Are ties and cufflinks going the way of the Dodo?

Why...

Do I still have a couple of racks of ties that beg me to put them on every time I open my wardrobe instead of throwing them away? Firstly I cannot forget the eye watering cost! Hermes ties, which were de rigeur in my days in the City are now over £200 each. I must have fifty! Let alone a smorgasbord of others; even my School House tie of skull and crossbones from my days at Rugby School. If I have worn a tie more than a dozen times in the nine years since moving to Malta (outside of funerals or marriages) I would be surprised…..and yet. I accept the current method of showing your superiority in meetings is a black polo and Birkenstock sandals rather than a Gieves and Hawkes suit, Turnbull and Asser shirt and Loeb shoes, but who does that impress? Dressing well is not only about self respect but respect to others. The idea you can dress like a tramp to show you are so rich you don’t need to show esteem sends out all the wrong signals. My days of business meetings are few and far between but if I am seeking a partner let alone financial resources dressing with dignity for who I’m talking to, usually pays off.

...and another thing

Cufflinks hold far more emotion than ties. Many were presents or inherited so carry with them a story. To be honest I love double cuffed shirts and anytime I get a chance to wear one I will.The problem is you look a total nitwit if you are wearing a jersey and the cuffs are rolled around your wrist like the crown on a lamb cutlet. So I can only wear double cuffs with jackets or alone. Like ties however I have far more than I ever need but there is something reassuring when I open my cufflink box to see the serried rows along with those other dodos,  collar stiffeners. Brass ones!

...and another thing

Yet buried deep in my cupboards, a hiding place for everything from Jimmy Hoffa to a space hopper, other fashion has-beens linger in limbo. Braces. Never seen the light of day after a brief spell of thinking I was Michael Douglas in Wall Street. My father’s bowler hat, lace up brogues and a pair of flares have managed to survive multiple moves despite the diligent rooting out of clothes past their sell by date by my beloved wife.

In the same way a rotary phone bamboozles Gen Z, I wonder how many can actually knot a bow tie, cravat or tie let alone even know what cufflinks are!

But then again my generation couldn’t use boot hooks, lace a corset or understand that a chatelaine belt was the password book of the 1900s.

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