Why men wear ties? We searched for functional and practical reasons

So, if we set aside all the cultural and symbolical reasons why men, after so many centuries, still wear ties, the question often asked is what is the purpose of that piece of fine cloth around our necks? Are there any practical or functional reasons for a tie?

Why the hell are men putting up with all the knotting and unknotting every day for centuries, matching colors and spending money on it when there is no obvious functional reason to wear it? It does not keep you warm nor does it cover any body parts as other pieces of garments.

The most frequent reason by far is that we wear it because professional, business people wear it and it is a must if you want to keep your job. Hm, fair enough, but if that was the only reason, the tie wearing would be extinct till now.

BestMensTies.Com has put its thinking caps on as well as did a little research to find out what is the practicality of a tie. Here is what we found out:

• According to Esquire, both neckties and bow ties keep your shirt collars neatly in place, preventing them from sagging or becoming misshapen;

• With the shirt collar lifted, buttoned up and pressed with a tie, your neck is covered, and thus protected from cold;

• A necktie hides the holes between your shirt buttons so the professional look is protected (no curious looks at your chests and torso and no body hair peaking out);

• In some cases, a tie provides the easiest way to show affiliation to some club or a group - either by a unique design (repp ties of different universities for example) or a logo on the front of the tie (as part of some companies’ uniforms).

There you have it…not so many practicalities, but enough that you can’t say that ties are just a useless jewelry-like accessory.

Or is it that men are, after all, fond accessorizing, even though they do not want to admit it? Together with a watch and a belt, a tie is one of the rare pieces a man can use to accessorize his outfit.

What do you think? Share your comments below.