Ties Are Knotty Subjects

Casual Fridays turned into casual every days over the last decade throughout the workplace. Lately, there seems to be a return to more business-like attire on the job. The Washington DC metro area has a high concentration of technology and biotech businesses where casual attire is still a norm. Yet the region also has Federal, State, and County government agencies, law and financial firms, and consulting companies that adhere to business attire dress codes.

One of the key components of business attire, primarily for men (though an occasional woman can also be seen wearing one), is the venerable tie. A tie is the easiest clothing accessory to distinguish a style of dress as business attire versus casual attire. If casual is your norm, consider keeping a tie in your briefcase or backpack and another in your desk drawer for those just-in-case work encounters where you suddenly find yourself in front of your management or a client who has a more formal dress code.

Follow these tie tips to transform to business attire.

• Roll your ties into balls to keep wrinkles out when you store them to carry or keep in your drawer.
• Keep your rolled ties in ziplock-type bags or in a tie case to keep them clean when you are not wearing them.
• Make your just-in-case ties either black or red. These two colors go with practically any shirt color.
• Wear ties correctly. This means learn to tie a tie knot or use a pre-knotted tie with a clip.
• Consider bow ties as alternatives to regular ties. They are easier to store and easier to put on.

Where do you find ties and where can you go to learn how to tie them? My first recommendation is to bring your business to a clothing store that offers personal service by knowledgeable staff. Such stores generally include, to name only a few:

• Men’s Warehouse (store locator at http://www.MensWarehouse.com)
• J. Crew (store locator at http://www.JCrew.com)
• Joseph A Bank (store locator at http://www.JosBank.com)
• Brooks Brothers (store locator at http://www.BrooksBrothers.com).

You can also find tie-a-tie instructions on the web at sites such as:

• http://www.Tie-A-Tie.net
• http://www.eHow.com
• http://www.jobsearch.about.com/cs/interviews/a/tieatie.htm
• http://www.prom.about.com/od/formalfashionforguys/ht/tieyourtie.htm

Ties make the difference between a casual look and a business look. Wearing them correctly makes you look professional.

(First published at Examiner.com – Baltimore edition, by Sylvia Henderson, Montgomery County MD Career Coach writer.)