The use of a necktie is becoming less and less common, with even the business world gradually moving away from ties.
Many men now claim that neckties serve no purpose, but that’s far from true: Ties may no longer have a practical use case, but the decorative purpose still exists.
The history of the necktie
Men have used scarves for thousands of years, in Europe as well as Asia.
But the first mainstream idea of neckwear becoming part of a man’s uniform dates back to 17th-century France. King Louis XIII noticed that his Croatian mercenaries all used neckerchiefs, and he liked it. Soon it became mandatory to wear one when invited to dine with the king.
Quickly, the idea spread around France, eventually reached England, and then the style and shape began to change. Sometime in the 19th century, the modern necktie was created, and it became a symbol of intellect, self-respect and manliness. Ties were pretty much mandated in gentleman’s clubs, universities and boarding schools. Officers used them as well. By the early 20th century, it was generally expected that men in the western world would be wearing ties.
The use of neckties began slowly declining from the 1950s as Americans introduced jeans, chinos, leather jackets and casual style to the rest of the world. Professional men would still wear ties up until the 1980s, more or less, where some office workers began going tie-less.
Nowadays, the business world is much less formal and ~90% of men are no longer required to wear ties. Hence, they don’t do it. But that gives the fashion world an opportunity to reintroduce the tie and for well-dressed men to use it more creatively.
Why ties look elegant
Originally, the necktie would have a practical purpose in the sense that it was tied around the neck to keep the shirt collar from opening up.
Nowadays, that problem is easily solved by buttoning the shirt, and that means the tie only has one purpose left – a decorative one. But that is still highly important, and by using a tie, you get an opportunity to add colour and personality to your style.
A plain navy suit looks professional, but rather boring if simply used with just a shirt. A tie is a way to distinguish yourself from others; to look just slightly different.
Ties come in many designs. Dotted ties tend to be the most formal, followed by plain-coloured ties. Striped ties look the coolest, but they are also more casual and not always best for formal events or office use. In terms of colour, you have just about unlimited options. Ties give plenty of opportunity to add personality to your outfit.
Silk ties are best for formal use (with dark suits); wool ties are best for casual use (informal suits, sports jacket with slacks).
The problem of wearing a suit without a tie
There are three main issues with wearing a suit without a tie.
First, the classic button-up shirt is designed to be used with a tie. The collar indicates that. If you’re not using a tie, you have an empty collar and a line of visible buttons running down through the middle of you. It doesn’t look good.
Second, a navy or grey suit lacks character if it’s not further decorated. Something is just missing.
Third, if everyone in an office is wearing a suit but no tie, everyone looks exactly the same. That is incredibly boring. The suit is the frame of your style; with the other elements (shirt colour, tie, pocket square, watch, socks) you can give it a personal touch, which is essential. Individualism is important, even when following a dress code!
There are occasions where it makes sense to go without a tie, but then the style must be intended for it.
With a formal suit (smooth navy or grey worsted) a tie should always be present. However, if you are wearing a more informal suit (lighter colour, different fabric such as linen) or a sports jacket, it already has some character and it becomes much more viable to drop the tie. But then you have to add some character in other ways, e.g. by wearing a striped shirt, adding a pocket square, etc. You’ll still have the first issue, that the shirt is intended to be used without a tie, so the top two or three buttons must be unbuttoned, or you must simply be using something else underneath. On a summer day, a polo under a suit could be a creative choice, and on a cold winter day, a turtleneck could be an interesting selection.
If the tie feels strangling…
… it is not actually because of the tie. It is because your shirt collar is too tight.
You need to buy properly sized shirts with a collar that gently hugs your neck – yet without feeling tight.
Ideally, you should be able to place a finger inside the collar when it’s fully buttoned. That’s a good fit. If the shirt collar is like that, you can easily use a silk or wool tie around the neck without it feeling tight or strangling.
It is important to get a tie made of natural fabrics (silk, wool or perhaps cotton) and not made of synthetics (polyester). A synthetic tie will feel stiff and weird to wear. You need quality ties!
The best knot
There is only really one way to wear a tie elegantly – and that is by using a classic four-in-hand knot. You could use a double four-in-hand if you want the knot to be larger.
Forget all about the Windsor knot, the half-Windsor, and the various weird knots that exist. They are clumsy, less elegant and tend to be more uncomfortable as well.
(This is a personal opinion, of course – if you like the Windsor, wear it!).