Summer polls: Ties just don't suit the modern office bloke

Simon Dallow

When Simon Dallow begins fronting One News he will wear a tie to face the nation - but it will be a reluctant fashion addition.

The broadcaster agrees with a Herald-DigiPoll survey which reveals that two out of three people say men shouldn't wear ties in the office.

And in a related survey, a similar number of people believe women don't need to wear trousers to be taken seriously, as the laid-back Kiwi attitude dominates the office environment.

Dallow, who goes tie-less while presenting current affairs show Agenda and "definitely" doesn't wear one during his Viva radio show, said ties seemed to have endured through the ages.

"But has the tie had its day? I would say yes," he said. "The formality is what is changing both in clothes and society. If the tie went, I would not miss it - but I still think I'll be wearing one on One News."

Only 25 per cent of people in the Herald poll said men in offices should wear ties.

Alison Mau, Dallow's wife and a Prime television senior journalist and presenter, agreed with her husband.

"I think ties can look very glamorous on a man but they are an anachronism. If we are going out and Simon asks if he needs a tie, I always say no to the tie. There are certain occasions, though. Weddings and funerals. And I'm not sure the time has come to remove the tie to read the 6 o'clock news. Outside peak time is all right."

Anyone wondering who wears the pants in the Dallow / Mau household should know Mau does. Sometimes.

On other days, she wears skirts or dresses and does not think people take her less seriously because of it. She is in accord with the two-thirds of people in the poll who did not agree that women wearing trousers were taken more seriously.

"I don't care what people wear," Mau said. "I wear jeans one day, a skirt the next, and a dress the next. I try to judge others on their skills.

"I don't think it makes a difference in my industry, but I don't know what it's like in the corporate world."

Just one in five people in the poll said women were taken more seriously if they wore trousers in the office, rather than skirts or dresses.

The poll revealed a small, but significant, difference in the attitudes of men and women.

More than 23 per cent of men said women in trousers were taken more seriously in the office, while only 18 per cent of women said the same.

Caroline Barley, director and owner of fashion model agency Nova, said today's women were given more licence to dress informally.

Ms Barley said the key was women had to ensure they dressed appropriately for their working environment.

However, despite the relaxed attitude to office fashion indicated by the polls, two leading stores say there is actually a shift back towards formal wear, particularly for men.

Glenn Hesson, marketing manager for high street chain Hallensteins, said the last couple of years had seen a huge increase in tailored wear buying.

"The main difference to the traditional look is an influx of high fashion formal wear, with bold colours - pinks, for example, and brighter blues - rather than the standard white."

Plain ties are better. "But it's personal choice and some of it is horrendous," Mr Hesson said.

At the top end of the market, designer Murray Crane from specialist boutique store Crane Brothers on Auckland's trendy High Street, said there had been a "quantum leap" away from the suit and tie look, with even sectors like banking, finance and law relaxing.

But the trend was reversing, which was the "cyclical nature of fashion".

Expect to pay between $169 and $289 for a tie from Crane Brothers - a cost Mr Crane said was important to ensure you were wearing quality.

"If you are going to wear a tie, make sure it's a good one. There's a lot of bad ties out there," said Mr Crane.