A blistering heat wave is affecting fashion in Italy. The heat has gotten so bad -- it's 100 degrees in Florence, of all places -- that the Ministry of Health has asked businesses in Rome to switch to a no-tie policy.
Health officials are urging fashion-conscious Italians to beat the heat by taking off their ties.
Amid an unforgiving heat wave, the Health Ministry is advising employers to let male workers in loosen their ties.
"Taking off the tie produces an immediate decrease in the body temperature, by about 2 or 3 degrees Celsius degrees (4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit)," health officials said in a news release.
Temperatures registered Tuesday at 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in the northern city of Ferrara, and at 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in cities such as Florence and Bologna, with hot winds and high humidity gripping most of the country.
Forecasters say the temperatures will stay the same in coming days, and electricity demand is soaring.
A no-tie policy would lower demands for electricity by reducing the need for air conditioning, health officials noted.
"It is a small gesture that costs nothing but which can help people better tolerate the exceptional heat of this period," it said.
Reaction to the no-tie policy has reportedly been mixed. The Romans are very fashion-conscious. Some large corporations are going along with the suggestion, but others are unhappy that Roman businessmen will now look untidy. It's a sad day for tie-makers, that's for sure.
