So I took a job with a regional bank. I'm gonna be doing web and networking stuff. I like the freelance lifestyle, but the health insurance was killing me and I kind of enjoy knowing that I'll have money to pay rent at the end of the month.

Because it's a bank, I'm required to wear a tie to work. I think I'm gonna like most stuff about the job, except the tie thing. I'll probably get used to it and not even notice I'm wearing a tie after a couple of weeks. But for now it's kinda bugging me. I tend to sweat a lot and ties compound the problem. In the past, the two things I've done to mitigate the overheating problem is to buy shirts with 17+ inch collars, and never actually buttoning the top button. Those things help, but they only go so far.

Any advice from tie wearers, who also don't like wearing ties?

Also, what's the deal with tie fashion? It seems like it's all over the place. Some guys have skinny ties, some wide and others in-between. I haven't bought a tie in over 5 years. And some of the ones I own are from the 80's. Between my relaxed jeans and my Reagan era ties, I'm barely allowed to go outside anymore.

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I had the Safety Dance song playing in my head while thinking about my 80's ties.



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Esquire told me that silk is in for 2012. That might work in your favor as it is light weight.

Ties are really a stupid fashion thing, aren't they? They're expensive, hard to care for, and serve no real use. I guess worn correctly they look nice.

Someone suggested today's man, I say you go there and buy ties and shirts, ask the sales man for help.

I don't think we have "Today's Man" out here. But I definitely need a man of today to help out this man of yesterday.

And yeah, silk might help, but isn't silk a good insulator? Also, I'm a cheapskate. Silk sounds expensive? Someone just needs to make an air conditioned shirt. That would be the answer for me.

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Columbia Sportswear makes air conditioned shirts. They are little lightweight, so not as durable, but they are wonderful for summers around here.



Perhaps you might not be able to finagle them in your dresscode.

When I had to wear ties, I never buttoned the top button of my shirt.
I also wore the tie loosely. Of course, I didn't work at a stuffy bank and didn't have to deal with the public, so noone really cared.


I suggest you wear the most hideous ties you can find.
Other than that, I can provide no advice.
It has been about 20 years since I had to wear a tie for work.

I second that. Find the most ugly ass ties.

Are there any good thrift stores in your area? I picture you being surrounded by fashionable gentlemen who wear an expensive tie once or twice before discarding it for something more seasonal.
So obviously, I've never worn a tie except for some regrettable 80's fashions that involved the menswear look with skinny leather ties... don't do that. Do you have to wear a light-colored shirt? A darker and/or bolder colored shirt with a tie that blends in can be sharp-looking. With a light shirt, the tie and any food stains are the focal point. Going with a medium blue or green shirt and a blue/green/black tie is more forgiving.

Not last night, it was just red last night, but maybe the night before? .... no i was out tuesday, so Monday night, I liked Craig Ferguson's tie.

Just copy late night tv.

Craig, at some point, stop buttoning the top button and wears the tie loose and it bugs the SHIT out of me. Just take it off!

I understand from some guy wearing a bright pink shirt and green tie that I met in the elevator that knots are supposed to be big now.


I had to throw out the 90s ties some time ago. If you're still hanging on to that '94 Jerry Garcia tie, men - it's time to let it go.

Doubt if I could wear something like that Columbia shirt, Funk, but I do like their stuff a lot. Columbia gear is damn near indestructible.

Jolly, I don't have to work with the public at all. My new boss said that the tie thing was to boost the department's image within the company. I'm trying to keep an open mind to that idea and it's not working out well. It's also not boding well that I'm going into this with a tinge of a bad attitude, before I've even written a single line of code for them.

PG, There are definitely lots of thrift stores around here. Of course there are also a lot of thrift shoppers, so it all balances out. I've found that dress shirts tend to be something that you need to buy new. But yeah, I will absolutely be searching the thrift stores for a few more ties. I'm not gonna spend more than $3 for something I don't want to wear in the first place.



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Thrift store ties lmake you look like your shopping in a thrift store. Bite the bullet, go to a men's store with good customer service have them put together seven shirts and 14 ties, done and done.

Why 7 and 14? Do you think he'll be working weekends?

Two for dry cleaning days, 14 so it's not the same tie/shirt combo every time. UGH!

OOOO! mix it up! Maybe wear a bow tie. Or how about an ascot? Could you do an ascot? Bolo tie? Possibilities are endless!

HA! Does anyone ever pull off the bolo???

My Grandfather sure did

HA! @ bolo tie. My family tree forks, so I just say no to bolo ties. And I think an ascot would be even worse in the overheating dept.

And I don't give a shit if people think I shop at thrift stores. I was shopping at the Goodwill before the parents of most of today's hipsters decided not to go through with the abortion.

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Well if that's the look your're after, rock on with your bad self! LOL!

eta: mevy corrections! Thanks, friend!

You're. As in, you're slipping.

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Oh, yes. That's much better.

LOLand I'm leaving it stand! Cuz it really made me laugh.

I feel bad for guys who have to don suits/ties each day. It's like making women wear pantyhose. Friggin torture- I loathe them

Jo. No one in the west coast of USA wears panty hose now ever. EVER. It's done. You need to move here.

Yep, midwest=no panty hose. I'm tellin' ya, first world!

Anyway, I feel uncomfortable looking at men in ties. I would be more comfortable at a branch bank with employees in polos or the such.

most women here do not wear them now, but some still do. The 'older' women in fashion stores :/

Then there's winter here which really sucks for the bare legs

Enter... leggings. The answer to bare legs!

I went up to Smokey Lake (alberta?) in winter and wore a wool pencil skirt, no panty hose. No problem. BTW, do heated car seats bother anybody? I don't like them. I don't like my butt being hot. I think I prefer sitting on a cold seat.

I don't know. Just doesn't seem right.

I LOVE my heated car seats. LOVE them. It's like being hugged while driving.

OMGosh. I LOVE the heated seats in my Porsche. I am not kidding you. This is the first car ever where I have had power windows and heated seats.

(plus it is so awesome when your time of the month happens. So nice on your lower back.)

And this is my sweet little niece, Lily. Pretending to drive said car. Ohhh... she has my taste. Lucky I don't have to pay for her.



ETA: Rory and I, GMTA.

OK. But I feel the same way about cushioned toilet seats. Gross! Must be an old age thing.


Hey you! shakes cane in the air get off my yard!

In the same spirit that I recommended Overstock.com for suits - check outhttp://www.thetiebar.com/ for ties. They're inexpensive, nice looking ties that don't last FOREVER but so the fuck what? Order some cool silk ties for $15 and throw 'em away when some of the threads start to fray. I got about 20 when I started at my old firm and, given that they each get worn about once a month - most are still in solid shape.

Heated seats are awesome!
I only use them about 10x a year, but they are worth it.

Anny - That pic is adorable. The Hello Kitty umbrella is a nice touch.

I love my heated seats, I feel spoiled using them!

Mev - not sure what the thrift stores are like in your area, but in my neighbourhood they are pretty damn good - mostly designer stuff for a fraction of the price, and barely worn, if at all. I'm thinking that there are a lot of people on the Upper East Side spoiled for nice clothing. If you can find a decent one, there are great deals.

What kind of porsche is that Anny?


I too love heated seats. Saves your butt while you wait for the heat to come on in January!

It's what the Porsche snobs call the wannabe... the Boxster. It's white with the (as you can see) blue-gray interior. I bought it from a La Jolla lawyer who got it as a bonus for a case he totally scored on for his client. It has the upgraded carrera package (wheels, emblems, some boy stuff I don't get, etc) and is a convertible. I got it with only 13,000 miles on it. He hardly drove it and it's like new. It even SMELLS new.

His son was turning 16 and he wanted it out of the house (temptation). I got a deal. We were the first people to answer the ad and the lawyer didn't want to mess with it. My monthly payments are lower than my sister's are for her SUV (an xterra, I think). Ha!

I've driven a Boxter. I loved it. So much fun. Wannabe schmannabe. It's a cool car!!

I've driven a 911 and a 944 too. Some day maybe - though I can't imagine pulling up to my current job in any kind of sporty anything. I may get over that one day, if we're super successful with lots of measurable impact.

I miss my convertible!

I have also driven the 911 and 944 - awesome. Crazy pickup and speed. I get why they call my Boxster a wannabe; but, I just love it. Perfect for cruising the PCH with the top down. San Diego is the best place I have lived, where convertibles are concerned.

All my cars since 16 (except one) have been convertibles. The only car that wasn't was the car (honda civic hatchback) that I had during my boys childhood years. Safety first

Yeah, you probably don't want to pull up to your job in a Porsche. LOL! There are a couple of Ferraris in my neighborhood and one Tesla. I covet them. That's my long term dream for sure.

ETA: Nice eye on the HK umbrella, JR.

I have never driven any of those, but I know that the flat engine style, which gives the vehicle a lower centre of gravity is also used in the Subaru, and that it makes more of a rolling sound than a V engine or an inline engine. It is also a sound that makes the bf visibly shudder when he hears it.