More Fundamental Ties

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 03:32:30 GMT

Here are six more ties that to me deserve the label fundamental. They are very basic to my understanding of what a tie can be and an appreciation of what a tie can do. Again, five of these ties came from thrift shops. The first one came from a yard sale.

(I) The first of these, the striking Native American design in blues and browns with eyes looking out is the second most important of my ties. First, of course, is the Leonardo tie, which started the whole thing. This tie is the one that convinced me to start this blog. It is a work of art, “Thunderbird,” by Tlinget artist Lincoln Wallace. Every time I look at it, I appreciate it even more. In fact, this tie convinced me that I have almost an obligation to celebrate the beauty and diversity of ties, so much more than just unnecessary relics of earlier clothing. (Silk, Boxelder.)

(II) The second tie is fun to wear. I don’t have many ties with human faces; in fact, this may be the only one. These jaunty ladies are the epitome of cool and make me think of Stephen Sondheim’s song, “The Ladies Who Lunch.” The first time I wore it to the office, I explained that I wore it in honor of my co-workers, all elegant ladies. (Unidentified fabric, Oscar de la Renta.)

(III) The next tie with its offbeat, almost organic pattern and unusual (for a tie) shade of green earns a place here for its appearance, but its true attraction is the feel of the silk. I don’t have any other tie that feels so fluffy. I’ve heard some silk described as creamy. This is whipped-creamy. (Silk, Polo by Ralph Lauren.) I think this was one of the ties that I paid only fifty cents for. Yet, there is a label sewn inside the tie with its original price, $85.00.

Now, I close this list of fundamental ties with three ties that all have hidden meanings or jokes. For two of them, the joke was on me, because I did not “get” the joke until I got home with the tie.

(IV) First, there is a deep red tie with funny little animals scattered about. Oh, I thought, that would be fun. It was not until I got home that I looked at the animals more closely and realized that they were anxious looking bears with arms defensively crossed and arrogant bulls snapping their suspenders. It was all about Wall Street. I’ve since added three more Wall Street ties, none so subtle or so much fun, however. (Polyester, Romario Manziri.)

(V) The next tie might have been made as an homage or a counterfeit of the grand old Art Deco designs. I think of it as my Chrysler Building tie. (Silk, Dunphy Clothiers.)

(VI) Finally, there is a tie that I thought was some surrealist tribute to the monuments of Easter Island, but when I got home and read the fine print on the back, I learned that it is based on the cover art of a Pink Floyd album, The Division Bell, and it is from the same company as the Leonardo tie. (Silk, RM [Ralph Marlin] Style.)

It is now the week before Christmas, and I will not present any more ties this month. In the new year, I will begin to blog the ties that I wear. I do have a few more posts to make this month, but there will be no more neckties until the new year.

Knot a Blog: Clothes

More Fundamental Ties