100 Days, 100 Ties

“I have been chosen! Farewell, my friends. I go on to a better place.”  –Alien, Toy Story

Today I maybe got closer to heaven, if in fact there is one, and if in fact it is a nice place for nice people. I chaperoned the Lincoln School 3rd grade field trip to the Field Museum in downtown Chicago (hey, some people don’t know). My daughter Julia and about 39 other kids made the jaunt in a yellow school bus, accompanied by their teachers, Ms. Carlson and Ms. Ceffalio, and about 8 or 9 other chaperones. We were not alone.

Of course I could have–should have, really–gone into the day sans tie, but my mind projected itself upon the days (weeks, months) ahead, and I tried to figure out which tie I could wear with a bunch of 9-yr olds hanging around. Since those 9-yr olds and their randomly-functioning brains are much like aliens, I thought of this tie almost straight away.

The Claw is our Master!

Oooooooohh!

Yes, your brain is on target; you have correctly noted that this Tie du Jour portrays dozens of the annoyingly cute aliens from the Toy Story movie from (wow!) about 15 years ago. I surmised that being on a bus with 40 kids would be like interacting with a gaggle of mindless, otherworldly creatures. Not a stretch.

Anyway, I have had this tie for several years, and I’m glad I was able to put it into the rotation on a day where I wasn’t expected to dress like, well, a chaperone for a school field trip. I will admit that I also need to wear a Woody–a Woody tie, perv!– before this is all over. Not sure it’ll happen for another field trip for a while, as I probably earned some major parenting karma points (PKP) today.

A fine tie on a fine individual

Over the weekend I ran into–or biked into, rather–David Jones, who is NOT the former Monkee. David is an Epicopalian (or Anglican for the Papists out there) minister who works with Connections for the Homeless, an organization which does yeoman’s work striving to transition homeless individuals and families into job and housing situations. He was wearing this SWEET bow tie, on his way to a wedding, and I stopped on my bike to take a pic of him. It’s hard to tell on this silly iPhone pic, but those little red dots are strawberries. No, silly, not real strawberries, just, well, you know.

Ok, well the eyes are drooping, so I must call it a night. Thanks for reading!

Brooke

After 43 ties of normal length, we finally arrive at a bow tie.

Let’s get right to the (Bow) Tie du Jour. Here’s a look…ain’t it a beauty?

Little Bow Peep

It’s from Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont, and I think I mentioned that I found this (and another Beau Ties bow tie) at the Hadassah Resale Shop in Skokie. Paid all of $1.50. A steal, especially when you see that their regular prices are about $40/bow. The website is worth a look, and they do something really cool. If you have a regular tie you like, for $35 they’ll turn it into a bow tie. Plus you can submit your own fabric and they’ll bow tie it up. Don’t Tread On Me, Vermont!

I don’t know why it took so long to break one of these out. I now have 9, I think, with another one on the way, so I have a lot of them to get through. The fact that these are more spring- and summer-friendly, at least in my mind, kept me from it. The first week of June will be Bow Tie Week, but I’ll try to sport another before then.

If you have any awesome (and I say ‘awesome’ in the most lovingly sarcastic way) pictures of yourself or a friend or a date from prom that demonstrates a really cheesy (probably pre-tied) bow tie, please email it to me at bsauce6@gmail.com. I’ll post them during Bow Tie Week, under Schmoes With Bows or something. I think I have a couple of meself, and there may be a peach bow tie/cummerbund, especially for our readers (thanks, Eryin, for making me match your peach dress…ah, the 80s).

Ran across some guys today…Guys With Ties, to be precise.

Dan the Man

Dan Mennemeyer, Treasurer of the Chamber, seemed perfectly pleased in this picture pose. He’s also in charge of our annual Golf Outing, which will be co-hosted with the Wilmette CofC on July 26 at the Wilmette Golf Club, which is in Glenview (it officially says Wilmette, but it’s across from Glenview’s finest watering hole, Meier’s Tavern). Just to be clear, Evanston Golf Club is in Skokie and Skokie Playfields GC is in Winnetka. Glencoe Golf Club and Winnetka Golf Club are in, boringly enough, Glencoe and Winnetka, respectively. Sorry about all the links. Ha, get it? Links?!

EMH 1389

GWT, Version Next, is Michael Hoadley. He and I went to college together and were fraternity brothers. Still are, I guess. Haven’t seen Mike in a few years, until today, when I broke him out of prison. Actually, as you can see from the tie and the decorative, um, decor behind him, we were actually at a Starbucks in Evanston. Obviously, the tie has nothing to do with Starbucks, or any other national chain of coffee shops. Or local ones, for that matter. We just had some business to discuss. So there. And, no, he wasn’t in prison.

Thanks for sharing the excitement surrounding my finally dusting off a bow tie. And thanks for reading. And thanks for saying, “You’re welcome.” It’s polite.

Brooke

Goodbye to IBTW (Impromptu Blue Tie Week)…you’ll get your chance, blue ties. There are a lot of you. Bow Tie week will happen soon (but not next week, as my mom asked me to postpone it until they return from Spain, where roaming charges would make it uneconomical to follow ‘100 Days, 100 Ties’–hey, it’s good to have fans), and there will likely be a Purple Tie Week (happy, CE?), and there will definitely be something along the lines of Ugly Tie Week. I have some ties that I can only wear under the guise of a gimmick such as UTW.

Busy day today…Julia ready, volunteer book club leader, meeting, Armenian Tea (@ArgoTeaEvanston), networking event, phone call, phone call, meeting, phone call, phone call, send invoice, phone call. That took me to about 5pm, and did you notice there was no lunch in there? Yeah…luckily my next item on the docket was happy hour pub grub with Paul, Freebie Friday winner numero uno. So, maybe not so busy, actually…just a full calendar.

Give me liberty (again)!

Our Tie du Jour is from Liberty of London, and, like the Liberty of London tie that was the Tie d’Other Week, it was brought home by my parents from a trip to–natch–London about 25 years ago. I like the way it pops against the aquamarine shirt. The picture is not very good…it’s not that bright in real life.

It’s a twofer on Guys With Ties today…

First we have Tom O’Hare, who’s a Commercial Banker with North Shore Community Bank, who will be sponsoring the Small Businessperson of the Year Award at the Chamber’s annual meeting and awards dinner in June. As you can see from his GWT debut (he was just elected to the Chamber board, so there’s a chance he’ll be on here again), he knows one of The Tie Secrets: Stripes CAN go with stripes! Well done, Tom.

Think Pink

Next is Jake Wilson, who dropped into the office today to introduce himself to the Chamber. A former baseball player for our hometown NU Wildcats, Jake was sporting a great pink tie. He said he’d just been to TJ Maxx to get a bunch of ties for his new gig…smart guy, that ‘Cat.

Thanks for reading, off to bed…Brooke

Irving Berlin would not have penned ‘Blue Skies’ today…not in Evanston at least. I am using my best Cloris Leachman/Frau Blucher (“Neigh!”) voice in saying, “Zis veather tsucked!”

Great for bike spokes--sounds just like a motorcycle!

But, look what came to me today, to brighten up my skies a bit–Blucher (Neigh!) be damned! My business card, courtesy of Minuteman Press on Sherman, looks fantastic, don’t you agree? Send me a note and I’ll mail you a couple.

Happy Blue--an oxymoron

My Tie du Jour is on the bright side, too. Any blue that tries to shine through a grim, gray day works for me. The white dots give it some light; unfortunately the toothpaste stain did, as well. Tasted like Colgate.

The label, just behind the aforementioned stain, says Eric Michaels, but I can’t really find anything online that talks a lot about this designer’s ties. I’m going to assume that his first name is Eric, and that he was raised by Mr. & Mrs. Michaels. I’m going to make up the fact that he donated a kidney to a nephew last fall. Unfortunately, that nephew didn’t actually need the kidney, and was pretty grossed out by the whole ordeal.

Well, I’m back in the Guys With Ties game. Larry Widmayer, a commercial realtor with Koenig & Strey in Evanston. He’s on the board of the Chamber, and was sporting this nice red tie w/blue & white stripes while visiting Chamber HQ today. I’m sure he was inspired by reading about Red Tie Week, oh those weeks ago. Good times.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Sometimes the mail is fun. Yesterday I received a small package from my high school French teacher, Dan Murrell. As you can see from his LinkedIn profile, he’s a Guys With (Bow) Ties guy. Ergo, he sent me one, which I plan to wear when I announce–to much fanfare, no doubt–Bow Tie Week. I now have 6 bow ties, a fact which makes the announcement/week-of-bow possible. Many thanks, Dan.

I believe I mentioned a few weeks ago that, due to a not-rare slowdown in brain activity, I left my minivan running in a city parking lot for, oh, let’s say 4 hours to make me feel better (conscience: It was 5 1/2). Dan, or Monsieur Murrell as we so fluently called him–to his face at least, was the teacher that, 23 years ago, spotted a smoking Honda Accord in the CBHS parking lot. I quickly realized it was my car, running…with the keys somehow LOCKED inside. Since my Brainfart Version 20.10 was accomplished with the doors UNlocked, did I get dumber since B.F. V 19.87, or just more brazen. Uh-huh, I have to agree…dumb. As rocks. Luckily I have people who care for me, reminding me to do things and giving me gingko biloba.

Go ahead, London

So, onto the Tie du Jour. It’s from City of London, which have some really nice patterns. I’m pretty sure (gingko biloba, please) that this is the 2nd City of London strip that I’ve sported. It’s black (or a ridiculously dark navy blue) with cornflower blue stripes, and goes perfectly with my charcoal suit w/light blue pins. Throw in my indigo cufflinks, light blue small scarf (it’s a pocket square!) and my gray&blue argyle socks, and I can’t help but be reminded of the Kinks’ Dedicated Follower of Fashion. “Oh, yes he is!”

Good security starts with a good shirt/tie combo

Given my burglary from weeks past, I was connected with Todd Lazar from ProtectionOne Security. He dropped by in his tie, and told me what it would take to get all secure. So, you hear that, burglar-boy?! Two Dobermans (Dobermen?) will be waiting the next time you wish to play with your crowbar. And, dangit, if I won’t be around to scream the safe word. Anyway, Todd is now a member of the Guys With Ties clan.

Have a great evening, everybody. Thanks for reading…Brooke

No, no, I’ve not been donning my rocker hair wig and pullin’ out the Great White LP. At least not today…

Liber-tie of London

Spring is definitely in full bloom here in Evanston, and my Tie du Jour reflects that with its flowery disposition. I’d like to think that seeing this tie made at least one person’s day.

Back to the TdJ: It’s an all-cotton tie from Liberty of London, and it has been in my family for a couple decades. Either Mom or Dad bought it, along with another Liberty, on one of their London trips, probably in the 80s. When they were in their 40s.

My brother always looked forward to their trips, and not only because they brought groovin’ flowered ties home. Depending on who stayed with us, we were set for a rockin’ good time. Now, I know that my parents are keeping up with 100 Days, 100 Ties, so I’ll just ask them to skip over the next couple of paragraphs. There you go, Parent-types, move along, nothing incriminating to read here about your very social, yet very delinquent sons. I am assuming that I am too old to be grounded, by the way.

We had a couple of preferred cousins who would usually stay with us for the usually two-week trip. Kim and Mitch (I won’t use their last names so they won’t get in trouble, either) were as strict as they had to be, which means not at all. We had some parties which always grew too large and too full of tomfoolery, probably due to the fact that we were 50 yards off of Poplar Avenue, perhaps the main thoroughfare through Memphis. Oh, and if you didn’t know, I grew up in Memphis.

OK, Mom, Dad…you can read again from this point.

Jimmy Buffett had to have designed this tie...

Speaking of Mom, she submitted a Guys With Ties entry, all the way from their local Publix supermarket in Sandestin, Florida. This is the manager, Kelly, with a perfectly Floridian tie. Mom and Dad can actually take their golf cart to this store…but I don’t think they can drive the cart INSIDE it.

I'm Paul...born to be a winner

And, here’s another picture of Paul Hletko, who I believe is now the runaway clubhouse leader in terms of pictures–this one makes 3–on 100 Days, 100 Ties. Yes, that’s me with all the Ties du Jour, but I haven’t shown me face with them. This wouldn’t actually fall into the Guy With Tie subcategory, since he is sporting his Friday Freebie. His wife, Liz, said “that IS a lovely tie!” She has also commissioned me to take Paul to find some shirts and ties for his wardrobe. (Liz, don’t read this next sentence) Paul and I have plotted to take her money, buy 2 or 3 tie/shirt combos at Salvation Army, and sink the rest of the cash into beers. Swindlers. Cads. Rogues. Egads!

Thanks for reading…Brooke

So many tie-related items to report…and on a Sunday, no less.

First, we have a winner of the inaugural Friday Freebie. There were a whopping two candidates, both very enthusiastic respondents, I might add. As I believe I mentioned, Pam Daniels (wife of Guys With Tie alum, Mark Daniels) saw the tie on Friday morning and said that Mark should get it because she likes it. Another GWTer, Paul Hletko, posted a comment after Friday’s blog post that stated his wife would like it if she had the Friday Freebie. After careful consideration with our panel of corrupt judges, we carelessly considered that Mr Hletko followed the rules by posting on the site. Plus, he is an attorney and threatened litigation. Just kidding. About the litigation part.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner

But, look how happy he is…everybody loves winning stuff. And somehow, the purple tie with dots-aplenty looks pretty good with the brown and white polo. Now, it is up to him to complete the contract and take a picture of himself wearing the FF to work.

What an exclusively designed tie looks like

So, last night I had a little soirée at the new flat, and I figured, as host, I should sport a tie. I chose this one to go with my gray button down. It’s from a designer named Central, and the label says ‘Exclusive Design.’ Hilarious…as if no other tie in the world is shaped this way, or has pinstripes. Despite its poorly worded label-subtitle, I really like this one…thin, plain-spoken & classic.

Even though it was not on the official party agenda, there was a tour of 100 Days, 100 Ties world HQ. Someone wondered aloud, “What does 100 ties even LOOK like?” and then we were off to the closet. They saw the growing mass of worn ties, and the tie rack and everything.

See David throw rock-n-roll symbols. Rock, Dave, Rock.

Besides 10 minutes of general time-wasting, the tour gave us a new member of the Guys With Ties club. David Tognarelli, who works at First Northern Credit Union in downtown Evanston, asked if he could borrow this one, which I wore a couple-three weeks ago.  David’s on the board of the Young Professionals of Evanston, a great organization with some really fun events–monthly and some bigger annual ones. Check ’em out…

I did receive a tie as a house-warming gift, from Mark & Travis Clifton. I’ll don the donation to my collection this week…

Speaking of the collection, I thought I’d count what I have left.

Yikes. 75 on the tie rack; 24 on a hanger that holds the vintage thinnies; 10 just hanging over the bar; and probably 4 or 5 at work, waiting for a day where I either forget to wear one (a 1/10 on the likely-t0-do-one-day scale) or spill soup or mustard on my tie (about a 7/10). That’s 113 or 114, NOT counting the heroic brethren of the worn, which number about 35. Right under 150, give or take…may as well give it, because I’ll blow through that number by the end of the month. May I say ‘Yikes’ again?

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Casual TieDay, Freebie Friday. Today I had a big decision: Which of my ties to sport and then give away. I think I picked a good one. Perhaps too good…

This tie can be YOURS! Just send three box tops...

It’s from Geoffrey Beene, and it’s a beauty. Purple with rows and rows of blue, white and purple dots. Knots well. I’ll miss it. It was a great find at Unique Thrift Store a few months back.

So, here’s the deal with the Friday Freebies on Freebie Friday: If you would like to have the tie, for yourself or for someone else, just post a comment, saying why you, or a loved or liked one, should get it. Pam Daniels, a fellow Lincoln parent, suggested this morning that her husband, Mark, should get it because she “likes that tie.” So far, folks, that’s a winner. If you’re local, I’ll deliver it. If you’re not local, or if you’re local and more than 1 suburb away, then I’ll drop it in the mail to you. Provided of course that you give me a valid mailing address.

I hope to do this every Friday, so please participate. At the very least, tell me to send/donate it to someone who never wears ties, etc. But by Monday, I hope to know who’s getting it.

Baby, you're a Star(r)

Today on the 8th Floor at One Rotary Center I ran into Steve Starr, a Chamber member who had been calling on a client. Steve owns Stephen B. Starr Design (yes, they are related), a graphic design/website design firm here in Evanston. Guys With Ties, baby.

Have a great weekend, everybody! Thanks for reading!

One of the first things we learn as kids, after “Don’t touch the stove” and before “Don’t play in the sandbox after the cat”, is the primary colors. Red, blue and yellow. Mix them with each other to get purple, green and orange. Mix them all to get a sloppy brown sludge that resembles a skid mark, and doesn’t come out of your Garanimals, either.

Cock-a-doodle-do

The Tie du Jour represents the 3 primaries. I have had this tie for a long time, though I had long since graduated from even the Crayola box of 64 (raw umber and burnt siena RULE!!). I’m sure I picked it up at a resale shop in Chicago. The brand is ‘Rooster’ and I have never seen another with this label.

Despite the basic coloring of this tie, I have always had trouble pairing this with shirts. As you can see, I have gone with a plain white shirt, perhaps for the first time since 100 Days, 100 Ties began. I’m also pretty sure that I haven’t worn this’n since I started to work at the Chamber.

Michelle, My Belt, These are words that go together, um, welt.

Despite the fact that I would have worn this eventually, as part of the project, one reason I put it out there now is that I found a belt that goes perfectly with it. Here’s a shot of the ensemble, ensemble…

Go Cats! (except on Nov. 20)

I had lunch today with John Mack, an Associate Athletic Director at Northwestern. Mainly we chatted about this year’s NU-Illinois football game, slated to be played at Wrigley Field on November 20. He was kind enough, after the meal, to give a great smile while joining the legions of Guys With Ties.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Great day. Great. Day.

Nutshell. Received emailed membership application, just after midnight. Hosted successful Networking Breakfast. Got Julia to school on time, fed and happy. Made a potentially major connection between two members. Sold a major sponsorship for one of the Chamber’s annual awards. Had a perfect patty melt at Edzo’s with two of my buds. Welcomed a new member to Chamber HQ, who brought a check. Got Julia to soccer practice on time. Met with same business owner from aforementioned post-midnight email. Picked up Julia from soccer practice on time. Received phone call from the aforementioned business owner from aforementioned post-midnight email. Perhaps sold him on the idea of an even MORE major sponsorship, like maybe 10X bigger.

So, Burglar. Thanks for the karma. Hope my wedding ring that you stole is stuck on your finger and that your girlfriend (who doesn’t like you anyway because you’re a miserable thief) gets pissed off at you for being married.

Too bad, you're plaid

Okay, on to the tie at hand (this IS, after all, a tie blog). May have to think of it as a lucky tie, I guess, after the day I had.

Well, the Tie du Jour is from Cignal. It’s purple, black and orange with a little white thrown in there. Sounds hideous, but ties are enjoyed with the eyes, not the ears, so hopefully you’ll agree that those colors work together here.

Unfortunately, my gingko biloba usage merely started yesterday, so my previously accumulated memory loss ensures that I don’t recall which visit to which thrift store brought this tie into my closet. This may be closing-barn-door late, but perhaps I should mark ties as they come in; or, what if I go through the remaining ties, figuring out which came from where? I’ll figure it out.

At the aforementioned Networking Breakfast, we had a bunch of attendees sporting ties. And, kids, do you know what that means: Multiple Guys With Ties! Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Even on a Tuesday, that’s fun to say.

Okay, sorry…I was all set to get this out before midnight last evening, but I kept dozing off. After I typed this “kjjjjjjjjjjkjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk” I figured that it would be a good time to finish in the morhgi. See…that was supposed to be ‘morning’. Good night.

Alex Vizzy in the hizzy!

Bonjour, buongiorno, buenos dias. Hopefully, I’m well-rested enough to avoid typing errors such as last eveninhdsis. Ah, that’s better.

Our first GWT is Alex Voschenkov, a brand spankin’ new member of the Chamber. Alex V, as he advises most call him, is with Interface Financial Group, who offer alternate financing to small and medium sized businesses.

The streak of light across Joe's face can ONLY be accomplished by an amateur photog

GWT II is Joseph Pizzo, who is a photographer who owns Joseph Studios, which shares space with Ayla’s Originals, an international bead bazaar on Sherman Avenue. Oh, and Joe and Ayla…they’re married. Kind of intimidating taking a picture of a professional photographer with an iPhone camera.

Who can make a rainbow?

Our last Guy With Tie is David Levine, owner of Illinois Nut & Candy on Dempster in Skokie. Walking into the store is like a dream for kids–and adults–of all ages. The showroom is choc (candy pun) full of delicious indulgences in every shape and size. He is a marketing and networking expert, and, yes, gosh darnit, I’ll admit that I hope he gives me a free piece of chocolate for putting him in 100 Days, 100 Ties.

Thanks for reading…Brooke