recently “Liberty or Lockdown.” He is also the editor of “The Best of Ludwig von Mises.” He writes a daily column on economics for The Epoch Times and speaks widely on the topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.
"back to the Office" movement may be a broader phenomenon.
.........................................................................................................................
Ties Are Back, Thank Goodness
Times of great social and political upheaval, epochs in which a paradigm shifts from one cultural moment to another, invariably involve changed fashions. It has become apparent in the world of menswear.
We are going back to jackets and neckties. Thank goodness and it is about time. A man is never fully dressed without a tie. From a purely aesthetic point of view, the tie completes the outfit. No open-collar shirt can achieve the same look.
This has been true for centuries, even back to the time of the cravat and all the crazy bows of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 20th century gave us the standard necktie and made it available to everyone, not just the elites. They have been standard for a reason: they look right. They suggest that the wearer should be taken seriously. It’s as simple as that.
It was only a couple of years ago that I was tottering around in a menswear shop and asked about ties and how they are selling. I was in the business in the old days so I’m always curious what people are buying. The man informed me that the tie is completely dead. No one buys them at all. He acted like this was a permanent shift.
I knew for sure that he was wrong. Ties come and go, and usually their disappearance is a sign that something major has gone wrong. They were fashionable in the early 1960s and vanished in the late 1960s with shock over assassinations and conscription. They returned in the 1980s and then vanished in the 21st century with the popularity of hoodies and tennis shoes among the tech bros.
Let me say this again: What you wear is not really about what you are saying about yourself; it is what you are saying about others, the occasion, and the venue. People dress up for court or for Congressional testimony and that has never gone away. It’s because they are showing respect for the institution.
These same people will not dress up for the office or for a cocktail party, so what message is that conveying by comparison? It should be obvious that it betrays a lack of respect and appreciation.
For years I’ve heard excuses for looking like a slob. I don’t have to impress people. My achievements stand on their own without having to put on a fancy get up. I’m more comfortable in sweats and sneakers. And so on.
None of this has anything to do with anything. How you dress is a direct reflection of your attitude toward the event and others there. This is why it is so sad to me to see people at the symphony dressed like they are at a baseball game. For that matter, it is sad to see people at a baseball game dressed like hobos.
“Neckties may never regain prepandemic levels of popularity,” writes the Wall Street Journal, “but sales data show signs of resurgence. After tumbling to $61.4 million in 2020, U.S. tie imports rebounded to $106 million by 2022, according to the most recent data from trade-tracking website Observatory of Economic Complexity.”
The new interest seems to be driven by Gen Z, which associates back-to-the-office with actual office clothing and adulthood generally. Rightly so! Many years have gone by in which the boss was dressed down so seriously that new employees felt the need to emulate. But that seems to be changing as younger people clearly see the advantages.
Oddly, this is especially true in Zoom meetings. A person is shown only from the chest up so that one’s shoes or trousers do not matter. But you can wear a tie and look rather respectable. Plus it is a way of saying: I’m not one of those stay-at-home losers. I actually make some effort to come to the office and dress properly.
Let’s explore why the tie seems to be suddenly back. The lockdowns were also associated with constant shabbiness, plus there seemed to be a pandemic chic development that one’s clothing should be as close to rags as possible, almost in the garb of penance. This tendency lasted for longer than two years, as if we all had to behave like flagellants.
But those days are gone, and everyone is marching back to the office. In fact, this trend will soon come to Washington, D.C. which has mostly been a ghost town for years, since only about 6 percent of federal workers even show up full time. The Department of Government Efficiency is determined to change that.
No question that the Trump victory is also a victory for dressing up. He is always in a suit and tie unless you find him on the golf course. That sends a statement. To be sure, he has a habit—a bad one in my view—of leaving open the button on his suit jacket. This is a mistake. Trump will never change, but I hope this habit does not catch on.
Where to get your ties? Sure you can pay retail of $50–350 but you can also find astonishing prices on eBay. A brief look reveals fantastic fabrics and designs for as low as $1 each. To my mind, I really do not know why anyone would shop in other places.
A few cautionary notes. Avoid wacky ties with cartoon characters and abstract art. Those are and always will be tacky. A tie should be patterns, stripes, dots, or just solid with or without texture. Nor should they be in extreme colors. They should be silk and some wool or cotton depending on the season. Any tie with a synthetic fabric on the outer shell should be thrown away instantly.
As for the knot, there are really only three that are suitable: four-in-hand, half Windsor, or full Windsor. The rest of the alternatives such as the infinity knot are preposterous and should never be worn.
In any case, so much is changing and there are so many wonderful shifts in the air. It’s a moment when many things are being fixed and there are signs of restoration everywhere. The rise of the necktie is surely among them, so that men can look like men again.
Jeffrey A. Tucker
Jeffrey A. Tucker is the founder and president of the Brownstone Institute and the author of many thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press, as well as 10 books in five languages, most recently “Liberty or Lockdown.” He is also the editor of “The Best of Ludwig von Mises.” He writes a daily column on economics for The Epoch Times and speaks widely on the topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.
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