Novelty Saves the Ties That Bind : Clothing: Neckwear with pizazz boosts the market for the accessory that won’t go away.

They’re basically useless. Occasionally uncomfortable. But even in this oh-so-casual age, men aren’t giving up their ties--they’re flaunting them.

Despite an invasion of informality and the easing of dress codes in many offices, the $1.4-billion tie business has been shaking off its doldrums and perking up.

Instead of being left in the closet, ties are stepping out with new pizazz. Neckwear of the 1990s sports motifs from Mickey Mouse to moon rocks, endangered wildlife to rock star art.

Inspired by the splash from novelty ties, tie makers--even such upscale companies as Hermes--are bringing out neckwear for casual clothes and updating classic stripes and dots.

Novelty ties “were a wake-up call to the business,” said Tempe Essell, senior buyer for the department stores of Dayton Hudson Corp. “It made everyone in the industry realize there was a lack of freshness in ties.”

Before the advent of novelty neckwear, the nation’s more than 200 tie makers had reason to cringe.

Although they were still a popular gift at Christmas and Father’s Day, ties were becoming a less common sight. Dressing casually on Fridays has become popular in some offices. Store buyers said pricey designer ties snapped up in the 1980s fell out of favor in this more frugal decade. Particularly among younger men, it’s become trendy to wear a shirt buttoned to the neck without a tie.

As a result, tie sales were flat during the late 1980s, according to the Neckwear Assn. of America Inc.

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Enter the World Wildlife Fund, with pandas, tigers and more. The conservation group’s ties depicting endangered species set off a national boom in novelty ties, especially those that contribute to causes. Today, ties that help others are among the biggest selling.

“I travel a lot, and I can’t remember the last time I was on a plane and didn’t see a man wearing one of our ties,” said Ann McClellan, marketing director for the international conservation group. “Even more than the revenues, it’s a wonderful way to get the word out.”

Other sensations have been ties by designer Nicole Miller, featuring sports and other motifs, and neckwear by Jerry Garcia. Ties based on the abstract watercolors of the guitarist from the Grateful Dead rock band have reaped $30 million in retail sales since their introduction in 1992.

Stonehenge Ltd., the company that introduced Garcia’s ties, has since turned out abstract, multicolor ties based on the molecular structures of vitamins and moon rocks. The company is also negotiating for a license to make Ben & Jerry’s ice cream ties and plans designs to benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

In the past few years, cartoon ties with Disney, Peanuts and other characters have also been big sellers. So have ties based on Beatles songs. Ties with pictures of Big Macs and other McDonald’s fare are sold, not at the restaurants but in department stores.

Designers have taken advantage of every new fad in recent years. So dinosaur ties were big last year, after the release of the film “Jurassic Park.” Soccer ties are in the stores now for the World Cup.

But some of the novelty in novelty ties has already worn off. Sales have slipped from about 35% of tie sales to 10%, said Elena Hart, neckwear reporter for the Daily News Record, the largest U.S. men’s fashion trade publication.

Still, with tie sales boosted by about 10% overall since the appearance of novelty ties, the industry hopes to keep its momentum. Buyers are now setting their sights on updates of classics and knit, textured or other casual ties aimed at the sportswear market.

No matter where the tie’s future is going, few predict its demise.

“The rules of dressing have eased, but I don’t think that means the death of the tie,” said Michael Solomon, a senior editor at Esquire magazine and author of a book on ties and shirts.

“There’s nothing redeeming about them, but we can’t live without them.”