Clip-on tie

For more on Neckties, see Necktie.

Clip-on tie. Inset: Metal Clip used to fasten it onto the front of a shirt

The clip-on tie is a bow tie or four-in-hand tie which is permanently tied, with a dimple just below the knot, and which is fixed to the front of the shirt collar by a metal clip. Alternately, the tie can may have a band around the neck fastened with a hook and eye.

The clip-on tie was reportedly invented on December 13, 1928 in Clinton, Iowa.

Reasons for use

Police officers and security guards often wear clip-ons as a precaution against being strangled by a pulled necktie. (With uniform, a tie clip may be used to stop the tie 'flying' in the wind.)

Some people either do not know how to tie, or do not feel comfortable tying, a standard necktie, and others with disabilities may not be able to.

Some schools require clip on ties as part of their uniform in lieu of regular ties as this stops students undoing them.

Criticisms of the clip-on tie

People in white collar occupations are often mocked for wearing a clip-on tie in lieu of a standard necktie, the implication being that refusal to learn how to tie a "proper" tie reflects a wider lack of sophistication. Pre-tied bow ties are especially disliked in formal circles; according to one writer, "The quirky irregularities of a self-tied bow give it personality and flair... while the cookie-cutter precision of a pre-tied model diminishes it to an assembly-line commodity." Because child-sized ties are often clip-ons, some consider clip-ons juvenile. Finally, clip-on ties are generally available in limited styles, sizes, and prints relative to their conventional counterparts.

See also

• Tie bar