School tie

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The school tie is a British public school institution. Upon leaving a public school (in Britain, one does not graduate from school), old boys are entitled to wear a special tie that, according to protocol, may only be worn by former pupils, who will usually also be the only people likely to recognise the tie. This symbol can be a beneficial passport to the old boy network, and such ties can be an indication of one's social standing: certain well-known ties such as Eton and Harrow having a much higher implied status than others. Conversely, wearing a tie to which you have no right is a serious social gaffe, and detection may traditionally result in having the tie forcibly cut off below the knot.

Although originally an institution of male-only schools, some schools of mixed or female-only membership do present their female leavers with some equivalent: for example, a scarf or brooch. A humorous unisex alternative is socks in the appropriate colours.

Exclusive ties are not limited to British public schools: they are also a practice of some private schools in Australia, many clubs, military regiments and colleges of universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, and have also spread to some of Britain's former imperial possessions.