You can cram an awful lot of self-expression into a narrow sliver of cloth. For generations of men forced by convention to wear the anonymous uniform of a shirt and dark suit, the tie has been a little window to the soul.

Since the late 1990s, though, the tie has been on a shoogly peg, its previously unquestioned status as a man's wardrobe staple under attack from a phalanx of dressed-down businessmen and politicians, such as Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Tony Blair. To stress their forward-looking, innovative way of thinking, these millennium men symbolically threw off ties altogether.

At the same time, a parallel trend for home-working has taken off - and when the most high-profile meeting of the day is with the cat, there's not much incentive to tie a perfect Windsor knot. It's no wonder tie sales dropped from £158m in 1999 to £154m in 2004.

But that downturn has now spectacularly U-turned. A study by the market research company Mintel reveals sales of ties are expected to be worth no less than £162m this year, with further growth of 7% expected in the coming four years.

Interestingly, the trend is increasingly for men to put on ties after work, not before it, and the look is a versatile one.

"In recent years there has been a fashion role reversal, with many men dressing down for work and dressing up for a night out on the town," says David Bird, senior market analyst at Mintel. "Today, the growth in popularity of mod styles has meant wearing suits and ties is now a fashionable choice in pubs and clubs, undoubtedly giving the UK tie market a healthy boost."

House of Fraser has also noted a resurgence in demand. "It has become a trend, probably due to the likes of Pete Doherty who favours skinny ties, worn with a cardigan," says a spokesman for the retailer.

"It's much more edgy, not the traditional look."

The tie, more than any other men's garment, gives something away about the wearer. An exaggerated Windsor knot in brassy stripes is a look once favoured by City brokers and more recently by fashion-conscious footballers, a decidedly look-at-me style.

The dark blue, red or gold tie with muted spots or pattern is part of office uniform for those wishing to convey a sober, reliable demeanour, while brighter, trendier ties - currently multicoloured woven ones with a metallic effect - are de rigueur in the creative industries where ideas and individuality are prized.

Then there's the preppy look, favoured by the fashion-conscious but conservative; not to mention school, university or regimental ties which denote your membership of a club. In fact, cravats, the forerunners of ties, were so called because they were inspired by scarves that Croat soldiers wore in the seventeenth century as a form of identification.

Commemorative versions of ties are popular collectors' items for members of the Royal British Legion. "They are always classic, and quite thin - you don't see regimental kipper ties," says Neil Griffiths, spokesman for the Royal British Legion Scotland. The regimental tie, he continues, is a shibboleth. "It's something that your group wears and only your group wears. It sends out a discreet signal: I'm a member of that group, by the way'."

Those in the know notice these things. John Cleese as Q in the Bond films wore a Royal Engineers tie, says Griffiths. Cleese also wore a Gordon Highlanders tie twice in episodes of Fawlty Towers. "Why was he wearing it?" wonders Griffiths. "There's a personal joke there somewhere that the rest of us will never be party to."

General Sir Michael Gow, formerly of the Scots Guards, wears the Household Division tie on commemorative occasions. It has a special significance for him. "I can't see how you could wear it without pride," he says.

At 83, Sir Michael says he is "not a great tie-less person". He has that in common with many men over 60 and some who are younger: the likes of news readers Jon Snow, left, and Huw Edwards are renowned for their colourful classy silk ties, which bestow a bit of glamour on the classic dark suit.

Men below 40 rarely regard the tie as a daily necessity, but as with all fashion trends it is that group that is now driving the growing demand for ties. Musicians such as Doherty, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, above, Johnny Borrell of Razorlight and Brandon Flowers of The Killers - all influenced in part by their musical heroes of the 1960s and 1970s - have borrowed retro style and given it their own twist.

The slim tie has made something of a comeback as part of an updated, hyper-styled version of the classic black-and-white look that defined 1960s elegance, as popularised by Sean Connery and Dean Martin. Tight knots, small-collared shirts and narrow-legged trousers complete the look - modern stylists have thankfully body-swerved the dodgy 1980s mod revival when thin tie went with thin teenage moustache and white socks.

Cravats, meanwhile, have undergone their most accelerated period of evolution since the days of Beau Brummel. As well as the traditional silk version, cotton Palestinian scarves dyed red or blue, and woollen scarves, are worn cravat-style with open-necked shirts, casually tailored jackets, jeans and scuffed shoes.

Chris Hunt, a PR consultant, has just bought himself his first tie "in years" and is relishing the smarter look "after so long wearing comfy tops and jeans".

"Sometimes if you're having a Campari cocktail, you want to dress the part and have some old school Hollywood glamour. I was recently watching a Frank Sinatra movie about the jazz scene and I was really inspired by that."