Grin and bare it.

Thursday, March 27, 2008:
Today was a hard choice. I honestly feared wearing this tie because of the formality in it. It is a solid gray satin tie that I bought in high school for a dance (remember those?). It looks silver and gun metal at the same time - I'm sure it was a smash hit. Anyways, I had thought I was going to hide this tie under a sweater (a purple one) but I decided not to at the last minute to let the world see the whole tie as long as I wore color somewhere. I chose to wear my Cole Haan cordovan shoes and matching belt I bought at the NEX. This, I thought was sharp, however when I got to the door I saw that it was raining, so I decided that leather soled shoes weren't the best option and so I instead wore my trusty black Coles with my black plaque belt buckled belt. I felt it was a little monochromatic with my Banana gray suit, but I decided I really didn't care at this point, and that it was sharp enough. I felt like I was dressed as the day was - gray gray and more gray. However, it worked enough that I will try it again when it's not raining so I can wear the cordovan.

More Stripes

Tuesday, March 25, 2008:
Today's selection was a striped tie that I found on the bed at my parent's house when I arrived for a visit. I believe it was lying next to the vintage YSL tie I wore on February 12, 2008. I kind of fell for this tie because of the color combination: It has a green and yellow stripe (rather Duckish) against a dark inky navy, almost midnight, background. It's a Brooks Brothers, and I imagined if I had found it in the store it would have been on the clearance rack like all of my other finds. It is really nice up close. Also, I have decided that my brown herringbone cotton/wool suit will now be treated as a neutral since I seem to be pulling off wearing it with just about every tie I didn't think I could, so I am pretty pleased.

Happy Spring!

Friday, March 21, 2008:
Today's choice had several inspirations: the season, the weather, my friend Chris - who wore this palette yesterday, and the fact I was getting a haircut. Also, as I'm still a little shaky about the bow tie look, I chose a bow tie because I knew it was a Friday in recess so not that many people would be around to witness it. I feel it puts you in one of two columns - the awe-inspiring nerd or the roly-poly - I am dismissing the Southerner as it's before Memorial Day and no seersucker was involved. If I choose to wear more bow ties I would probably attempt to create a new category - the playful-know-it-all. Anyway, everything came together when I discovered that the blue of my summer-weight cashmere sweater was the same as the thin blue stripe in my bow tie I found at Filene's Basement by Bruno Piatelli. I felt a pink shirt would be a fun pairing and then I went from there to looking at the weather and deciding two important things: breezy, sun and high of 57 means I get to wear my herringbone blazer AGAIN and I could wear corduroy pants. The cords were a light tan so the blazer was really needed to tone everything down. Also, I was wearing my brown driving mocs so it paired nicely. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too much like an easter egg, however, I probably should have. Although I was told I looked "awesome," which was nice. Katherine took this photo, and I can't decide which is funnier and dorky - my apparent strabismus or the now-public display of my picture of Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) in my cubicle.

Green and pale blue redux.

Thursday, March 20, 2008:
Today was another meeting day so I decided to dress up for it. I did the light green/light pair pairing again, and again I attempted to add a little more depth to the combination. The tie was purchased at Macys in the winter of 2005 during that first solo venture - that was a good shopping day I guess. When I bought it, I owned a shirt with green and blue stripes - that shirt got torched by the cleaners. Anyway. Without that combination readily available, the tie found it's way to the back of the rack. The replacement shirt didn't actually ever get paired with this tie because, as it turns out, the original was irreplaceable. Oh well. If it wasn't for that circumstance, the world wouldn't have had the purple solid tie/green and purple stripe combination from the Ides of March. The tie, by the Club Room line at Macys, is a woven silk tie with light green with light blue squares and dark blue squares. I really liked it. I wore it with my gray JCrew suit with my Cole Haan cordovan oxfords. It was really dressed up, but everything fit well today, so I enjoyed that, and it received approving looks in the coffee line.

Not Hip Enough, I Guess

Wednesday, March 19, 2008:
Today I found out that there is difference between being hip and well-dressed. My friend Chris and I went to a photo show tonight, for the The Sartorialist, and I found myself in the middle of a love fest of actively fashionable people close to my age. I should have had a good time scoping out the scene and all the young women circling each other in attempts to prove their fashion street cred to one another, and don't get me wrong, it was a terrific show, but it was probably 130 degrees in the gallery and the stench of bad merlot evaporating into the air was a little too much for me. So, back to me. Today, to look well-dressed, I chose the remaining knit tie - which is purple - and a light blue oxford with my favorite blazer - this is probably the last time this year I get to wear it this season. The tie is a recent acquisition from Brooks Brothers. Once again, I proved that the good ties at Brooks Brothers are found on the clearance table. It met the threshold of the cost per unit of fun equation so it came home with me. I can't find the words, or an SAT analogy, for the difference between hip and well-dressed, but I know I am happy with the one I am. However, if I wanted to try the hip thing, there are plenty of people in the photos with Wayfarers, and I have Wayfarers. . . I'm just saying. However, I have about 25 more lbs than they do, too. Maybe it's the same as the difference between a job and a career? Feel free to correct me.

Solid blues

Tuesday, March 18, 2008:
Today's tie was all business. The tie, a solid blue tie from JCrew, was purchased along with the shirt at the JCrew outlet in Leesburg, VA. It's a very simple story, really. The tie was heavily reduced in price, and I really like the way JCrew shirts fit, and so one for $30 that will get a lot of wear is totally worth it in my mind. I put the tie on the shirt, it gained my approval and Katherine's nod, so I figured it was good to go. The tie was $19.99 and sometimes when you pick up a tie you know it ties well - I think it's in the stiffness of the fabric. For someone my height and shape (short with a short torso and long legs) vertical lines always appeal to me because of their lengthening effect. I'm still not 5'6", but I'm getting there. I like the solid blue tie as an anchor to the stripes and it is really nice under a simple gray suit.

Mixing and Matching

Monday, March 17, 2008:
Today I had more meetings that I remembered so I was glad that I wore a comfortable sitting suit. I love my cotton/wool herringbone suit. Anyways, as I've eluded to, I am getting down there in tie selection and in order for me to keep on schedule I need to continue to push on through, and therefore leave behind all apprehensions. For some reason I have had a fear of mixing patterns and stripes, but a wise bird told me if I chose two patterns at different scales then everything will work out just fine. Breathe easy, I think she said. The tie I wore was a selection from JCrew that I bought in high school - probably junior year. I had convinced my mother that I absolutely needed this navy tie with red stripes on it and that it was different than anything else I owned. Totally different. I swear. It is, and I have to say that as far as striped ties go, even navy and red ones, a little different and fun. And it ties really nice, even for being so old.

Countdown Update

Saturday, March 15, 2008:
As of Friday, I have 20 ties (4 work weeks) to go. They make quite the kaleidoscope of a selection, and to tell you the truth some of them make me a little nervous. One of them isn't pictured because it is receiving some TLC. The estimated day of completion stands at Friday, April 11, 2008.

Last Minute Inspiration Works

Friday, March 14, 2008:
Most of the time I solve the riddle of what I am going to wear the night before, knowing my propensity to waste mountains of time in the morning. Well, Thursday night fell apart on me so I found myself with the shot clock running down Friday morning in front of dwindling options on the tie rack and a desire not to do something simple - these two parts of the equation don't really pencil out to punctuality. During my whirlwind first H&M experience I had purchased a solid purple/mauve tie that went well with a graph check shirt that I until recently owned (it's spring evacuation here at 222B). At some point that tie got a snag in it, and if you've ever had a snag is a tie, you know as well as I do that it is a disastrous feeling as they basically ruin the tie - anyways, I had the occasion then to NEED a tie. The replacement was found at Target and it is by their house brand Merona. I bought it in time to wear to the memorial service of Frank Bates, a man that I greatly admired and Katherine's grandfather.

Finding myself back in front of my closet, I scanned across my shirt spectrum and suddenly I saw something that looked the appropriate level of spring - a shirt with green and purple vertical stripes. I grab a the Merona tie, but also a green tie and laid them across the shirt. I was disappointed instantly with the green one but hesitant with the purple one still. Knowing that the best part of this game was the consequence free experimentation, I decided it was OK that I looked redder than usual and threw on the shirt and tie with my gray suit from Banana, snapped a photo and was out the door. The compliments I received throughout the day proved that genius comes from being pressed for time.

I also wanted to highlight Dennis' selection today. Awfully patriotic, and I appreciate that on a Friday.

Guest ties!

Since the beginning of this process I thought it would be fun if I had a "Guest Tie" section, however I thought it weird, especially where I work, and who I meet with, to take snapshots of ties. Yeah, it would be weird. However, I did find two right in our own office and they were proud to pose for me.

Scott's flowers:
Scott works with me and covers foreign affairs (in the places in the world that speak romantic, slavic and germanic languages), the judiciary, telecom and housing, along with some other areas. Scott is from Astoria, and he likes orange. I like Scott for his like for orange. Orange is a hard color, but Scott does really well with it. Scott's tie is by Pronto Uomo. The tie is made of two oranges, one slightly lighter than the other, which disguises a really nice fleur de lis pattern unless the light hits it. It reminded me of the wall paper in the Mansfield Room on the Senate side, and several other rooms of the Capitol. The wall is plain vanilla until a flash of light hits it to reveal a very intricate pattern. Really cool tie.


Dennis's stripes:
Dennis also works with me and the tie I photographed is one that I have been interested in for a long time and is very "Dennis". It's a striped tie made of a series of different stripes over an orange background. The stripes, upon closer inspection - and I have stared - is made out of various colors like gold, purple, a light blue and a dark blue. The really good stripe is made up of a series of circles. Not to disparage the other stripes, they are fine, too. Dennis tied it with a graph checked shirt which works because of the different scales in the pattern - the thinness of the lines work really well. Yes Dennis, I stare at your tie, but don't worry, I listen to every word you say.

This was fun. I should do more of these. Maybe I could just take screen shots off of CSPAN for the more entertaining ties.

wood and flowers

Thursday, March 13, 2008:
I feel like my jovial attitude helped pull off today's combination - it was either that, or this new combination actually worked on it's own. After the last couple weeks, I think it was the ether my brain was running on that made it all ok. Today's selection was a Ted Baker I bought at Nordstrom when I was on a shopping trip with my friend Natale. I remember being slightly confounded by the salesman who directed me to the Ted Bakers, and that's where I was headed anyway. Ok, it wasn't a funny story or even an interesting one, it was just a story. The tie is a light turquoise with light blue flowers outlined in brown in an overgrown mess. It's more of a stretch, I guess, in the design column, especially when paired with my brown herringbone suit. It easily goes with a tan, khaki, or gray suit, but I hope my cheerful nature made up for it.

Cool Crosses

Wednesday, March 12, 2008:
I have a problem with this tie - I can't for the life of me remember when I bought it. It's a satin tie with woven cross hatched stripes from Banana, and I vaguely remember getting it when it was on sale, but I can't picture if it was after I moved here or before. Regardless, it was a smart call. I am really fascinated by satin and the effect light has on it. This two tone effect paired with the cross hatches of dark navy and light blue is really strong, and at the same time reminds me the visual effect of water on window panes. I think that it's a really smart tie, very upscale, and paired with a white shirt and my favorite suit from JCrew (that is a little snug right now) it is one of my favorite combinations. The sad part is that I have had this in the back of the rack and it took so long to surface, with 24 days to go.

Banker-lite

Tuesday, March 11, 2008:
So with 24 ties remaining in this little adventure, I've been getting a little nervous about my selections. This is a pretty big week in terms of meetings and after work events, so now that I am getting down to spring colors I am getting a little anxious with all my playful ties. I chose my JCrew pinstripe, a blue shirt from Banana, and a silk print tie I bought last spring from Banana. It's a paisley pattern with an emphasis on the blue stems in the pattern. I bought this when I was shopping with my friend Lisa in what could only be called a "pity spree" in order to make myself feel tons better. I also bought my gray Banana suit on the same day. I hated paying retail for the suit, but not the tie. Ties, for whatever reason, are something I don't mind spending money on. The same way I feel about dinners - just an fyi. The look is strong and very business oriented, but the swirls in the tie offers a playful juxtaposition to the chalk stripe in the suit. I have worn this suit with a pink and green combination that stretches this concept a little farther, so I tried something different and I like this a little better.

Bright yellow for Monday

Monday, March 10, 2008:
Today's tie was one of the first ties I purchased when I decided I wanted to wear suits for ever and ever. Katherine, her mother, and I had gone to the Woodburn outlets because I was on the quest to work in politics or in law (or something requiring a suit) so I needed an interview suit. We were in Brooks Brothers, the pinnacle of taste in my life at that point, led us to a simple black suit. It is a little stretchy, has flat front pants and no back vent - I am told that it's a peculiar suit by Brooks Brothers, and if you went through their selections you will not find another one like it. The tie is a silk print tie, also from Brooks Brothers, in bright yellow and has alternating small blue diamonds and red dots. This is one of only the silk print ties I actually like, and it works with a light blue shirt. The selection was at the suggestion of Katherine's mom because everyone needs a bright tie in their closet - inspiration for further purchases perhaps? Thanks LeeAnne.

English Squire

Friday, March 7, 2008:
Today's selection is from the annals of history and style. It's a tie my mother gave to me, part of my father's collection. The label is "Churchill's of London - English Squire" and it's a place that no longer exists. I checked. It's a tattoo and piercing parlor. It's a skinny tie, and the first one I've worn out in the open. I didn't know how I felt about it at first, but when I paired it with a white shirt and my gray suit from JCrew. I really like the calm yellow behind a really complex paisley pattern with reds. If I had these glasses, I would have had the complete look.

tiny dots

Thursday, March 6, 2008:
I continued my excursion of mixing up the tones I would normally select with other options. I wore my herringbone suit with a blue shirt with a navy tie silk with tiny green dots. Yesterday I chose a suit/tie combination with a cooler tone and I wasn't truly happy with it. Today I worked with the same theory but I think I chose a little wiser of a combination and I felt better about it. It's funny how you can feel uncomfortable in a combination that you feel doesn't work. Yes, I know, my girlside is showing.

Can't convince myself.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008:
I think it's funny because I haven't yet uttered dislike for any of my ties, but I think this the closest I will get. This tie is one of the first ties I bought at Brooks Brothers. It is a simple pattern in three shades of blue. Clovers made of alternative medium blue and light blue sit on a navy field. The pattern is printed on silk, and the tie is so old the label has fallen off so I am forced to use a safety pin to keep the tie under control. Sometimes silk print ties are harder to tie and produce thin knots, all adding up to a frustrating experience. Surprisingly this morning, this tie cooperated and produced a nice dimple. I decided to wear it a with my navy suit with a a brown pinstripe. I am not all together convinced I enjoyed this outfit, but I decided it was because I have never worn the suit with a tie that didn't have warm colors.

Orange outfit

Tuesday, March 4, 2008:
When I went on my first shopping trip to a Macy's I was unescorted. Even when I tried to seek advice, or restraint, I was thwarted by the lack of cell phone coverage inside the store. If you know me, then you know that's a little to close to trouble. At that time I didn't know what I was looking for, and if you have ever been to a Macy's mens department you know that you are suddenly thrust into the world of color and stripes and patterns and fabrics and choices. I spent a good twenty minutes running around before I got my head together so I could focus on what I needed and what I wanted to try out. I went for this orange and blue tie, part of the Tassa Elba, because it was a new color for me to contemplate, and I knew it could be worn with a white shirt and my gray suit and everything would be okay, and relatively safe. I leapt at this shirt because it was the opposite of all the points in the previous sentence, and that it was an adventure for me to wear it the first time, however I have received many compliments on this combination. I think it’s a keeper and I have been waiting to wear it.

Shimmery Gray Day

Monday, March 3, 2008:
Today was a hard selection. It was an unseasonably warm day for early March so I decided to wear a cotton suit, but it was still March so it had to be one that was still pretty subdued - so no khaki. I bought this suit two years ago because I wanted to wear it to an formal event for Katherine's medical school. I also wanted a new light weight suit that could be worn in three seasons. The gray suit has a nail head dent pattern in gray cotton with a light tan pin stripe. I chose a tie I had purchased with the suit which is a woven silk tie with three colors; taupe, tan and blue. The three colors combine to give the tie a shimmery and silvery effect, which adds to the its formal look. You have to closely examine the tie to pick out the colors - just ask, I'll let you. Like most things in my life, the tie and the suit are from Banana.

Kennedy Center debut

Friday, February 29, 2008:
Tonight I took Katherine to see one of our favorite groups, Pink Martini, at the Kennedy Center. A couple months ago I was procrastinating at work and was on the band's website where I found out they were going to be in town on February 29, 2008. Since I did the calculation that Katherine and I going to see Pink Martini at the Kennedy Center on February 29 wasn't likely to happen again anytime, soon I made the rare executive decision to buy us tickets and Katherine, who likes to be taken out to fancy things, easily compiled. Not to denigrate, since I love fanciness, too, and so we make a good pair. The show was simply fantastic - they played with the National Symphony Orchestra and did one of my very favorite songs "Brazil" as an encore which left people dancing in the aisles. We had seen them once before at Wolf Trap but we were WAY out in the grass, regardless the music and the people watching was priceless - and we had bought all our parents tickets for their New Year's Eve show in Portland - my father could not stop talking about it for the better part of a week. So anyway, I chose to wear a tie that I had purchased during my trip to Boston to see my dear friend and old college roommate, Carla. We walked on Newberry Street (fancy) and that's where I found Frank Stella Men's Clothier (fancier still) - how could I not go in? I had seen a tie in the window that I really liked, but when I went in and found their complete collection, I decided I needed this one. One quick consultation of the rule book, where I didn't find any mention of prohibitions on purchases made within the time allotted of blogging, I decided to buy it. The tie is a purple-ish navy field with burnt yellow, fuchsia, and emerald leaves drifting across left to right in loose stripes. I wore a blue french cuffed shirt from Nordstrom with cuff links purchased in Williamsburg with my initials on them - made by one of the resident craftsmen down there. I wanted to be worthy of the venue and the concert. After the show Katherine and I stood in line for autographs and we got our programs signed and chatted nervously with these great performers. I had commented on the guitarist's tie and he nicely returned the compliment, only to receive a jibe from the bassist about how I hadn't commented on his tie - they had actually done a very good job of coordinating that night, which we all laughed at. Then, for some unknown reason I blurted out that I had this blog, and in her unmeasurable good humored way, Katherine backed me up in explaining it. They were totally into it, and the guitarist asked how to find it on the web. So I told him. Looking back, I should have probably have written it down for him on something, but I hope he remembers it. Either way I can put this in the same column as riding an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, being told "Good Morning" by Speaker Hastert, meeting Lucy Liu and being introduced to Carl Castle by the President of NPR. God I love this town.

Peacock stripes

Friday, February 29, 2008:
I continue to be amazed with the ties buried on my rack. It's actually fun to find these lost treasures and bring them out and be surprised with how much fun they are. I try to buy ties that exist on the edge of ordinary while still being professional and I think this one is definitely one of those. I remember buying this tie early after I had moved to DC. My clothing collection exploded once I got here because I felt an enormous amount of pressure not to consistently wear the same thing over and over again and that's hard since you have to come to work ready to represent the office and look professional and I think, memorable. The stripes are in peacock greens in a herringbone pattern against a steel blue background. Not only is the green eye catching, but the herringbone adds so much to the experience. The tie is from Banana, and since I couldn't see this tie compete with anything I just wore a gray suit and a new white shirt I got on a recently shopping spree.