The future of the tie . . . already looking somewhat uncertain . . . has been thrown further into doubt after EU commissioner Charlie McCreevy told his staff to dispense with the garment for the summer. This follows an attack on ties by BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, who has suggested that he and his fellow journalists go open-necked, describing the tie as an "utterly useless part of the male wardrobe, " only worn by politicians, reporters and estate agents.

Channel 4 News presenter and former Tie-Wearer of the Year Jon Snow, famed for his collection of flamboyant ties, stoked the funeral pyre by agreeing with his BBC counterpart. "There is no future for the tie, " he said. Both men have championed a switch to the Iranian collarless shirt.

Office workers now often come to work without a tie and the growth of 'dressdown Fridays', when employees are encouraged to abandon formal styles of dress, has not helped the tie's cause. A once-essential part of male apparel seems to be disappearing fast, hastened on its way by men of such importance as Tony Gregory TD, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary and Al Gore making frequent public appearances minus a tie.

Al Gore? So is it 'Green' to dispense with the wretched neckwear?

Extremely. In fact, that's part of the newlyconverted McCreevy's reasoning. If men open their top button they will stay cooler. As a result, air conditioning will have to be used less often, which means less energy consumption and hence a valuable contribution to the fight against climate change.

The former minister for finance came up with the idea while in Japan, the German edition of theFinancial Times reported last week.

What do the statistics tell us?

John Miln, chairman of the Guild of British Tie Makers, says that there is no doubt that 'casualisation' has had a big impact on the male dress market, but that the tie market is remaining static. It is not growing . . . but is not shrinking significantly, either.

The price contraction that has affected the whole clothing market has also had an impact on ties, which could mean that although the value of the market may not be expanding, the number of ties being sold may be increasing. The Guild of British Tie Makers believes that between 22 and 25 million ties are still being sold each year. As recently as 2002, the retail market for ties there was still worth �155m ( 22.5m).

What's the history of the tie?

The tie as we know it evolved from the French cravat. The French themselves copied the garment from those worn by Croatian fighters in the 17th century. The word 'cravat' is derivative of 'Croat'. The Gallic flamboyance was toned down when the garment crossed the Channel, becoming popular in England during the second half of the 19th century.

The English tie, which emerged in its current form in the 1920s, was simply designed to add colour to a uniform or suit. The Duke of Windsor lent his name to the famous Windsor knot, although he did not use the knot himself. He produced the characteristically thick knot simply by having his ties made from thicker material.

Do ties serve any practical purpose?

None. They are all about symbolic power.

Ties could be said to have played their part in the class war, denoting both status and wealth, and in clubland they represent a shared exclusivity. In society's upper echelons, the power of the oldschool tie is not yet lost.

What other appeal does the tie have?

According to Jon Snow, they can be both the focal point of an outfit and hide a multitude of sins. An extravagant tie draws attention away from a below-standard suit and solves the problem of the unsightly male neck. "I have no idea why we started to wear them, but I imagine that someone fairly early on realised that the male neck needs covering up, especially if they're fat, " Snow said yesterday.

"A fat male neck is not an attractive thing at all." And at a time when politicians are starting to take off the tie in the hope of gaining a little street cred, not wearing a tie has become much more of a statement.

Ties are harmless enough, aren't they?

In fact, medical studies have shown that the tie can be a breeding ground for germs, and doctors have been advised not to wear them in case they spread hospital infections.

Do tie-wearers still command respect?

Although Jeremy Paxman suggested that we increasingly associate tie-wearing with the stuffier professions, there are still famous tie-wearers who have a special place. A 2003 survey found that most men wanted to emulate Frank Sinatra when they fastened a tie . . . a sign that it is not impossible to wear a tie with real style.

Other admired tie-wearers include David Beckham, who finds room in his vast wardrobe for the odd Armani silk number. As the singer Tony Bennett once said: "I think one of the reasons I'm popular again is because I'm wearing a tie.

You have to be different." The cyclical nature of fashion means that there are some in the pop culture scene who now don a tie on stage for its kitsch value, such as the Kaiser Chiefs.

What is fashion's thinking on ties?

That the tie is by no means dead, but it clearly recognises that men are spending much less time in a tie than they used to.

"The whole idea of a formal dress code is no longer relevant, " says fashion writer Susannah Frankel. "Women can wear a cocktail dress in the day and men can wear a suit without a tie. Now they can also wear a tie as a dandy fashion statement as well. Alber Elbaz, a designer for the French firm Lanvin, is rarely seen without his crushed bow tie, which gives him a chic look. It's nice that men can now use the tie in its various forms as a flourish to finish an outfit, rather than simply wearing one because they have to."

So do we need the tie?

According to one woman who responded to McCreevy's request to drop the tie, the neckwear serves another pressing need.

"It stops that horrible triangle at the neck where you sometimes see a bit of hair, " she said. For the hirsute among us then, ties may remain a must.