Crimson satin berries.

Thursday, February 28, 2008:
Today I chose a tie I had bought in high school from JCrew. It is a satin tie in a crimson color with small yellow dots. I think JCrew went away from this kind of tie a long time ago and have gone down the preppy east coast path, which I don't mind, except I don't get to see this simple, yet formal and sophisticated. I like it because of the formal design, so I paired it with my navy blue suit with brown pinstripes from Banana. I like this suit because no matter how fat I feel, or am, its seems to always fit right. The color is of the tie is pretty cool because it changes in the light and makes the spots pop out when the light hits it. I paired it with a light blue shirt. This tie has has had a tendency to slip down at inopportune times only to have my boss fix it in front of important people - kind of fatherly I guess. Today it didn't so he didn't and that's cool with me. I think I dress in berries. Corporate berries.

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.

Muted stripes

Monday, February 25, 2008:
To keep up with the number of striped ties I own and the fact that it is a droopy Monday I decided to step out with one I bought pretty shortly after I moved to DC in the winter of 2005. I remember when sought out H&M in downtown DC I got very lost. Knowing now where I had headed towards I get a little nervous, and also a little silly since I clearly had no sense of direction when I stepped out of the Metro. I had never been to H&M before and I ran around the store for a while looking at all these things I had never seen before: very slim clothes in interesting colors, and pretty inexpensive suits - I had just seen the 2004 Jude Law version of Alfie and I thought that Alfie and Helmut Lange wanted everyone walking out would be rail thin and pretty close to the metrosexual/homosexual line. I found a couple shirts that I like, as well as this tie. It had muted colors of light blue, a steel blue, a khaki and a raspberry - I clearly hadn't caught the pretty east coast bug yet. It contrasts very nicely with all the brightly colored stripes I have in my closet. I paired with my favorite blue shirt from Banana and my navy JCrew suit which I am not convinced fits me properly. I liked the whole look, the tie may be a little too narrow and the suit a little big on the shoulders, but I liked the color palette together.

Cashmere

Thursday, February 21, 2008:
Today I donned a tie I purchased with my sister at the Saks Off 5th Avenue outlet in Woodbridge, Virginia. It's unconventional in the fact that it is a cashmere knit. I wore it on more of a casual day, but I still had meetings. One of my bosses said that she really didn't "feel" my tie, that is, until she felt it, and then she thought it was ok. I think it's pretty decadent that this tie is made of cashmere, and I think it met it's value of "fun". I like the fact that it isn't a solid color, but made up of some different, deeper colors. I should have probably worn it differently, however, maybe with jeans? I chose a blue shirt and dark tan pants with my black Banana blazer.

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.

My apologies to the blogosphere. . .

First off, my lack of entries isn't discontent with the concept of blogging, or a lack of commitment to my goal. I've been sick and then a general sense of malaise has washed over me beckoning me to sleep, rather than to keep up appearances on the net. However, a sudden creative spirit washed over me and I've decided to get my things in order and catch up. Sorry blogosphere.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008:
Today I decided to wear a sharp combination of a blue paisley tie (from Banana) and a blue striped shirt (from the JCrew outlet) with my gray JCrew suit. The Oregon State Society birthday reception was that evening and I wanted to be refined, but at the same time a little young and sporty. I liked to contrast between the strong verticals and the completeness of the paisley. I also like the cut of the shirt, which is more slim fit then some which is good. I also like the cut of the collar which frames the knot well.


Thursday, February 14, 2008:
I decided to wear one of my favorite ties today. It was my second Ted Baker tie, which was purchased in the summer of 2006. It was the second Ted Baker tie I purchased and I am pretty sure that it was purchased at Saks Off 5th Avenue with Natale and Ian. I paired it with my Banana navy suit with brown pinstripes. It like the unconventional pairing of the colors. I had meetings that day so I decided to dress up for the day. I paired the tie with a blue shirt as to highlight the blue flowers in the tie. This is one of Ted Bakers non-repetitive ties, kind of like a jungle, and a beautiful bramble of flowers. It makes me a little sad that I can't wear this tie for a while now, but it only makes me want to complete this task quicker.


Friday, February 15, 2008:
I made a bold move today and decided to go for the bow tie. The tie was a gift from Katherine's father, Splinter, for Christmas in 2000. Splinter had taught me to tie a bow tie, so he thought this was something I needed. I agree. It's by John Talbot and has a nice geometric design on a field of blue. I remember Katherine asking me what I was wearing when I came over for Christmas dinner and my choice of a white button-down shirt and herringbone pants seemed to be a fine selection as to be paired with the new gift. I went old school at work and chose the forest green sweater I got in Rehoboth, DE on New Year's Day 2008 and my favorite old blazer. Amid the hoots and the hollers from staff when I arrived at work I completely forgot I actually had meetings so I got to share the glory with more people. Thankfully I have another opportunity to wear a bow tie. I think I messed this one up because it was too loose and came out to floppy, maybe.