Back when attorney, former Nixon speech writer, and professional celebrity, Ben Stein was a youngster, he says in the video above, “Men wore ties to show that they had some kind of organization… A necktie is the sign of a man who is there to work, not to play.”
With respect to the great Mr. Stein (and his money), I have, in part at least, to disagree. I rarely wear a tie to work. In fact, that last time I wore a tie to the office was when I had to interview former California Assembly speaker the San Francisco mayor, Willie Brown back in February in connection with our feature, What to Wear to Work. (You don’t interview someone like Willie Brown without wearing one, trust me.) When my boss saw me that morning he asked, in all seriousness, “What the hell are you wearing that around your neck for?”
I do, however, wear neckties — and sport coats and suits — when I’m out to play. It’s the weekend and the occasional weeknight out that I dress up for. I like dressing up and I’m proud of my clothes. At the summer croquet picnic, I’m the dweeb in the seersucker suit and Panama hat.
The fact is, my suits and ties are just too darn good for work. But that’s largely a function of the ways in which offices and office life have changed over the last 30-odd years. There’s no smoked glass, no steno pool, no closed-door offices, and certainly no martini shaker in the bottom drawer, a la Mad Men, anymore.
Like most white collar offices today, we work in an open room at “work stations” — odious term — separated by low, movable walls. We slouch. We eat at our desks and get crumbs everywhere. We spill battery-acid strength coffee. We curse our PCs out loud. It’s just not the sort of place a gentleman would think of bringing his genuine silk seven-fold. And it’s certainly no place for a bow tie.
Don’t get me wrong, I dress smartly at the office (at least I think I do). I just don’t dress up. I save that for good times.
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