Getting hot under the collar over dress codes

A new poll has sounded the death knell for the tie. It seems that in 50 years open-neck shirts will rule the roost in the workplace, leaving ties to gather dust in the out-tray. So is it time for ties to get knotted?

YES

By Luke Barnes

There’s a funny thing about ties and it’s this – none of the men I know really like wearing them, but there are times when we have to.

There are 20 or so people in our Leamington Terrace office and the vast majority are men, as you’d probably expect for a company full of engineers.

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We span ages from early 20s to 60s and come from all sorts of backgrounds in construction, sales, engineering and marketing.

Another thing we have is a fairly relaxed dress code. Not quite jeans and T-shirts, more smart trousers and open-neck shirts – and when the guys are given the option, none of them come in sporting neckwear.

In fact, I can say confidently there’s not a bloke among us who voluntarily puts on a tie in the morning.

We believe it’s important that we give everybody a choice in how they prefer to dress when they come into work at the Reactec office. It’s common sense that most people work better when they feel comfortable.

So you have to wonder, just what is the point in a tie? It does seem a bit weird to loop a narrow strip of coloured silk round your neck then tie a rather complicated knot in it – just to prove you are “at work”. I’d be quite happy never to put on a tie again and I’m pretty sure most of my colleagues feel the same way. That said, nothing’s ever quite that simple, is it?

There’s an unspoken rule that whenever any of us are out representing the company – at client meetings, at exhibitions or at events – then you put on a tie to give a more professional appearance.

This is also a bit weird, when you think about it. Does anybody really perform better or behave more professionally just because they have a half Windsor at their throat? I suspect not. Yet there’s still an expectation that men will wear ties in certain settings, especially if you are in an office or professional environment.

That’s changing slowly but surely. There will always be people who want and like to wear ties, but more workplaces are recognising it is a choice, not a necessity, so wearing one might one day become a thing of the past.

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• Luke Barnes, 24, lives in East Lothian and works in the Edinburgh office of Reactec, the firm behind the HAVmeter, which ensures that workers using power tools are not exposed to damaging levels of vibration.

NO

By Gordon Drummond

Ties have been, and always will be, crucial to men’s formal dressing.

There is so little adornment for men to wear, especially in a formal setting, that a tie really helps to personalise the look. That is why I don’t believe that they will ever disappear from a man’s wardrobe, no matter what an opinion poll says.

The tie is considered by most natty dressers as a key element in the formula for sartorial elegance. These days, ties have become statements in themselves with different fabrics, textures, embroideries, patterns and trims. You can express yourself subtly and elegantly with a tie, adding a layer of sophistication that just leaving your collar open can never do.

I don’t think it’s any surprise that the excellent selection of ties offered in Harvey Nichols are consistently popular – the most so being Paul Smith, although newcomer Duchamp is becoming a firm favourite in Edinburgh for those with a more flamboyant taste, as they already have with such luminaries as Stephen Fry and Jon Snow.

My one word of warning though would be beware the so-called humorous tie. They are, let’s be honest, never funny – not even at office Christmas parties. Ultimately, when you wear a tie you are more respected and look more polished. It’s a considered look and who in business doesn’t want to present themselves as the full package? Ties are definitely here to stay.

• Gordon Drummond, 59, is the general manager of Harvey Nichols Edinburgh and is rarely seen tieless

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