100 Days, 100 Ties

Voodoo Chile

Well, heck, if another rock lyric pops up with a word in it that rhymes with ‘tie’, I got to use it, right? It doesn’t matter that Rockin’ Tie Week is history, a man has got to go with Hendrix. I just can’t figure out how I missed this one…253 ties and it never popped into my head.

Ok, on with the blog (yep, still hate that word): As I write this I’m a couple of days behind, so ‘scuse me if this post is curt. I’ll try to speak/write as if it is still Tuesday.

My Tie du Jour is another from my friend David Colker, whom I will run into at Evanston SPACE on Thursday night. Eerie that I know that, n’est-ce pas? Anyway, the TdJ is from the house that Hugo built. Hugo Boss, that is… It’s dark navy with some geometric shapes (triangles…I couldn’t just say triangles?) festooning it. Definitely a power tie…I think he put a lot of power ties in the lot for me.

Now, I’m tired…

Thanks for reading…Brooke

I’ll just get right down to it. This TdJ deserves it.

In a first for 100 Days, 100 Ties, my Tie du Jour has glitter on it. Of course that could be overlooked, seeing as the tie depicts a wintry farmhouse scene, replete with trees and bushes, not to mention the aforementioned farmhouse (with matching farmhouse behind it). Since the temps were in the high-20s/low-30s yesterday, I figured (hoped, actually) that it would be the last suitable day for wearing wintry farmy ties. Not that I have others.

I got this tie at the Skokie Salvation Army, on the same spree as my Hermès double coup (one went for $81, the other for 49 buckeroos). As I have tapered my addiction (I can hear you laughing) somewhat, I now seek something a bit different. Well, glitter is different. Farmhouses are different, especially when they are handpainted.

This gorgeous bit of white silkishness is from the Regal Tie Company, and yet an additional label tells me that it was originally purchased at a clothing store called Landauer’s, in Lincoln, Illinois. A google of Landauer’s in Lincoln brings up a fairly interesting history (not that I read the whole thing) of the Lincoln, Illinois business community, replete (yes, that is my word of the day) with mentions of the good ol’ days of Route 66. Disappointingly, the story does not mention the following pertinent information:

• Who painted the tie?
• Who glittered* the tie? (*that’s what they called Bedazzling before the Bedazzler)
• Does the farmhouse belong to store founder Joseph Landauer? Or did he just buy it for his mistress?
• Did Joseph Landauer invent the Bedazzler?

Damn. Local history just doesn’t tell me what I want to know.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Thanks to my neighbor (while growing up), David Wells, The Doors were my favorite group for a while. He loaned me the biography of Jim Morrison, so I was able to idolize his musical genius. Despite Mr. Mojo Risin’s untimely demise and subsequent interment at Paris’s Pere LaChaise cemetery, the Doors can still bring it. Through their music, of course. Morrison was the lifeblood of the group, and they are one of the top 5 bands I’d travel back in time to see live in concert. As for finding a picture with ties, they proved to be very difficult, and the only bandmember who did sport one (for photos at least) was drummer John Densmore. I had to choose the Taboo-esque bolo or a scarf-y kinda thing. Uh, taboo it is.

Other 4? Not in any particular order. 1. Creedence Clearwater Revival 2. Led Zeppelin 3. Beatles 4. Hendrix  Most of those are obvious; CCR may not be, to some. Some of their songs just make it obvious to me that they really got into their shows. I have thought that for years…

Honorable mention should go out to the Rolling Stones. They are still touring, and I did, in fact see them in ’93 or ’94. I just wish I could trade that whole large-video-screen experience for something from their late 60s/early 70s offerings.

My Tie du Jour is a typical casual Friday tie. A thin, vintage number from James Reed, it’s kinda brownish with hints of electric sky blue. “Kinda brownish”? Wow, nice description. Someone’s written two posts right after one another…

Thanks for reading…Brooke

I need a week.

That probably sounds like (or looks like, if you’re reading to yourself silently) there is something I need to accomplish, and I only require a week with which to procure the proper supplies. But, it really is just describing my urge to create another Tie Week Week soon. My lack of sufficient green ties (it only takes 4 or 5 to a Tie-week make) in my remaining collection got me a bit huffy, and I need to look for some pattern to tie a few of them together. I’ll have to ponder…

Don't say "beer", say "bull"

One of the possibilities would be Animal Tie Week, but I’m wondering now if that would make people assume that they’d be coming to a site with pictures of animals with tie (AWT). But, as you can see from today’s TdJ, I would just be talking about animals on ties.

Which brings us to today’s entry. It is a strip that features that favorite of cuddly creatures: the Bull. It’s from the Nature Conservancy tie collection, and it was loaned to me by friend, GWT alum and master distiller Paul Hletko.

Rather ironic that I mention Paul here in the blog (and not only because he let me borrow this tie), and he is perhaps the least full-of-bull person that I know.

So, last week I presented a couple of Hermes ties that I found at the Salvation Army. Well, I put them on Ebay, so if you’re interested, give them a look. Tie 1 Tie B

I’m tired folks…and that’s no bull. Shit.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Since St. Patrick’s Day of 2010 was my 3rd blog post (Tie No. 2) of 100 Days, 100 Ties, I was now struck with the need to come up with another Irish-punned subject. This seems perfectly fitting.

I have generally been low on the green ties, since I started, and I had a momentary moment of panicky panic. Did I have a green one at all? Whew, I had found this vintage baby at Unique Thrift Store, my old faithful. Of course, that replaced my old old faithful, the Salvation Army formerly known as the Salvation Army of Kedzie, which met it’s developmental demise a couple of months ago. The Skokie SA is nicer and better organized, but I’ll always have Kedzie, and my biggest (vintage) score ever.

Ok, now my first inclination is to wince at the thought that I’ve told this tale before. It’s not a tie story, but it’s a vintage treasure story. Many years ago…perhaps 8…I found a pair of old Levi’s jeans. I had just started poking around stores for stuff to resell on eBay, and for some reason I knew that, if the little red tab on the back pocket had a capital E in ‘LEVI’S’, they could be valuable. They switched to LeVI’S in 1971 or something. Anyway, I paid $6, and put them up for $19 or so. Without boring you with the ups-and-ups of its weeklong auction, let me just cut to the reveal and say that some dude/dudette in Thailand bought them for $666. Diabolical, yes. Ergo, I will always have Kedzie.

Onward, my Tie du St. Patty’s Jour is from Erday’s men’s clothing store in Geneva, Illinois. ‘Tis of the wide variety, which sometimes can get carried away, but somehow this one works. I hope that the photo shows its green like I know it’s there. I like this pattern so much I may send it off to get a bowtie made from it. In fact, maybe I’ll do that for enough ties to do a Bespoke BeBowtie BeWeek.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks for reading…Brooke

So, as long as I’m alluding to a random flick from the early 80s (starring Peter O’Toole and Mark Finn-Baker), I may as well admit that I almost used ‘Seven Years in Tiebet’, a random Brad Pitt vehicle from the 90s. But, in the end, I went with a film I’d actually seen (MFY was a regular on HBO and Cinemax), and I thought I’d save Brad’s brood-fest until my seven-year bloggiversary.

Shudder. Perish the thought.

Yes, as I have mentioned, today is the 1-year anniversary of 100 Days, 100 Ties. Two hundred and forty-four ties worn and written (about). I cruised right through 100, the original goal, and I also had to churn through some pretty serious bouts of writer’s block, procrastination and good ol’ fashioned lack of creativity/confidence. It has been a part of my life for nearly 1/42nd, and I can’t imagine not doing it.

That said, I’m fairly certain that, if there is a two-year anniversary (well, I guess there will always be anniversaries) there may not be a birthday. Or, at least, there may be some changes to the process. I still have about 50-60 ties that remain unworn, of which about 15 are loaners. I have over 200 ties on the Already Worn hanger, and I’d really like to wear some of them again. Maybe once my Lenten penance of No-More-Tie-Purchases has expired, I will start to have a regular Re-Tie Day of the week. Or perhaps a RePrise Week. I may eventually have to get down to 2 or 3 times per week.

But, ah, shit, who am I kidding? I’ll either forget the post-Easter idea and just keep going like normal, or I’ll go nuts and find some irresistibly charming lot of ties at Unique and extend the madness towards 400. Sheesh.

Regardless of what the future holds, I think I picked a good strip to mark the occasion. This is an absolute stunner from Lee Allison. I found it at the Salvation Army in Skokie, but the sheer quality made look, and feel, like a million bucks. I got so many compliments…it’s as if the class was calling out.

I did manage to get some Guys With Ties today. With this first one, the Tie should look mildly familiar, as may the Guy. The Tie, of course, is today’s TdJ, and the Guy, although it’s difficult to prove, is yours truly. I don’t think there are many pictures of my face on this blog. Probably why readership is so good, nyark nyark. I love how it looks like my two friends are growing out of my shoulders–Lawrence Neisler over my right shoulder (your left) and Paul Hletko over my left/your right.

And this evening was the chamber’s Business After Hours, held at Best Buy Evanston. Howard Kain, one of the principals at First Bank & Trust, was there for a bit, but I got to snap his Pfizer tie. Speaking of Pfizer ties, I have one (on loan from Dr. David Turok) that will blow y’all away.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your kind words today…Brooke