FASHION : New Bold and Brassy Ties Make a Statement : Designer neckties do battle with a resurgent movement by men’s fashion experts who have proclaimed the neckwear passe.

Is it true the necktie is a phallic symbol? That might explain why for generations men have taken pride in the tying of them, and why women, who couldn’t think of any other male garment they hadn’t already lifted, put them on when they went after the right to vote.

Since then, women have climbed into boxer shorts and skivvies, probably correlated with their right to stop picking up those items off bathroom floors.

But, our subject is the tie; and we don’t wish to address those other items, since we may have to force staff members to pose in these things, and they have a certain professional pride.

Anyway, ties have a deep symbolism, and have long given men a medium to communicate their moods, including apathy, expressed through the all-over foulard, and rebellion, first addressed through the nudie and hot lips patterns of half a century ago.

Arresting ties, particularly, have served an important function in society, a point some designers miss because, periodically, they try to abolish the tie altogether.

It’s not a positive thing when trends spring up that threaten the very existence of the tie--like the Nehru jacket, for instance. Happily, that style made its statement, like the lava lamp, and died out. But the impulse to stamp out tie wearing is still around, sometimes throwing off its dormancy and confronting tie owners anew.

This season the vehicle is the vest.

Esquire’s fashion editor has made it official. Under a photo of a tieless, vested man is declared: “The vest has become the new necktie--the item that finishes an outfit, unites all of the elements, and lets you express your personality.”

There it is. Well, tie makers have not taken this news lying down, as you will see if you enter a men’s department and approach the tie racks, ideally not after a heavy meal. In our opinion, there has never been a better moment than now to vent your feelings through a tie.

Say you want to show sensitivity. You can wear fine art, ranging from Van Gogh to M. C. Escher. Activism might be expressed through ties from an endangered species collection of wolves, whales and eagles; elitism from Nicole Miller’s garish collages of law, engineering or medicine themes.

Nostalgia buffs will cherish a pink and turquoise rendering of old car fins, or a close-up portrait of The Three Stooges. Or, there is a whole series of ties inspired by ‘60s rock posters, the most blatant titled, “The Jimi Hendrix Flying Eyeball,” which we decline to describe.

Even conservative stores are stocking this neckwear. At C&R; Clothiers in Oxnard, district manager Dan Lodge said half of their ties are the “fashion forward” variety, and they make up three-quarters of the sales.

“Women have a tendency of pushing husbands into the (new styles),” he said.

Other retailers said men are desperate for something to break up the tedium of the requisite office suit. That is what these ties do best.

How about a large, overall pattern of cow faces. That should get attention at the board meeting. Or maybe the Wizard of Oz tie, or the blue suede shoes entry from the Elvis collection--they could bring a certain panache to a stuffy Republican milieu.

Someone upwardly inert might select a Disney or Looney Tunes tie from a flood of cartoon entries on the market. These are not subtle repeating patterns, either. One could make a big statement with a four-inch wide portrait of Sylvester the Cat.

In some stores, the more innovative designs definitely outnumber the standard neckwear.

At Harris & Frank in Thousand Oaks, Al Besa said some older customers covet the traditional ties he wears from his private 250-tie collection, but, he said, “We talk them into the ties that are a bit more flashy.”

Flashy doesn’t hardly cover some of the combinations. At the Oak Tree in the Esplanade we were struck by a psychedelic purple and fuchsia pattern on a tie with a mustard background.

“It’s a retro kind of tie,” said salesperson Sandra Martinez. “I have a friend who is wearing that one to homecoming; a lot of my friends are wearing crazy ties now.”

So, the younger generation is still aware of the role of the tie; and it’s clearly not something that should be toyed with. After all, if the tieless movement were successful, it would leave men to express themselves solely through weird hairstyles and body piercing.

Think about it: have you ever seen Mohawk or a nose ring above a Windsor knot? See what we mean? If all men owned ties, they would have a safe outlet for their emotions.

Kathleen Williams writes the weekly fashion column for Ventura County Life. Write to her at 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura, 93003 or send faxes to 658-5576.