Dialogue: How would some men know who they were without a tie?

By DIGBY CROMPTON*

What is it about the tie? For all practical purposes, it is basically useless. It covers no skin and is slightly complicated to knot. It is formal, not casual, and even tends towards being uncomfortable rather than promoting ease of dress. Yet without this strange piece of material, some men feel quite undressed.

Why has this piece of clothing lasted so long, been written about more often than any other item of male apparel and continues to highlight the entrance of nearly every menswear store?

In the first instance the tie denotes allegiance when worn with a uniform. But it can also denote support or membership.

Sporting clubs have their own tie for members. Old boys' associations, universities, colleges and regiments all uphold the dignity and privilege of wearing the distinguishing colours or crests on their identifiable tie. There has, in fact, been a strong upsurge in the upgrading of school ties around the country.

The wearer feels and wants to display a sense of belonging to some greater whole, a group, an organisation, a unity of common interest of past or present membership. He feels unified with something larger than himself.

Apparently, one of the most difficult of ties to obtain is the Battle of Britain tie, a highly exclusive article in England. Then there is the tie that can be worn only by the few airmen who have survived an ejector-seat evacuation.

The tie bought at retailers, however, displays fashion, character and taste. Each tie expresses individualism. It is not of the herd. It may be quiet and classical, bright and humorous or highly fashion-conscious. It sets the mood for the day or evening.

From fine polyester to pure silk, the range of qualities, colours and design is almost limitless.

The only problem with selection is a personal one. Here, the wife, mother-in-law or girlfriend will often insist on having a say.

A new tie can deliver something fresh and new both for you and others. Isn't it great when people say, "I like your tie."

Ties are also a sign of the times. They used to say the width of ties went up with flares and shorter skirts. Necktie specialists also used to say that flamboyant tie fashion often occurred in times of economic depression. When the economy was buoyant, however, dress tended to become conservative. In other words, neckwear was an economic barometer.

Pierre Cardin said once that if all the ties sold under his name were placed end on end, they would encircle the world.

The German Neckwear Weavers Federation some years ago stated that per head of population, New Zealanders came next to the United States in tie purchases.

How strange is that for the supposedly casual easy-come, easy-go New Zealand character and a society that once regarded walk shorts as fashionable?

When it comes to dressing down in the workplace, it is time we looked a little deeper into what is happening. Fashion is what is made, what flourishes, but the concept in form must come first.

A variety of fashion suits the desires and whims of society but are we always awake to this? Denim, a strong-wearing material suitable for workwear, has become a fashion statement for the young. But basically it is a uniform. There is nothing individual about it at all.

Males have always regarded the space below the larynx as the area for expression. It is the area that shows our mental and emotional attitude and the passions of our individuality. It is where we subtly make a statement to the world. Hence men make a considered choice each morning for neckwear that will fit the role, the mood, the people he will meet.

It's not just the tie. Olympic medal winners display their accomplishment in the same place. The same goes for medals for the great orders in society. Then there is the bishop with his cross and purple front. Until recently, there was also the courtroom lawyer with his two bibs. This has been abandoned. It is almost as though we want to forget the parts we play in life's drama. Why shouldn't we honour these roles?

And what happens when suit and tie are dispensed with? Research psychologist Dr Jeffrey Magee's survey of 500 American firms concluded that continually relaxed dress led to relaxed manners, relaxed morals and relaxed productivity and quality of work. There was an increase in tardiness and a decrease in ethical behaviour. Formality has its place in society and there is room for the flowering of individuality within the form. Do we want to all end up in denim?

Mufti is just a means of muffling who we really are. Clothes make the man, and the tie's status at the apex of male fashion not only enhances the man but allows him to express himself.

* Digby Crompton is the managing director of Parisian Neckwear.