Mandarin jackets, derived from the Manchu ethnic group in China,
look too much like bellboy or waiter outfits.

ada j, San Francisco, CA

That most revolting, slapdash and ill-disciplined organisation - the casual dress office!!!! A casual dress policy makes the statement: "We couldn't be bothered to dress properly this morning, we can't be bothered to work. We cannot look professional and we are not very professional."

Jim Evans, Minehead, Somerset

I currently feel no pressure to wear or not wear a tie and deplore the idea of a pressure group attempting to change that. When I choose to wear a suit and tie I certainly feel better dressed but it is not practical for most of my everyday activities.

I am sure that at certain times I would have felt underdressed had I not been wearing a tie but fortunately would seem to have been blessed with the sense to dress appropriately for most occasions by choice.

I would suggest that the readers who experience sensations of strangulation when wearing a collar and tie purchase items that fit properly and are made from good quality material or alternatively seek psychiatric help for their problem. I just hope they never find that all the trousers in there wardrobe feel on the tight side!

Bruce Hall, Manchester,

As ties were in the past an expression of elitism,point making, one upmanship etc.So no ties is just another mode of the same ilk.Ever the contrary being I will be searching in the drawers for a really spectacular example to wear.Like smoking maybe they will be banned?

Jim Slip, Craibavon, Armagh

It is absolutely clear that the tieless life is the better life.I can state this because of happy happy experience of wearing unencumbered shirts for many decades.

It is a matter of time before medical science will prove that neckties can be harmful to the health of those who wear them.

Uri Hurwitz, Great Neck, NY USA

I agree that whether one wears a tie or not should be up to the individual. Personally, I much prefer a be-shirted gentleman to be sporting a tie. The half-dressed look doesn't really appeal to me. I suppose it all depends on how one prefers to look: suave and sophisticated, or like a Bond viliain. Though if one resides on a private island, complete with laser dismembering suite and a volcano full of minions, I don't suppose what Linford Christie thinks of the restricting nature of the necktie will cut much ice anyway.

Tabitha, London,

With all that's going on in the World its a shame that these people think the best use of their time and position in the media spotlight is to start up a society against tie wearers. I personally prefer not to wear a tie, cravats are much more stylish.

Actuarius, Bognor Regis,

Wearing a tie should be an individual choice. Nobody has the right to eliminate choice - we already have enough of that in other areas of our life.
Some men may want to wear them all of the time with a suit or jacket, others not and many men will choose according to the occasion.
Sometimes the way they are worn is themselves a disgrace (when at half mast etc), but at least they are personalised and can be used to "finish off" a male outfit, which may otherwise be drab and boring. Alternatively, as with schools and clubs, they can seek to engender a sense of belonging and identification with one another and the institution they represent.
When considering their cost (now much lower than even a few years ago) they actually represent great value for money as a way of making a personal statement in the same way that a woman's accessories help her to finish off her own appearance.

Nick Dale, Maidstone, Kent

If Mr le Masne makes a contribution to classic style, it will hopefully be to contribute to the end of the open shirt collr, with points flapping in the breeze. A sea of mandarin collars would quickly make us pine for neckties.

Will, San Francisco, USA

I wish Raphael le Masne de Chermont well with his risible and shameless marketing ploy; hopefully it will sell a few more of his shirts and then die its well-deserved death quietly and in merited obscurity. In the meantime I am confident that the tie, rejoicing in its position as the only item an man wears which is wholly without function other than to ornament. will go on and on.

Anthony Jordan, Cardiff, UK

May I be allowed to succumb to the ephemeral whims of the fashion police. Clothes make the man and I^m keeping my tie on

Frank Greaney, Formby Liverpool, United Kingdom

Wearing ties has nothing to do with showing respect or maintaining standards. It should be entirely optional. I had to wear a tie when in formal employment but now I work for myself and rejoice in the freedom of choice. I have some nice ties, LV and Versace, and don't object to ties per se, only the idea that the whole of civilisation will collapse if I go into the golf club without one .

Phil Constable, Darlington,

My husband has 93 ties hanging on the back of the bedroom door. I love him with a tie or without. They are a fashion statement and at work a uniform. The safety issue is irrelevant since clip on's are for wearing to work . If a woman wants to power dress, a tie does the trick.
The newest tie was bought in Cyprus for £25. a Perre Carden ... with one of those large size knots.
It is a subjective discussion anyway.

Linda Elliott-George, Wymondham,

I'm retired now and do not have to wear a tie as part of my uniform but I do wear a tie on those occasions when a gesture of respect for others is appropriate. David Cameron and his ilk see no need to wear ties because they do not respect the kind of people who wear them.

Cliff Pooley, Cheltenham,

If I had to sit naked on an ice cube at the North Pole wearing a tie, I'd be overheated.
I wear a suit to work but no tie. When I put one on recently for a funeral, I felt as if I was being choked and by the end of the day had razor burn.
There will be a tipping point when all but the most conservative of colleagues will finally dispense with the things.
I hate them. Ties RIP. Let them be laid to rest with those other bits of former standard male apparel; spats, cufflinks and sock garters.

ian, bath,

what about those big folded back cuffs with the gaudy links - power dressing sucks

Mr Useless, London,

Ties should perhaps be optional. Simple really...if you want to wear a tie, then wear one. If not, then don't.

Andrew E, Peterhead, Scotland

Ties should become an optional feature of dress.
I am actually surprised that in the current age of compensation handouts, "health and safety" have not already outlawed them! I can hear the adverts already- "have you become hot or flustered whilst wearing a tie at work?"!
But seriously the dry cleaning charges involved with the formal dress that men are supposed to adhere to are nothing other than discriminatory!

barry DuPont, brighton,

Sometimes the wearing of a tie confers gravitas. During the Channel 4 Board Meeting on the Big Brother problems their chairman came out to read a statement. He did not wear a tie and looked like a messenger boy.

Chris, Sutton Coldfield, England

Since I retired six years ago I have not once worn a tie, and it felt wonderful. However, I have from time to time worn a cravat, simply for comfort in colder weather. Those who go tieless tend to forget that an open necked shirt in winter is distinctly uncomfortable.

Ironically enough, ties originated from neck rags worn by Croatian mercenaries, thus cravats. Perhaps we should go back to those rather than the strangling ties.

Ian, Myersville, MD USA