The tie has all but vanished from men’s fashion
There was a time when a Hermes tie made a subtle statement of taste. And the tie, in general, was everywhere. On school uniforms, at the workplace; spotting one even in a nightclub wasn’t that unusual. The symbolic masculinity of a tie has certainly endured in India but hardly in the fashionable sense. It’s largely restricted to work-related events in conservative professions like law and banking. For the rest of us in more democratic workplaces, the tie has gone the way of the sari by becoming strictly occasion-wear. During India’s first fashion week dedicated to menswear, it’s clear that ties are not a priority for dapper dressing this season.

“Ties are too strongly associated with office and work,” says designer Ashish Soni who is presenting his collection as the grand finale for Van Heusen Menswear Fashion Week tonight. “In India, we don’t have such a formal dress code so we tend not to wear them.” Soni has ties in his collection but he’s used them as decorative accessories by tying the knot differently, altering the length and using unusual colours. Ravi Bajaj’s collection, appropriately titled the Dandy March, indulges the metrosexual and steers clear of anything as overtly male as ties. Designer Vijay Arora has focused on mandarin collared shirts, overlapped buttons and Mao-shaped jackets for the upcoming festive season. “My shirts are heavily stylised in any case. There was no need to add ties,” says Arora. He recommends combining a skinny tie with a waistcoat and a tightly-fitted shirt worn with jeans to create a sophisticated and casual look. “That’s how young men are wearing the tie these days,” he says.

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