Spring stripes.

Monday April 14, 2008:
I should actually be happy that the weather is having fits, because if you consider the alternative - instant sticky warmth - I would take blustery every single day. Today's mixture epitomizes such weather. The tie is one that ended up in my collection through happy accident, ie my mother. Sometimes things just appear in my collection and this was one of those things. This JCrew selection appeared somewhere between 2004 and 2005. Yes, I know I am usually exact on the procurement of my ties, but this one eludes me. One of my better combination was this selection with white stripes on a spring green field paired with a lilac colored shirt and my seersucker suit - this was for a spring horse race so I figured this was going to be the only opportunity for that sherbety mess. Today's shirt was my blue J. Nordstrom French cuff shirt and my newly rediscovered suit from Banana. Shame on me for thinking I was going to do away with that suit.

Bursting with color.

Tuesday April 8, 2008:
I had been waiting to wear this tie, but with the clock running out on options I needed to spring this selection. This was one of those selections I found at Nordtrom and took a chance. It is definitely a chance. I remember looking at it a couple different times in it's bag asking myself if I had actually just purchased it. It is one of my "crazy" ties, and perhaps I have one too many "crazy ties" but I think they all distinct. To demonstrate this fact my coworker, Dennis, asked me today if I had already worn this tie. I was totally shocked at this. Sure, this Ted Baker goes further than others to bring light into the room by bursting with olive and bright blue flowers with pink dots in the center on a dark navy field. You need to have an extra strong will to wear this tie. If I wanted to go extra flashy I'd pair it with a pink shirt and my chalk stripe suit. That is, if I wanted to also spend my day on Wall St. I have, it's awkward and does really get the looks I want. I paired it with a good textured, blue shirt so there are more options for this tie, and I will definitely explore them more this spring.

Trying to spring spring once more.

Monday April 7, 2008:
Today's inspired selection came to me in effort to comfort my soul because of the lack of spring. The selection was the inspiration of Katherine, even though she doesn't remember suggesting it. We were in the Banana Republic at 13th and F St NW and saw this shirt which was a loose graph check of blue and purple set on the bias. Sitting on a nearby table was a light green linen tie. It was her inspiration and insight that lead me to think I needed this. Oh. No, I did need this. This is the kind of push that I needed into something that is completely different. This shirt has also worked well with my solid purple tie for dressier occasions.

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.

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.

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.

Lavender fields

Wednesday, February 27, 2008:
I chose my Banana herringbone suit I love so much and paired it with a tie from Banana (it was a Gap, Inc day). The tie has simple floral pattern in green and dark blue on a iridescent lavender field. I generally wear it in the spring and summer with my lighter suits. I decided to mix it up with a brown suit and a blue shirt. I had a bunch of meetings and so I wanted to spiff it up and wear a comfy suit that had depth in the pattern. I love this suit jacket, too, and I have been able to match it with a good pair of khakis so I can pull off the same kind of look as with my favorite wool herringbone blazer but well into the spring.

The one that started it all.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008:
Today I chose to wear one of my favorite ties ever. No surprises it is a Ted Baker creation. This was also my first Ted Baker tie. I bought it in the spring of 2006 at Nordstrom, and I remember being so excited, but at the same time a little astonished that I spent the amount I did (a lot). But after I wore it and liked how abstract the tie seems at first glance, but how it actually is stripes made out of what look how a child would draw fireworks in the sky. I liked the playfulness of the color selections of fuchsia, green, light blue and purple set against a very dark background. I also paired it with a red striped shirt because I have found myself wearing safe solids, and it turns out that it looked nice.

The gift of paisley.

February 19, 2008:
Today I wore a tie that was found for me at Filene's Basement by Katherine. I remember her calling me to tell me she had found a tie that she thought I would like, and "do I think I need it?" Silly girl. The tie, by Carl Palazzi Studio, has paisleys with blue, reds and greens on a field of iridescent olive green. This was actually the first time I had worn this tie, and I really liked the way it tied, which you can't ever really under-appreciate. It also really was sharp with a light blue shirt and under a gray suit. See, silly girl. Who doesn't need paisley? The wonder of this exercise, and I think I have said this before, is that that I can rediscover - or in this case - discover a great tie that I can wear a lot. I think the next time I will wear this will be with my khaki suit. I may be speaking too soon, and with a certain sense of forgetfullness, but I can't wait for summer. Ugh. No. I remember now.

High Class

February 6, 2008:
Today I wore a simple minty green and light blue combination. I had seen this before on the stereotypical male staffer and I thought that it was overdone. But today I created a new spin on the Hill classic by matching the light blue shirt with a tie I picked up at the Lohmann's store in Park Meadows in Denver when I was in college. The tie is from by Nicola Trussardi, a designer from Milan. It's an intricate arabesque pattern with yellow flowers. I remember shopping with Katherine buying a tie that I had no reason buying because I didn't have a job or any events to wear it to. And it was something like $20. It was destiny! Oh, and nice picture, huh?

Ties on the road.

February 1, 2008:
Today I tied my tie in Portland, Oregon. I was on my staff retreat and we were doing site visits so I felt the need to wear a tie. I chose to pack a tie that I've had for close to ten years. It was selected and purchased to wear to a dinner my senior year in high school. Ah history, how it chooses to live on. The alternating blue and green circles on a field of navy in this JCrew tie has been a standby tie. I paired it with a Banana Republic blazer I've actually owned longer, since my sophomore year in high school and a dark blue shirt and brown pants. I felt the whole thing was age appropriate and good for field work.


February 4, 2008:
So in order to make it to work on Monday after taking a red-eye flight from Portland I had laid my suit and tie out on Friday. I chose a medium blue shirt and my Banana Republic grey suit, all sensible choices. The tie was a Ted Baker I had purchased on a shopping trip to Arundel Mills with Ian and Natale. I bought it at the Saks outlet. It was an interesting choice, I think. It's a silvery blue tie with a touch of purple with sketches of daisies in lighter blue and green. I think it's playful. I brought a little spring today. People were nervous.