• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Are Neckties Going To Go The Way Of Bowties?

VegasRebel

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2020
Messages
127
Reaction score
232
So basically the argument is that business suits (as opposed to separates, or more interesting patterns/colours) allow you the option to put on a tie in a minute in case there's a need for that formality? I can see that.
I still think it's an unfortunate style sacrifice in the name of convenience though, as it makes everyone look absolutely the same.

That, yes, but also that (at least at work) no one thinks wearing a conservative suit sans tie is weird. If someone looked good with the tie they probably look good without the tie. It does make "everyone look absolutely the same," but that was true before the ties came off and pretty much a softly spoken rule, at least on the government side. The private defense bar has more liberty, sometimes for the better.
 

Mirage-

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
605
Reaction score
632
There was no outrage. I just thought it was funny because this website is quite possibly the only place in the world where anyone would look at two pictures of people in suits and say the one without the tie is the pretentious one.
You are completely disregarding all context just to try and attack me so, whatever. Have fun
 

UrbanComposition

Distinguished Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
6,583
Reaction score
19,823
I like ties and really hope they stay, but next to pocket squares they are the most superfluous part of CM. It’s not surprising they are getting rarer with time.

I’m certainly no expert on the matter, but I will say anecdotally that I have seen fewer ties in general. For my purposes, a one-piece collar with points that sit under the lapels (button-down collar or not) is my favorite option. Most of my 100 Hands shirt have this type of convertible collar that can be worn with or without a tie and still look great.

To my eye, distracting colors or prints with a tie is far worse, and something I see more often. It satisfies the dress code, but in a formal setting it looks terrible. In such settings, I’d rather see a white shirt with no tie than a burnt orange shirt and wacky clown colored patterned tie.

In less formal settings, sure, go crazy.
 

bicycleradical

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
Messages
1,191
Reaction score
1,839
I like ties and do not intend to stop wearing them however like others, they seem to becoming more scarce.

The navy suit without a tie that I often see looks ridiculous though.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
These outfits look great to me. There's something very sexy about George's tailoring. He has a good eye for cut. And the open neck looks good with that kind of style.

These things seem very contextual. If you're an Ivy Style type of guy and you work in a conservative office or even one of those downtown offices, you probably look better in a tie. If you're a clothier, art gallery dealer, or in some other creative field, and you have stupendous suits in a really sexy cut, then I think an open neck can look good. Notably, all the outfits below are of business suits.

Ties add a certain level of formality. Granted, a worsted suit is already formal, which is why I said earlier that I think business suits and ties somewhat go hand-in-hand. But people work in different environments and cities, where a tie doesn't always look at home given their situation. I would leave it to the wearer to figure out what's best for them. But even aside from just casual suits -- which I think look very natural without ties -- I think a formal suit can look fine without a tie.


Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.27.06 AM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.27.15 AM.png
mao.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.28.56 AM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.29.43 AM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.34.06 AM.png
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.37.12 AM.png




This might be a DB sport coat, but the pants are close enough where you can imagine it's a suit.


Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.35.19 AM.png
 
Last edited:

smittycl

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
20,107
Reaction score
33,211
I don't know... The mixing of the formal suit and the informal shirt doesn't really work for me in these pics. The last one in particular is awful. A denim/chambray shirt with a banker's suit? I think the pics in earlier posts of guys going tieless in more casual suits looked fine. These just look off to me except maybe the first one and even that is a stretch.
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
I don't know... The mixing of the formal suit and the informal shirt doesn't really work for me in these pics. The last one in particular is awful. A denim/chambray shirt with a banker's suit? I think the pics in earlier posts of guys going tieless in more casual suits looked fine. These just look off to me except maybe the first one and even that is a stretch.

This is not a knock, but most people on this forum look like the guy on the right. If that's your vibe, then you have to work with your vibe. In that case, you might look better in a conservative suit and tie. Jeffery here (the guy on the left) often wears suits without ties. He has a certain look and vibe about him that allows him to pull things off. In this photo, he's wearing a black suit with a black shirt and no tie (three levels of verboten on StyleForum). Yet, he looks great. Arguably better than the guy on the right, and not just because the guy on the right is wearing a white t-shirt underneath his button-up.

Sometimes I think the rules here can be so stifling and conservative, they push everyone into looking like the guy on the right when there are other possibilities for men.


219863760_179873807390977_2327591849182054413_n.jpg
 

smittycl

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
20,107
Reaction score
33,211
This is not a knock, but most people on this forum look like the guy on the right. If that's your vibe, then you have to work with your vibe. In that case, you might look better in a conservative suit and tie. Jeffery here (the guy on the left) often wears suits without ties. He has a certain look and vibe about him that allows him to pull things off. In this photo, he's wearing a black suit with a black shirt and no tie (three levels of verboten on StyleForum). Yet, he looks great. Arguably better than the guy on the right, and not just because the guy on the right is wearing a white t-shirt underneath his button-up.

Sometimes I think the rules here can be so stifling and conservative, they push everyone into looking like the guy on the right when there are other possibilities for men.


View attachment 1645566
Yeah, you make a great point. It does break the CM rules but not always in a bad way. Guy on left does look good, very much the artistic type. I just didn't think the guy in the DBs above looked very good at all especially with polo shirts and denim under a DB. Just me I guess.

Anyway, guy on the right should not have worn his Grandpa shirt to an Avant Garde lunch. ;)
 

mak1277

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
3,912
Reaction score
5,847
Yeah, you make a great point. It does break the CM rules but not always in a bad way. Guy on left does look good, very much the artistic type. I just didn't think the guy in the DBs above looked very good at all especially with polo shirts and denim under a DB. Just me I guess.

Anyway, guy on the right should not have worn his Grandpa shirt to an Avant Garde lunch. ;)

Guy on the right is probably worth $20 million and gives no ***** about how he's dressed.

Anyway, regarding denim/chambray under a suit...you can't tell me this one doesn't look awesome.

 

DapperPhilly

Distinguished Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,715
Reaction score
5,335
Yeah, you make a great point. It does break the CM rules but not always in a bad way. Guy on left does look good, very much the artistic type. I just didn't think the guy in the DBs above looked very good at all especially with polo shirts and denim under a DB. Just me I guess.

Anyway, guy on the right should not have worn his Grandpa shirt to an Avant Garde lunch. ;)
"Guy on the right is probably worth $20 million and gives no ***** about how he's dressed."

Clearly
 

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
69,979
The guy on the right is Robert Mowry, a long-time art curator at Harvard. I assume he's not worth 20 million, as people generally don't make that much money in academia. But who knows.

Jeffery (the guy on the left) is an art writer. He used to post on this board, but not anymore. He has a very outlandish, 1970s Texan, illicit smuggler look. I love it. It fits him, his occupation, and his lifestyle.

Mowry is also generally well-dressed. But he wouldn't look right in the kind of fashion-forward stuff worn by George or Jeffery. It's just not his vibe, for lack of a better term.



maxresdefault.jpeg
maxresdefault.jpeg
Mowry__Robert_D_--Portrait1479x1500.jpeg




I've been interested in getting a watch that I can wear with my casualwear, which is mostly workwear nowadays. I talked to George about it once and told him I'm interested in buying a Sub. He said that he thinks I should get a Rolex Explorer 1016 instead, as he thinks it suits my personality better. I'm not that hung up on the idea of dressing for one's "true self" and am fine wearing things that are just fun. But I recognize that sometimes things just don't fit a person's vibe.
 

smittycl

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
20,107
Reaction score
33,211
Guy on the right is probably worth $20 million and gives no ***** about how he's dressed.

Anyway, regarding denim/chambray under a suit...you can't tell me this one doesn't look awesome.

Yikes! That looks awful too! Like he grabbed the wrong shirt by accident!
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 39.3%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 15 10.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.3%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.3%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,126
Messages
10,578,697
Members
223,882
Latest member
Thomasaevers
Top