jazzy_dave: (Default)
jazzy_dave ([personal profile] jazzy_dave) wrote2021-06-28 06:56 pm
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Ties

The tie. Love them or hate them. They were once a status symbol and a kind of pecking order in business. But I feel that the tie has had its day, or am I in the minority here?

It's a paradoxical item of clothing: On the one hand, it expresses a desire to fit in and conform - to belong - yet it also says something about our need to demonstrate our individuality. Historically, wearing a tie has meant many different things: from being seen as being anti-Islamic in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, to representing subversion and being a symbol of sub-cultural cool, like wearing a thin tie in the late fifties and early sixties that meant you were a hip guy into the cool bop of jazz.

But do we need the tie to mean anything, or is it still a floating signifier that gets remodeled every decade. Personally, I have not worn a tie for years and I doubt I will ever wear one again unless the formal dress is demanded.

Anyway, this was a passing thought I had, whilst listening to some sixties Miles Davis, and I looked at the CD to see how sharp they dressed then. Suits and ties were a statement in jazz.

What are your thoughts?