Candy Stripes

February 12, 2008:

I hadn't worn this tie for what seems like forever. I had gotten it around the same time as the fun Brooks Brothers striped tie. I think it falls into the same category as that one because it is so out there compared to what you think you would find at Brooks Brothers. Indeed, I found this in the "other" bin on sale and it is labeled "Brooks Brothers Makers" which means that it was made by Brooks Brothers as opposed to for it. The first time I remember wearing this tie was when I took Katherine out to a fancy dinner in the LoDo in Denver. I best thing about this experiment is deciding whether or not I enjoy wearing the tie, and I definitely do enjoy this tie. It definitely brightened up the day.

Vintage YSL

February 11, 2008:

Thanks to my mother I know who Yves Saint Laurent is, and again thanks to my mom I own a vintage YSL tie. She gave it to me this fall and it probably was from a sale years ago and then resided in a box until being unearthed in some great passion and brought to my attention. I really like the pattern and the maroon, yellow and gray stripes, but I was nervous to wear it because it is narrow. I should have just sucked it up and worn it with a white suit, but I didn't want to look rock star, young hipster, and I can't faux-hawk my hair so wimped out and hid it up a sweater that was of similar colors.

Ol' Professor

February 8, 2008:
Feeling a little feverish and in need the familiar low maintenance tie/sweater/blazer combination. I chose to go back to my favorite Banana herringbone blazer paired with a maroon vneck cotton/cashmere sweater, a blue striped shirt and a cotton navy knit tie my father gave me from his collection. It's cool to think that this tie, with a Nordstrom label (like the original Nordy label), was worn here in DC in the seventies when my dad was tracking down senators and running around the hallways I do now. It's mostly hidden under a sweater. I wanted to be hidden under my comforter.

Bright Stripes

February 7, 2008:
Some labels say bright vibrant color and creative designs, and some don't. I think that Brooks Brothers falls into the latter category. While extremely classy and well made, Brooks Brothers is very conservative in its fashion. Brooks Brothers prides itself in its conservatism shaped by double breasted blazers, bankers collars, French cuffs, and pleated pants, along with the upscale Eddy Bauer-ness it tries to do in its sportswear collection. Variations on the "old man" theme. Sometimes I feel like they could do much more then they do, and it's a shame. However, one bright spot is this silk tie in all shades of purple and blue. I bought this tie at the Brooks Brothers outlet in Castle Rock, CO. It was deeply discounted as it probably was undesirable for the normal crowd. There is no repeating pattern in the stripes, in fact, there is no consistency in the width which is the fun of the tie, $20.00 of fun.

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?

The Oldest Tie Ever!

February 5, 2008:
In honor of Super Tuesday I wore the tie I have owned the longest. This JCrew tie I bought my sophomore year in high school. I bought it to wear at a dinner party I threw at Christmas 1996. Crazy, huh? It is a dark navy tie with frogs in a dark green and green eyes. This tie has gone everywhere with me. I paired it with my Banana Republic cotton/wool brown herringbone suit and a white shirt. It's funny that I don't jump for critter ties because they aren't generally subdued - it seems that I found the most subdued one in the pond. I can't believe this tie continues to tie so well. It's flatter then when I bought it - it's taken a few trips to the cleaners - but the windsor knot still works. This is the tie I will frame when I retire it.

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.