J.J. Barrett browsed through the ties in the men's department at Macy's, Downtown, around noon yesterday before settling on two, each more than $30 despite being on sale.. The investment firm where he works requires that he wear a tie, and he prefers variety in his choices.

The 32-year-old professional reflects both the decline of the necktie industry and its saving grace. He's no fan of ties, yet he helps keep the industry alive as a member of the dwindling minority of American men who wear ties to work every day, often because they are required to do so.

So dim is the industry's outlook that the Men's Dress Furnishings Association, which began in 1947 as the Men's Tie Foundation, is folding today, a victim of declining membership and sales of American-made ties, officials at the New York-based trade group said.

Designers Bill Blass and Gianni Versace were among doomsayers over the last four decades who predicted the death of the necktie each time a new fashion trend cut into sales. But the tie has outlasted all of them, with reports of its demise greatly exaggerated.

"It hasn't happened and it's not going to happen," said Gerry Anderson, the association's last executive director. "Every generation rediscovers them. The tie is still a very important part of men's wardrobes. It's still the only accessory item that men have in their wardrobes that can make a suit look different than it did the day before."

Still, there's no questioning that the tie's role in the workplace has diminished in recent years. More casual dress has been deemed acceptable in many offices; some of the fastest growing firms have been high-tech companies where suits tend to be eschewed; and more men simply have discovered that they can still look professional, even dressy, without wearing a tie.

Even in health care, many male doctors have been discarding their ties in the wake of research that shows they can harbor disease-carrying germs that could potentially be transmitted to patients.

The Wall Street Journal yesterday noted that a mere 6 percent of men wear ties to work every day -- down from 10 percent in 2002, and that U.S. tie sales have plunged from $1.3 billion in 1995 to $677 million in the fiscal year ending March 31. Membership in the former tie foundation has, uh, followed suit, dropping from 120 in the 1980s to 25 today.

In many ways, what is happening with neckties is similar to what occurred with hats several decades ago.

Fifty years ago, hats were a staple in men's and women's everyday attire. They still are worn today, but not routinely. And they have evolved from wardrobe essentials to fashion accessories.

Many men regard ties as symbols of corporate assimilation, or at least as uncomfortable fabric nooses. But to others, the tie is a symbol of power and authority, a fashion statement or both.

"It makes a man look really nice, especially when you're wearing a nice suit," said Greg Dennison, a Downtown maintenance worker.

Mr. Dennison, 51, owns about 40 ties and mainly wears them with suits on special outings with his girlfriend. He said he wouldn't mind if he were required to wear a tie to work.

"It's one of the classic things in America, next to apple pie," he said, laughing. "It's a fashion statement with a nice suit."

Menswear designers and retailers haven't recovered from the big hit that suits and ties have taken over the last two decades with the casualization of the workplace. Suits aren't as widely worn or as frequently purchased by men in general, and makers haven't figured out how to reverse the decline. They've tried everything from fabric innovations to styles that appeal to younger men, but nothing has worked for long.

Necktie makers have been trying to lure more wearers, too. But even as skinny ties and woven styles return to the fashion forefront, the level of general interest just isn't there -- though it hasn't entirely disappeared.

Designers keep making ties and raising the prices because a significant number of men still wear them. And they remain popular gifts. Father's Day, a week from Sunday, is one of the biggest tie-buying seasons of the year, along with Christmas and Easter.

Whether someone is paying $11.99 for a simple print tie at Ross or $440 for a Stefano Ricci Italian-made silk tie with Swarovski crystal stripes at Neiman-Marcus, there will always be a market for the necktie, experts say. It's still a symbol of polish and professionalism in career fields that employ millions -- and there are lots of guys who enjoy tying one on.

This is especially true, it seems, at the upper end of the necktie market, where men don't have to wear ties -- they want to -- and are willing to pay premium prices for such makes as Italian-made silk ties by Gucci, Versace and Salvatore Ferragamo.