Fashionable effort: The tie in the age of informal dressing

From being the emblem of decorum and elegance, the tie has seen a radical decline in Europe and Northern America since the 1990s as a result of relaxed social norms and the association of dressing down with creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation stemming from Silicon Valley. Danish dress culture is particularly informal, brought on by international tendencies towards casual dressing but also by local cultural and geographical conditions that tend to call for functional dress practice. The study is based on interviews with men living in Denmark who wear the tie as a fashion accessory rather than as part of a uniform or according to workplace dress codes. A key finding in the article is the role the tie plays in dressing up as both a social distinction marker and a vehicle for emotional empowerment and physical comfort. The tie is widely considered an icon of western culture and therefore the reclaiming of the tie is also seen as a reaction to a shift towards casual dressing within the western fashion system. Reclaiming the tie is seen here to represent a push to bring back dress etiquette as a celebration of sartorial knowledge, effort and respect.