Do people still wear ties and belts?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
User avatar
firebirdparts
Posts: 4411
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:21 pm
Location: Southern Appalachia

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by firebirdparts »

Belt always ties never. That's what I say.

Even if you don't need a belt, pants made for a belt look stupid without it.
This time is the same
User avatar
JoMoney
Posts: 16260
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:31 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by JoMoney »

I wear a belt, even with jeans. I've intentionally avoided work places and events that require ties, but I will wear a vest with a dress shirt if the situation is a bit more formal.
I rarely see ties or sport coats/blazers at work unless it's a management type from the east coast out visiting.
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." - Benjamin Graham
sandan
Posts: 629
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:48 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by sandan »

A tie is still useful for zoom.
User avatar
JupiterJones
Posts: 3623
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:25 pm
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by JupiterJones »

sandan wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:48 am A tie is still useful for zoom.
True. For example, you can hang a tie on the doorknob to let your spouse know that you're on a Zoom call and shouldn't be disturbed. :D
"Stay on target! Stay on target!"
valleyrock
Posts: 1129
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:12 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by valleyrock »

Until I read Malloy's book, "Dress for Success," I had no idea what to wear, nor did I really care. But after reading this book, I understood the importance of knowing what to wear for different occasions. Malloy basically became a sociologist.

So, as has been said, wear a tie to appear in court or important family functions.

Then the question comes up: if you're going to wear a tie, what type of tie? Malloy explains why politicians almost always wear a rep tie. That's "representative" tie. These have the diagonal stripes. And there are other types of ties: polkadot ties, Ivy league ties (to see a high falutin' attorney), solid color ties, etc.

It's very interesting to have some understanding of how clothing affects people in different situations. Dressing as people expect a person to look can be of help in getting things accomplished. If the other party is going to be wearing a tie, I wear one, too. So, when seeing a physician, I'm in a tie. And I think about which type of tie to wear.

Best place to get the best price on ties? Hotel gift shops, especially for solid ties. Travelers often forget to bring a tie, or the right tie. Solid ties are good.

Last point I'll make gleaned from Malloy's book (old, but still relevant): only two types of people can really get away with bow ties. College professors and clowns. Everybody else wearing a bow tie is just not taken as seriously.

It's subconscious, and it's not necessarily fair, but people are affected by what you're wearing
knowledge
Posts: 489
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:44 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by knowledge »

I completely understand the tie question, but where does the belt question come from? Unless you're wearing pants that aren't designed for a belt (athletic wear), you should wear a belt. I find the question odd. Are there people out there that are wearing pants with belt loops and their shirt tucked in without a belt?
punkinhead
Posts: 349
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2021 4:02 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by punkinhead »

valleyrock wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:04 pm Until I read Malloy's book, "Dress for Success," I had no idea what to wear, nor did I really care.
Funny story about that book. Back in the late 80's as a senior in college I interviewed with Arthur Andersen consulting. I came from a poor family so the suit I wore wasn't exactly custom tailored in Paris. The interviewer, after pontificating at length about how prestigious Arthur Andersen was and how important he was personally, suggested I read "Dress for Success". It irritated me enough that I declined a second interview. I dodged a bullet.
User avatar
btq96r
Posts: 556
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 2:46 pm
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by btq96r »

Can't remember the last time I didn't wear a belt with any pair of pants or shorts that weren't an athletic brand. I'm guessing few pants I'd feel comfortable in would stay where they're supposed to if I didn't.

Ties are completely different. The last two times I've worn a tie in about seven years are the interview for the job I had (CEO is/was a notoriously snazzy dresser), and a government agency hearing a few years back I had business being presented for approval at.

COVID accelerated the casual dress trend, and I'm grateful for it. My daily normal is wearing an untucked, but smart looking t-shirt or polo's with jeans to work. Before I was the outlier, now, I'm the norm. The CEO still dresses up from time to time (he genuinely likes it), especially if we have a large group of the physicians we support or corporate visitors around. For days when I'm with him or on my own at an external meeting with attendees at the c-suite level, I'll throw on a button down dress shirt and jacket with a good pair of slacks. I keep a few options on the hook behind my office door. For internal meetings at a high enough level, and dinners with clients, I've been experimenting with the jacket/dress shirt/jeans combo. It's working well, especially living in Nashville where the look is common enough.

It's saved me money on clothing purchases, tailoring, dry cleaning. It's also made me more productive, so I can return more value to the organization, and justify merit increases. Win-win for me and the organization.
valleyrock
Posts: 1129
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:12 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by valleyrock »

If I didn't wear a belt, my pants would drop down to my hips and I'd look too cool.

Has anyone yet pointed out that old saying: "Never trust anyone who's wearing both a belt and suspenders at the same time"? People do it.

Oh, back to the Malloy book. His studies (and I do mean studies, he did research on clothing and people's perceptions of clothing, really interesting stuff) did not really include clothes for less formal situations. He notes how they asked Don Juan what he did about clothing in terms of his legendary success with women. His answer: let a woman pick your clothes. Malloy says that's fine, wear all the purple, etc. a woman picks out for you. But when it comes to formal wear, don't let her do it.

How to make sure a sports jacket is made of good material? How to make sure it fits the way it should? All in that book. Does it really matter? Well, it depends. If you already know that when visiting a doctor it might not be a great idea to wear sweat pants, sneakers and a hoodie, you're way ahead of where I was before I read Malloy's book. If you'd like to perhaps get a little bit better service or notice in some situations, the book is for you.
Arlington2019
Posts: 196
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:29 pm
Location: Snohomish County, Washington, USA

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by Arlington2019 »

I work in healthcare administration, am 62 years old, and am looking at retirement in a couple of years or so. I wear a belt every day in both dress and casual pants. I wear a bow tie every day at work and people know me as 'the middle aged bald white guy who wears a bow tie' at the hospital, even if they don't know my name.
sandan
Posts: 629
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:48 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by sandan »

knowledge wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:11 pm I completely understand the tie question, but where does the belt question come from? Unless you're wearing pants that aren't designed for a belt (athletic wear), you should wear a belt. I find the question odd. Are there people out there that are wearing pants with belt loops and their shirt tucked in without a belt?
Women do it all the time (jeans). They also have non-athletic pants without belt loops.

I do it all the time when I wear a sweater or fleece all day. I've also seen other men that go for the show your loops style when it comes to jeans.
Gardener
Posts: 698
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by Gardener »

Suit and tie.

I am 38 and old school.

I believe the way you dress honors the work you do and the people that you work with.
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by HomerJ »

knowledge wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:11 pm I completely understand the tie question, but where does the belt question come from? Unless you're wearing pants that aren't designed for a belt (athletic wear), you should wear a belt. I find the question odd. Are there people out there that are wearing pants with belt loops and their shirt tucked in without a belt?
Lots of people wear shirts not tucked in.
"The best tools available to us are shovels, not scalpels. Don't get carried away." - vanBogle59
Mr. Rumples
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Gardener wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:39 pm Suit and tie.

I am 38 and old school.

I believe the way you dress honors the work you do and the people that you work with.
The late Dr. Benjamin W. Robertson, Sr., Pastor Emeritus of Cedar Street Baptist Church in Richmond, VA insisted on ties and jackets when entering in his words "the House of the Lord." Alas, now that he has passed, some men don't wear ties.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
Mr. Rumples
Posts: 2978
Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:16 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Arlington2019 wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:28 pm I work in healthcare administration, am 62 years old, and am looking at retirement in a couple of years or so. I wear a belt every day in both dress and casual pants. I wear a bow tie every day at work and people know me as 'the middle aged bald white guy who wears a bow tie' at the hospital, even if they don't know my name.
Wearing a bow tie shows self confidence and style.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
valleyrock
Posts: 1129
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 7:12 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by valleyrock »

Mr. Rumples wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:29 am
Arlington2019 wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:28 pm I work in healthcare administration, am 62 years old, and am looking at retirement in a couple of years or so. I wear a belt every day in both dress and casual pants. I wear a bow tie every day at work and people know me as 'the middle aged bald white guy who wears a bow tie' at the hospital, even if they don't know my name.
Wearing a bow tie shows self confidence and style.
I suppose that might be true, although now that I know (and so do those reading this) what Malloy's research showed, I can't help but think people wearing bow ties are uninformed about what to wear (to the extent that it matters, which is another story--after all they write books about not giving a rat's behind, and I'm certainly in that camp of not really caring what other people think).

I don't know where things stand now with respect to Malloy's research, whether it's been repeated, whether it merits repeating, etc. Styles change and perceptions change. Still, there are reasons why some people wear what they wear. As noted previously, politicians invariably wear rep ties, for example. Malloy did experiments, showing people photos of the same person wearing the exact same clothes except with different ties, and asking the question: which person would you tend to believe more, or trust more, in a given situation. (I'd imagine experiments varying what's said here re the situation.) Some conclusions include the fact that rep ties are more or less neutral and/or have the widest appeal to most types of people (so politicians wear them as a matter of course), and that bow ties are only viewed positively (statistically speaking... there's of course a distribution) when they are worn by college professors and clowns.

All of which can lead to further questions: will a single person get more hot dates if they have a Tesla versus a Toyota Corolla? And does the presence of a stick shift affect the perception? Someone who knows how to use a clutch just might know more about positioning. OK, I'll stop.
investnoob
Posts: 481
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:57 am
Location: Ottawa
Contact:

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by investnoob »

knowledge wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:11 pm I completely understand the tie question, but where does the belt question come from? Unless you're wearing pants that aren't designed for a belt (athletic wear), you should wear a belt. I find the question odd. Are there people out there that are wearing pants with belt loops and their shirt tucked in without a belt?
Basically, I don't tuck my shirt in. Most of the shirts I wear aren't meant to be tucked in. They are "casual" oxford button down shirts that I wear untucked and you never see my belt loops.
Gardener
Posts: 698
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by Gardener »

Mr. Rumples wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:22 am
Gardener wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:39 pm Suit and tie.

I am 38 and old school.

I believe the way you dress honors the work you do and the people that you work with.
The late Dr. Benjamin W. Robertson, Sr., Pastor Emeritus of Cedar Street Baptist Church in Richmond, VA insisted on ties and jackets when entering in his words "the House of the Lord." Alas, now that he has passed, some men don't wear ties.
Dr. Robertson's 'request' was reasonable in my opinion.

In our culture, we wear suits and ties to weddings. Actors wear the same to award shows. The way we dress indicates how important the event and the people attending the event are. I think entering "the house of the Lord" is important(!).
knowledge
Posts: 489
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:44 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by knowledge »

investnoob wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 9:30 am
knowledge wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 2:11 pm I completely understand the tie question, but where does the belt question come from? Unless you're wearing pants that aren't designed for a belt (athletic wear), you should wear a belt. I find the question odd. Are there people out there that are wearing pants with belt loops and their shirt tucked in without a belt?
Basically, I don't tuck my shirt in. Most of the shirts I wear aren't meant to be tucked in. They are "casual" oxford button down shirts that I wear untucked and you never see my belt loops.
Sure, I get that, and I do that too. I should have been more clear - how is the OP noticing folks not wearing belts? If you look at a guy wearing an untucked shirt, you don't know if he has a belt on or not. I don't ever recall seeing a guy with a shirt tucked in without a belt. That would just look strange - even if you're doing the whole suspenders thing, I think most still add on a belt. Nothing actionable about it, I'm just curious.

For what it's worth, I always wear a belt so long as the following two conditions are true: the pants have belt loops and I'm going out in public.
User avatar
miles ahead
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:06 am

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by miles ahead »

Belt yes tie no.
teacher
Posts: 1165
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2008 5:45 pm
Location: California

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by teacher »

When the tailor told me it would cost $25 to take in a pair of jeans 1", I started wearing a belt.🥴
User avatar
JupiterJones
Posts: 3623
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:25 pm
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by JupiterJones »

teacher wrote: Sat Jan 29, 2022 1:26 pm When the tailor told me it would cost $25 to take in a pair of jeans 1", I started wearing a belt.🥴
To quote the old SNL "Gap Girls" sketch...

Image
"Stay on target! Stay on target!"
hvaclorax
Posts: 598
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:01 pm

Re: Do people still wear ties and belts?

Post by hvaclorax »

As a young physician I wore a sports coat, tie, belt to look older and mature. Later I ditched those for more athletic look. Patagonia, North Face, REI, etc. Hopefully helps me look like my much younger colleagues.
Respectfully HVAC
Post Reply