It's not something I will mourn: the passing of the necktie. I used to have quite a few, but for the last decade or so I've been down to one -- a Dilbert tie still in the package in which my mother-in-law gave it to me. I gave up on ties a long time ago, and now, in a sign that shows I was simply ahead of my time (and not just an uncultured buffoon), the Men's Dress Furnishings Association has closed its doors. The MDFA is or, rather, was the group that, for the last sixty years, represented the makers of all those silken father's day gifts.

So why has the MDFA packed up and gone home? The simple answer is that men don't wear ties anymore. In fact, only 6% of men wore a tie to work every day last year, according to a recent poll. Even the tie makers aren't wearing ties. "Power is being able to dress the way you want," says Marty Staff, CEO of JA Apparel Corp, who showed up to the MDFA's annual luncheon sans tie two years ago.

I do know guys -- dads included -- who enjoy wearing a tie, but they are far more the exception than the rule. And while it will still be quite a while before the tie disappears completely from men's wardrobes, I do think that you might want to reconsider giving one as a father's day gift.