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Ties Becoming Obsolete

First, it was typewriters, then law libraries and bike couriers.  Now, it seems that neckties are destined for this growing heap of law firm and business accoutrements rendered obsolete by 21st century trends.

As the Denver Post reports, sales of neckties are declining, down from a $1.3 billion peak in 1995, to less than $678 million during the 12 months ending March 31.  And according to a Gallup Poll in 2007, only six percent of men wore ties to work daily.   

In contrast to the typewriter or bike courier, which have been edged out of existence by computers and electronic communication, technology isn't directly responsible for the demise of the neck tie, which is attributable to casual Fridays and a general decline in men's dress standards.   Still, in my view, it's no coincidence that tie-wearing has declined at the same time that technology has taken off.  Significantly, with the Internet, most business people and lawyers can do much of their work remotely -- and dress doesn't matter as much when our clients can't see us. 

But perhaps we'll see the pendulum swing back again.  As we move towards technologies like Skype or other applications that enable teleconferences, we can no longer hide our appearance from the outside world.  Perhaps a resurgence of visual, Web-based technologies will make appearance -- and relatedly, ties and dress suits -- relevant once again.  What do you think?

Posted by Carolyn Elefant on June 9, 2008 at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Comments

I don't think so, at least not in the near term. Current technology (internet and computer) isn't up to the task of reliable teleconferencing. Even is what I have was up to snuf, I think teleconferencing technology is something I'm still free to ignore.

Posted by: Nick | Jun 9, 2008 3:18:13 PM

The traditional wool suit and tie lawyer uniform will never come back. It is a ridiculous way to dress. Looks good, yes, but why deal with the lack of comfort. One of the reasons I went in-house was because I was sick and tired of trying cases in hot muggy courtrooms while wearing a long-sleeve shirt, wool coat, and tie. It's not fun lugging bankers boxes full of documents up courthouse steps in that get-up and it's not fun sweating through your suit coat during voir dire. People work better when they are comfortable. There is no way that people will go back to the old way of doing things. If they start to allow polo shirts and khakis in the courtroom I'll go back to litigating.

Posted by: In-house Counsel | Jun 10, 2008 10:00:08 AM

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