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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
In one of the most elegant requests to the Speaker of the House on Thursday, Green Party co-leader James Shaw asked Trevor Mallard to sever Parliament’s ties with ties.
“If you are considering further renovations, I wonder if we could take a look at the rule that requires gentlemen to wear ties,” Shaw said.
Check Point Nick Truebridge and Nick Monro visited a long-serving Auckland tie shop and took to the streets to find out if people think it’s time to free their neck.
There is a wide variety of styles in the tie world, from the floral and busy to the striped and entrepreneurial.
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“James Shaw looks great with a tie, in fact when he wears them I really notice them. And I don’t think it’s just me, he looks great with a tie and he wears some great ties,” said the managing director of Parisian Neckwear, John Crompton. Control.
Parisian is a fourth generation family business that manufactures fine ties and belts at its headquarters near Karangahape Road.
Crompton’s great-grandfather chose the modern tie’s three-piece design during a casual conversation with a man on a train while traveling through America.
“He drew that pattern on his napkin, put it in his pocket and took it all the way to New Zealand, where he gave it to his daughter Ruby, my great-aunt. She was a dressmaker on Queen St and sewed the first Parisian tie. From there, history has been built over four generations. “
Fashion has come and gone in that era, but one element that has endured is the tie.
“Absolutely, it’s still there. In fact, it’s there more now than I’d say it’s been in the last 15 to 20 years. It’s no news to anyone, the corporate world hasn’t been wearing ties for about 15 to 20 years. years … It’s been a slow transition to a more casual attire for work, “says Crompton.
“But the tie has been kept throughout history, at least for the last 100 years, always there as part of the men’s attire.”
So is the trend going anywhere? Are there others who, like Shaw, say to get rid of your tie?
Screenshot / RNZ
In one of the most elegant requests to the Speaker of the House on Thursday, Green Party co-leader James Shaw asked Trevor Mallard to sever Parliament’s ties with ties.
“It’s always had ups and downs, ebbs and flows, but hey, it’s always been there and if anything there is a growing interest in it now because it is no longer a must have item for corporate wear,” says Crompton.
“You don’t have to go shopping for a tie every season to look good and change at work … So guys who buy ties really like it. And they want something special, and they recognize what the tie does by the way it looks. than to portray themselves. “
Murray Crane, owner of Crane Brothers, has been in the menswear industry for 35 years. He believes that ties still have a place for formal occasions, but says the wearing of ties in general has definitely declined.
“I think we live in a country that is very informal. I have been in the menswear industry for 35 years and I think you give Kiwi men a chance not to dress up, and they will take it with both hands. If you leave the door. ajar, I think they’re probably going to take that opportunity, “says Crane.
In Wellington, Shaw’s fellow MPs weren’t quite ready to get rid of them just yet.
“It is not the main item on my agenda,” says Labor MP David Clark.
“It’s not something I’ve given much thought to, but now that I think about it, it’s probably inevitable that it will change,” says Labor’s Greg O’Connor.
“I’m one of that generation that naturally gets out of bed in the morning and puts on a tie without thinking too much about it. I quite like being here, when I was in the police they were little elastics, now at least I can tie them.”
Education Minister Chris Hipkins says he’s on the more traditional end of the spectrum and enjoys the formality of wearing a tie in Parliament.
“I’m a bit of a traditionalist,” says National Representative Nick Smith. “In my opinion, the tie is part of treating Parliament with the respect it deserves.”
“It’s what people expect, but also once you start changing the rules, why don’t we show up in flip-flops?” Says Simon O’Connor of National.
Back on Auckland’s Queen Street, there is less consensus. Control I barely made out half a dozen people in ties as they went about their business.
“It may be important for a funeral, but most of my colleagues have stopped wearing ties, gone, they are history,” says a CBD worker.
“The worst thing is to press the top button, I find it quite tight in the throat, so sometimes I unbutton the top button and put my tie loose, that’s what I find difficult,” said another. Control.
So it seems that ties have been relegated to the list of wardrobe items. But those in the menswear business insist that there is still a time and a place.
As they say, ties never die.
‘I personally hate them’
The Speaker of the House of Parliament, Trevor Mallard, is the person who can make a decision on binding ties in the debating chamber. He has asked Members to send him their opinions.
He said Control he personally hates ties, but as long as he’s in his current role, regardless of the dress code he makes, he’ll keep wearing them.
“I feel like it’s pretty dated, I felt like it was pretty dated about 30 years ago and it is even more so now.
“I can’t tie them either, which gives me a glitch.
“The rules are such that members must wear business clothes. One of the interesting things is that until a couple of decades ago, there were no rules for women. The rules only related to men’s dress, because they don’t it contemplated that women would be members of Parliament and the rules were never updated for them.
“There are questions about jackets or not jackets, and many of the business leaders I know would be what I would describe as smart casual, rather than formal dresses.
“That obviously allows for a wider range of colors, the jackets are not jackets and the shape of shirts rather than the more traditional shirts with collars designed for ties.
“I have never scrubbed my face with my tie, I have the opposite problem, it is more likely that the soup will fall on my tie, I guess it saves the shirt and it depends on the color of the tie, whether or not you see the stain or no “.
The debate over deputies’ attire isn’t just about ties, Mallard says. “It’s about what business attire is these days, and there’s clearly more at stake than just a tie.
“I remember at one point a Member of Parliament was expelled for wearing what was a very expensive leather jacket. One that was probably three or four times what he was paying for a suit at the time.
“It looked really good, but it didn’t fit the definition.”
Mallard wants to hear from MPs this year, and will indicate his decision on the start of Parliament in 2021.
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
