THE choice of necktie used to be a fairly reliable indicator of the wearer's profession and personality. Now all the unwritten psychological rules have been broken. Your bank manager, if male, invariably looks like he had a close encounter with a bowl of peach melba. Dail politicians, notably Ruairi Quinn, sport impressionist neck wear reminiscent of Picasso on speed.

Blame Tie Rack for this explosion of colour. The franchised group with 404 outlets in 26 countries, announced this week that it had collared growth of 23 per cent in first half trading with pre-tax profits surging to £604,000 sterling. The peak period up to Christmas has yet to come and annual profits are expected to be in the order of £8 million.

Chief executive Roy Bishko says ties now make up only about half of group sales. Increasingly, women are shopping in Tie Rack outlets, buying scarves and other fashion accessories. The shares moved up 3p to 180p on the results.