Cutting ties: more men are going open-collar

Cutting ties: are men’s neckties going away?

In men’s fashion , there is no stronger symbol of the business world than the necktie . They wore them thin in the 60s, wide in the 80s. You saw ties on middle managers , factory supervisors , school principals , Wall Street bankers , government leaders , and lowly clerks . For decades, the one thing white-collar men all had in common was that their white collars were fastened with a tie .

But a funny thing happened when men went back to the office after the pandemic : they left their ties at home.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration . Some people do still wear ties to work five days a week. Others wear them for important occasions . And even before the pandemic, men were wearing fewer and fewer ties to the office.

But the trend is unmistakable : from business to media to politics , fewer men are wearing ties at work. And after the pandemic, a tie is an anomaly in most offices. Is it possible that this strange fashion accessory is going away for good ?

Let’s take a step back and talk about why men wear ties to begin with . Ties, as we know them today, first became popular in France in the 1600s. Croatian soldiers fighting in France used scarves to tie their jackets closed . French King Louis XIII liked the look and made scarves mandatory for royal gatherings .

So ties have their origin on the battlefield and in the royal court . As the use of ties spread from France to Britain to the rest of Europe, and the United States, and then the world, they became seen as a symbol of power and authority . A man wearing a tie is a gentleman , deserving of respect and deference .

But as neckties became mandatory in the middle-class workplace in the mid-20th century, they also became seen as a symbol of oppression . They can be uncomfortable and feel restricting . Shirts had long ago started coming with buttons , so a tie wasn’t needed to keep a collar closed.

Eventually , many men came to resent the fact that they were required to wear a pointless , uncomfortable accessory as they sat at their desks doing their work. After all, ties couldn’t possibly convey power and authority when everyone was wearing one.

Sales of neckties in the U.S. peaked in the 1990s and have been declining ever since . The business world took its first steps toward relaxing tie requirements with “casual Fridays,” which at first meant men could leave their ties at home just one day a week. Then, dress codes got even more casual . Many companies stopped requiring ties altogether. Other times, men wore ties for important meetings, presentations, or special occasions.

Fast-forward to the late 2010s. The tie’s decline was noticeable . Fashionable men opted for suits or blazers with open collars. Many who chose to wear ties picked interesting colors and patterns : the tie was not a power symbol, but an optional fashion accessory, meant to complete an outfit .

And it wasn’t happening just at the workplace. Men wore fewer ties to the opera , to parties, and at fancy restaurants . It became more socially acceptable not to wear a tie to church , to funerals , and to weddings .

Menswear stores took notice . Stores that sell suits and dress shirts changed their displays: they started carrying bolder, more interesting patterns . They sold ties that made a statement , not ties meant to blend in . And many stores started using their tie displays as part of the store décor : they covered a wall with rolled-up ties, not to sell more ties, but to decorate the wall.

Then came the pandemic and the rules of workplace fashion went out the window . Men around the world seemed to agree: there was no point in wearing a tie at home, in front of a webcam. And when people went back to the office, they found the rules of workplace dress had changed. And for many people, the tie was just not part of the new dress code.

You still see people wearing ties. Some companies still require ties out of tradition . Other people wear ties for the classic old reason: to project power and respect. That’s why you see Wall Street bankers, politicians , and newscasters in white shirts and traditional ties.

But for most people making a salary , the tie is— thankfully —no longer a required part of their outfit.

So is that it? Will ties go away eventually ? Fashion experts say, not so fast.

Some say that men should keep one or two ties in their wardrobe for special occasions—weddings, graduations , things like that. Others say that neckties can be fashionable accessories to complete an interesting outfit. In 2023, just one percent of men’s outfits in top fashion shows included a tie. But in 2024, four percent did.

The tie can be the one part of an outfit that a man can control, can use to express some individuality in an otherwise homogenous wardrobe. Hard as it is to believe , some men just like wearing them—like others enjoy wearing a vest or a watch .

And it’s not just men who like them. Women are getting in on the action, too. Ties featured in women’s outfits on some of the most glamorous runways this year.

Jeff’s take

I never really had to wear a tie every single day. There were times when I’d have to wear one every day for a few weeks or a few months at a time. But for most of my working life, it was optional—I wore a tie to meetings or presentations or if I were meeting someone more senior .

Anymore, though, you kind of need a good reason to wear a tie. It used to be, the worst thing that could happen is you’re not wearing a tie and everyone else is wearing one. Now, it’s the opposite. If you’re the one wearing a tie and everyone else is open-collar…you just look weird, like you’re trying too hard .