Why Do I Wear Ties?

Just a few of the ties I own.

Neckties have been part of my office wardrobe ever since I left college back in 1983. The wearing of ties matched with dress shirts, slacks, shoes, and a blazer or sport coat by male employees in architecture firms was fairly commonplace then, but dress codes have since relaxed considerably. Casual workplace attire is now the order of the day, and many architects regard ties to be anachronisms. This is especially true here in the laid-back Pacific Northwest. So why do I still wear them? The answer is because it is what feels most natural and necessary to me.

Though I define my typical garb as “business casual,” this definition always includes sporting a tie. I am most certainly not a clothes horse, and I suspect I routinely commit crimes against fashion, but I do believe in dressing appropriately. In the business world, wearing a tie remains a mark of professionalism.

The use of neckwear is said to have its origins in 17th century Europe, when Croatian mercenaries serving in France wore colorful knotted neckerchiefs to signal their rank and alliances. King Louis XIV admired them so much, he began wearing similar neckerchiefs as a mark of his status. Ties soon superseded the ruff as an emblem of the wealthy and the aristocracy. The purpose of both types of accessories was largely to function as a decorative symbol rather than to serve a practical purpose. That said, we should not dismiss the importance of this decorative or aesthetic function.

Today, reasons for conformity aside, a motivation for a man to wear a tie is because he believes a carefully selected necktie enhances his appearance or career prospects. He may wear a tie to project confidence—certainly a reason why I do. It helps that the vertical line of a tie emphasizes your body’s symmetry and directs the focus of others towards your face. That vertical line also makes you look taller, a definite plus for someone like me who is on the short side of average height. Ties are an acceptable means for men to accessorize business clothing within a convention that otherwise favors conservative styling.

A much younger me (on the far left) with the other members of the Urban Innovations Group in 1987. That's Charles W. Moore seated in front. Most of the guys are wearing ties.

Ties can elevate the culture of a workplace. This may even be true in architecture offices, where their use has most definitely become optional. In a way, wearing a tie is counter-cultural amongst architects. Maybe I stand out because I am among the few who still chooses to always wear one. Wearing a tie doesn’t necessarily imply you are trying to fit into a box prescribed by the expectations of others. If anything, my profession may be guilty of its own pernicious conformism, one that favors apparel signaling a self-aware creative culture. Being fashionably hip is most definitely something I am not, and not something I dare attempt now. At this point in my life, I am who I am.

Look at this list of famous contemporary architects at archute.com (click the link). Of the forty architects on this list, only David Childs, Ken Yeang, Sir Norman Foster, and Robert Stern are pictured wearing long neckties. The rest are not, mostly sharing a common (and predictable) penchant for black or charcoal gray shirts, jackets, and turtlenecks (Sir Richard Rogers being a notably colorful exception). Interestingly, none of these architects is wearing bow ties, which are memorably associated with some even more famous architects (among them Le Corbusier, Philip Johnson, Walter Gropius, and Louis Kahn).(1)

The modern practice of wearing conservative neckties persists in certain fields, such as finance, law, and business consultancies. Generally, men’s ties have steadily been going out of style and their importance diminishing in the workplace. It’s conceivable they may one day disappear altogether as a staple in every man’s wardrobe. In my opinion if this occurs it will be a shame.

Perhaps it is a sign of my insecurity and doubting of my abilities, but I irrationally fear not wearing a tie lessens how others perceive me as a professional. The fact is I feel naked when I choose not to wear a tie while at work. 

(1)    The popularity of bow ties with architects is attributed by many to the time before computer-aided drafting when we all used to stand at our tables, drawing with pencils and pen & ink. The shortcomings of long neckties were obvious. I dealt with the problem by tucking my tie between a set of buttons above the level of the drafting table into my shirt.