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.