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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend September 24, 2006 Medford attorney Michael Thornicroft has a section of his townhouse�s spare room dedicated to his tie collection. Ties still sell, but many people in Medford prefer a more casual look. (Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Is it time to tie one on? The tie may have limited appeal in the Rogue Valley, but the fashion started by France's Louis XIV in 1660 still has its adherents despite predictions of its demise By Paris Achen Mail Tribune Strolling down Main Street in downtown Medford, land use consultant Zac Moody wears a light gray T-shirt, a dark gray fleece vest and a pair of faded black slacks. Neckties don't leave his closet except on the rare occasion when he attends a public hearing on a land use case at the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. "The only times you see a tie around here are in very formal professional situations, usually on an attorney or a public official," Moody said. "Even the county planning department wears Polo shirts and jeans." While ties are mandatory for attorneys in Oregon courtrooms and some corporations such as Lithia Motors require their employees to wear them, men's neckwear is scarce on the streets of Southern Oregon. Citing the necktie's apparent lack of function, some fashion historians and sociologists have forecast doom for the tie for decades, according to Alan Flusser, author of "Dressing The Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion." Advertisement Since its establishment in the fashion in 1660, the tie has evolved and intermittently flourished and faded from men's attire. But is extinction imminent? "No," declares Michael Thornicroft, one local tie guru who owns www.tieyourtievideo.com , a Web site offering an instructional streaming video on how to properly knot a tie. "The necktie is not dying," said Thornicroft, a defense attorney and former news anchor. "That is the only way men can accessorize." Thornicroft owns 800 ties, all of which are carefully displayed in diverse hues on a wall in a spare bedroom at his Medford home. Each workday, he dresses in a sleek suit and a crisp dress shirt, and the finishing touch is always a tie. His Medford friends jest that he is a dandy. That was the intent of the first ties from their beginnings in 1660. "Ties have become associated with being a drone and sitting behind a desk," said Sue Bonde, apparel design director at the Art Institute of Portland. "But the jumpstart of the tie 350 years ago was a way for soldiers to express themselves in a flamboyant way from the restrictions of war." Louis XIV of France got the idea of the tie, then called a cravat, from a regiment of soldiers from Croatia who went to Paris to celebrate victory over the Ottoman Empire. The soldiers wore bright silk handkerchiefs around their necks, similar to the Roman fascalia worn by orators to warm their vocal chords, according to Flusser's history of the tie. The accessory caught the eye of the king who made them the symbol of royalty for a regiment of Royal Cravattes. The fashion soon spread to England and remained strong in different forms until the 1960s when some men began to rebel against the formality of dress during the Peacock Revolution, Flusser wrote. By the 1970s, however, the tie had rebounded. The market shows the sales of ties continue to be strong. Sales are more than $1 billion annually. It's still the No. 1 choice for Father's Day gifts. "Right now, the tie is just like it was in the past: a way for people to have a personal identity," she said. "It's one of the few ways men can have personal expression and still keep the uniform of a professional." The rebellion against formal dress never quite died out in the Pacific Northwest, but nor did it quell the desire for ties. "The Pacific Northwest has a culture of a more relaxed lifestyle and an outdoorsy lifestyle," Bonde said. "Many people want to take a walk in the woods, go to work, go to the theater, and if they could do it in all the same clothes, that would be fine." In Medford, there is a general discomfort associated with ties. "Even if I liked to wear a tie, I would feel overdressed," Moody said. Styles could become more formal in Jackson County as more and more outsiders move to the area, Bonde said. The arrival of high-end men's and women's clothing shops in downtown Medford could be the first signal of that, though that doesn't necessarily mean a rebound for the tie specifically, said Eric Maxwell, owner of Papillon Rouge. "The tie is going to be around forever, but in a limited capacity," Maxwell said. Thornicroft disagrees. "I think the tie is alive and well," he said. "I think it's becoming more and more prevalent in Southern Oregon." Reach reporter Paris Achen by calling 541-776-4459 or [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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