100 Days, 100 Ties

We got a great big Conroy, ain't she a beautiful site...Con-roy!

For the love of books and the language…Pat Conroy

That is the inscription in my copy (real hardback!) of The Prince of Tides, a book I thoroughly enjoyed right up until the moment where director Barbra Streisand directed leading actor Nick Nolte to say, rather emphatically, “You’re so beautiful” to leading actress Barbra Streisand (yes, they are related). Pretty sure she bought the movie rights just for that magical movie moment, and I can just picture her watching every morning before facing the world. Funny Girl, my ass. That character put the ‘arf’ in ‘barf’.

Since I am not, by nature, as cynical as I make it sound, I assume that Mr. Conroy was not talking about the legal language one uses when selling rights to an international film/entertainment star. Instead, he was talking about his passion. Again, I go on the assumption that this dedication was for me only, and not his regular, get-this-kid-away-from-me script. Also, I don’t remember his hair being quite that big…the combover is mightier than the sword, indeed.

Anyway, let’s get on to the Tie du Thursday, even though it’s Monday. Just so you know why there won’t be Ties du Friday et Monday, I was off of work Friday, and Monday was a holiday–President’s Day, for which even Hallmark can’t create a demand for cards. Thursday morning was highlighted by the North Shore Business Breakfast, hosted by several departments at Northwestern University. It was a grand gesture to local businesses, in which NU detailed how to go about becoming a vendor for the university. That is a key question from chamber members, trust me.

Againyway, my tie is a mildly vintage strip from Pierre Cardin. It’s my last purple tie, and I wanted to look my best with the whole Northwestern Wildcat theme of the morning. I’ll have to stock up on my resale shop visits. Fairly simple pattern, but the dark purple adds some prestige.

And, for the second day in a row, Dr. Vince Roberts made it to a networking event; for the second day in a row, he wore a tie (it’s a nice Paul Fredrick one!); AAAAAND (the suspense is killing you, n’est-ce pas?) for the second day in a row, he has made the GWT list. I think he and Paul Hletko are leading the GWT race, not that there was one (if there was, I’d be winning [sticking tongue out]).

As the coming short week sets itself upon us, I would like to determine another Tie Week Week. Also, I realized this evening that it’s less than a month until my one year blogging anniversary. Can’t believe it. Think I should have a party. I’ll also think about ending the blog, even though I probably won’t. Would love your thoughts on what I should do. Oh, one thing I’d like to do is revisit some of the ties that have been worn (and are so nice I’d like to wear them again): should I choose a day of the week to reprise a tie? Or should I have a vote, where people choose their favorite 5 ties, with the winners getting their own Winner Tie Week? Help me ponder, help help me ponder.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Adding to Friday’s putting me one day closer to 50 (over 8 years away, but, still, it’s looooming), I was prescribed Lisinopril, a multi-syllabic medicine for a multi-spastic BP rate this morning. The little pamphlet at Dr. Fred’s office told me what my poor veins are going through, so I guess it’s time to take the load off. And, shoot, I thought it was because my heart was so strong. So, yes, here begins the daily pills routine, and hopefully I can avoid one of those plastic boxes with the days of the week imprinted on each little lid. But, if not, you’ll know what to get me for my birthday. Something in jade, with gold-leaf lettering, will suffice.

The Tie du Jour that I sported whilst being informed of my necessary lifestyle changes is great fun, perfect for a casual Friday. The main color scheme is gorgeous, and its chain-link motif catches the eye. Unfortunately, my eye was not caught when I took this picture, as it looks like there was a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on. Nice shot, Mr. Focus.

And thus endeth Paul Fredrick Week. We had a great run, a lot of folks commented on these 5, in person and virtually. I still have 5 left from my generous bounty (5 + 5 = TEN TIES, by the way) from Angela and the gang at Paul Fredrick. Let me know which of these first 5 you liked best, if you get a moment. And, if you’re looking around for a tie for that special someone (who wears ties), click on that link.

I picked up a couple of good Guys With Ties pix over the weekend. Always nice to get an alum to re-pose, and here’s Peter Reinhart, neighbor extraordinaire. One of his best HS buddies, Jason Anderson, was my college roommate. Contrary to the belief that might come from looking at this (and his prior) GWT photo, he does smile. Quite often.

Whilst having a pre-party drink at Celtic Knot Saturday evening, their neighbor Pascal Berthoumieux dropped by. He is the propriétaire of Bistro Bordeaux, a wonderful French place on Church Street. The food is wonderfully traditional, and the service is superb. And, heck, their owner can put an ensemble together, n’est-ce pas?

Later, at the aforementioned party, which was for my friend Jon Lippitz’s pending nuptials, his buddy George (dangit, he told me his last name, but I forgot…I blame those pre-party drinks) sported this striped tie. He’s the owner of the Palace Grill, down on Madison Avenue, in the shadow of the United Center. Great breakfast, great atmosphere, and you may end up sitting next to your favorite Blackhawk.

I’m writing this on Monday, and even though I went into work, I didn’t wear a tie. Here, I’ll put in a picture of a guy who wore lots of ties, while doing generation-altering work. Martin Luther King, Jr. What could I say that hasn’t already been said? How many people could have the courage to do everything that he did? To say everything that he did? All of it knowing that a good percentage of the gun-owners in your immediate vicinity would likely point them at you maliciously. While looking over the MLK photos available, I was not surprised to see that 98% of them show him in a solid black tie. Most of the pics are B&W, too, so I chose this one because it shows a bit more vibrancy in his tie selection. I should have worn a tie; on MLK Days from here on, I will.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

There has been a sea change: 100 Days, 100 Ties now has the power to get people together. After GWT alum Greg Clarke’s suggestion, we put together a little Mad Men Guys With Ties Happy Hour (and a half) at Pete Miller’s. Good fun.

Before I get to the photos of the festiviTIES, I’ll get to the third segment of PFW. As you know, this week is on Paul Fredrick (I know this link takes you to their tie page, but you should check out their other stuff–custom dress shirts, suits, even cufflinks), thanks to their reading. My Tie du Jour, made in Italy, is a bit special. The fabric, the texture, the tie-ability…all top-notch. This intricate pattern is a design that I do not know, but…I like it. It may be my favorite of the bunch…(TEN TIES!)

Okay, picture time…some Girls With Ties, too!

Leslie's Zipper

Leslie

Let’s start with the barkeeps, who made our night (and drinks, Manhattans and Martinis, mostly) pleasurable. Leslie had an interesting tie…besides the fact that it was all black and hard for my crapiPhone camera to pick up, it had a zipper that tightened it around her neck. I’d never seen one of those.

Sile

Also at the bar was Sile (which is pronounced “sheila”–Gaelic, I believe she said). Her tie had no zippers, clasps, buttons, fasteners, staples, safety pins, widgets, Monday, Wednesday, Dasher, Dancer, DDT or unnatural flavors.

My co-host Greg Clarke (how could I NOT get a pic of Greg?!) brought a neighbor, Pat Turner, who brought a fine strip to the proceedings. Welcome to the GWT fold!

Here we have a new category. GWSTLT–Girls With Scarves Tied Like Ties. My very good friends Sara Wade & Raegen Ross were kind enough to tie and pose.

Of course, mandating the wearing of ties to any event is difficult, so I brought along a handful of the Already Worn. Lawrence Neisler and Rebecca Berneck add a nice touch to their already nice outfits, don’t you agree?

In addition to not taking a pic of Greg, I also failed to snap another GWT alum who attended, Pat Kelly. Pat also brought me a great tie, with nautical flags adorning, that will be better worn in spring.

After the MMGWTHH, we strolled over for a meeting of the Evanston Entrepreneurial Lab. They probably haven’t had that many ties there in quite some time. Here’s Rebecca again with GWTMTO (GWT Many Times Over), Paul Hletko.

Oh, and what the heck, here’s a rare shot, above the tie, of yours truly…I’m the one that doesn’t look like Paul Hletko.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

A keyword for the Tuesday: Paul, as in Paul Simon (the bow-tied Senator AND the singer). Paul McCartney. Paul Prudhomme. Paul Fredrick.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, God’s creatures and various alien beings (the giraffe is both, right?), it is still PFW. That’d be the Paul Fredrick Week for the uninitiated and/or unenlightened. As I mentioned last week and wrote about on the Blog du Monday, I received a package from Angela at Paul Fredrick. In it were (and I can’t help myself from exclaiming this) TEN! Count ’em! TEN TIES! An unbelievable show of generosity, and support for the blog. OK, so no more reminders this week.

Why, yes, that is my B-League championship racquetball trophy over my shoulder...

Yea, verily, on to the TdJ. As will be the case for the rest of this week, and for 5 other times in the future, this is a Paul Fredrick strip. It’s just a classy striped tie, off-white and khaki with blue chain pinstripes between. Something I love about it, and I’ve mentioned this with other ties, is that the large stripes’ textures go in different directions. Some genius textiler figured this out (and I’m sure that genius is a machine now), and I appreciate this. One of the few instances where my crapiPhone camera does its job and captures the true colors. In this case it even enhances it. Well done, iPhone!

I ran into Geoff Winthrop today in my building, which also happens to be his building. Geoff is a partner with Acquirent, an incredibly successful outsourced sales company that is really making a name for itself. I hope to learn more about them in the future. Plus, Geoff wears cool ties, like his partner/GWT alum Joe Flanagan.

And we have David Greenwald, a fellow Lincoln School4th-grade parent, who just couldn’t hide is stunner of a blue striped tie under his winter gear. Come on, spring! Get here soon!

I mentioned this yesterday (haha, fooled ya! it was really 30 minutes ago that I wrote about the Tie du Monday), but on Wednesday there will be a happy hour (or the ever-popular happier hour and a half) at Pete Miller’s in Evanston. Wear a tie to the Mad Men Guys With Ties event…we’ll be there from 5:30 to 6:30pm, and all are welcome. We may even bandy about ideas for the Tie Exchange.

Thanks for reading…Brooke