Bankers who wear red ties are making the ultimate tacky statement

The only tribe who think about ties more than politicians are bankers. Bankers care about ties. Bankers believe in ties, their powers, their suggestions, their hidden meanings. It’s like astrology for people who earn much much much more money than you do.

And I heard things about bankers and their ties. I heard that it’s considered the worst to wear a red one. The ultimate tacky statement. A way of saying “I am Trump, cover the inside of that building in mahogany and brass.” I looked on some junior banking forums and the anxiety was real:

At one of my internships in equity research a few months ago, my boss (sort of an unbalanced woman) told me never to wear a red tie to an interview. She said that at Morgan Stanley, only the VPs and MDs are allowed to wear red ties and it’s a big mistake to wear one to a Morgan Stanley interview because it can be grounds for disqualification. I realise that this is probably the biggest load of crap, but wanted to know if anyone else has heard this before.

This from WikiJob, a finance jobs website:

Red: Assertive, bold, confident. Be aware that this may make you appear overbearing, over assertive, cocky or arrogant in an interviewers eyes.

Red is the power tie. It is also in execrable taste. If you’re a banker and you wear a bold, shiny red tie you are conveying a sense of ambition, you’re saying I can take the lead on this project and you’re also making everyone else think you’re a dick.

A friend of mine who interned at a major bank in Canary Wharf said he was “too scared” to ever wear a red tie. He knew what red ties meant. They meant Patrick Bateman and Michael Douglas, they meant strength and passion – as well as a total disregard for anyone else’s opinion.