Have neckties fallen out of favour?
Neckties used to be everyday attire for most professional men.
These days they’re more of a fashion choice – and not the rule.
In Waterloo, Ont., Paul Puncher Clothiers started to see a change about a decade ago.
Then came the pandemic and a switch to work-from-home culture.
"The tie business has gone down significantly more since COVID,” said store co-owner Scott Puncher. “People working out of their homes now. So, unless it's a wedding or a special occasion, even the business guys in Toronto are wearing suits, but they're not wearing ties. They're wearing pocket squares."
Puncher still keeps his store stocked with about 500 ties.
What has changed is that now most of them are sold for weddings – not work.
"Because of the increase in wedding business, we've kind of held our ground with ties. People are still wearing them but just to specific functions, and they're not getting the same use out of them. They might buy a tie for a wedding this Saturday, and not wear it again for two years,” Puncher said.
Another trend he’s been seeing is the move from neutral colours to bright, funky designs.
“I wear a tie, probably three or four days a week in here. What's changed for me is I can wear a nice sport coat or something. The pocket square is now an accessory that's replaced a tie."
Samuel Joo, an employee of Paul Puncher Clothiers in Waterloo, Ont., on July 8, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV News)
Puncher also said that that about a one-third of shoppers don’t even know how to tie a tie. Employees at the store are happy to offer a tutorial, but some just want them to get it started so they can just slip it on the day of their event.
And it’s not just office workers who are opting out of traditional attire.
Politicians are also seeking more fun and flexibility.
“Do I go with the matching socks to go with it?” joked Berry Vrbanovic, mayor for the City of Kitchener. “I really think it depends on what I’m doing or who I’m meeting with.”
Puncher said one profession where he still sees a lot of ties is, coincidentally, Broadcast Journalism.
“On-camera people, guys at your station, all wear neckties,” Puncher remarked.
Even that can depend on the situation and the individual.
Tie or no tie?
Many of the people who spoke to CTV News on Monday said they only wear ties on special occasions.
“Very rarely,” said Alex Macfarlane. “I would say probably twice a year for a very important business meeting. But that's about it.”
“It's very warm right now,” explained Frank Millard. “Who wants to choke up themselves? Also, people are generally going more casual now.”
“No. I'm retired,” Vincent Taylor said. “If it's a wedding or something I would probably wear a tie. I mean, I have a closet full.”
Others said it is, or was, part of their regular rotation.
“I wear it every week when I go to church. When I was young, all the men wore ties. Now, basically, none do. But I'm still stuck doing that,” David Taylor explained. “I taught at the University of Waterloo and, unlike a lot of my colleagues, I wore a tie when I lectured. Most don't. I just felt somehow it set the right tone for the class.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Scotiabank suffers direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
BREAKING Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.
Paris Olympics begin with unique opening ceremony along the Seine
The Paris Summer Olympics officially get underway today with a unique opening ceremony. Instead of marching into a stadium, representatives from more than 200 competing countries will enter the Games on boats along the River Seine.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
'Catastrophic' situation 'cannot continue': Open letter from Trudeau, other PMs calling for Gaza ceasefire
Prime ministers of Canada, New Zealand and Australia released a letter renewing calls for an “urgent ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday morning.
Arson attacks cause travel chaos before start of Olympics in Paris, thwarting athletes' travel
Arsonists attacked the French high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening.
Latest updates on wildfires in Jasper National Park: Rain, cooler weather limiting spread
Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.