Ties Coming Back As Hip?

You’ve got to be shitting me:

[from After Years of Being Out, the Necktie Is In - New York Times]

[…] in the last year or two, stylish men in their 20s and early 30s have embraced the old four-in-hand as a style statement — that is, as long as it is an optional one. Even with tie sales among older age groups uniformly down, sales to men 18 to 34 were up more than 13 percent, to $343 million from $303 million, between March 2006 and March 2007, according to NPD Group, which tracks clothing sales and trends.

Just like wearing high heels is a bondage thing gone sideways, young men are parading geriatric as a fashion statement. Neckties and men’s suits are a form of ritual clothing, where the caste of professionals intentionally excludes others who can’t — or don’t — wear the robes of the Mandarins. Why go back and buy in?

Of course, the NY Times is tracking the rich and the glamorous, where it remains cool to create and maintain class distinctions.