Archive for the ‘Tie du Jour’ Category

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Be still tie beating heart…

February 4, 2011

As part of the campaign to raise awareness about heart disease among women, National Wear Red Day was created. I realize that I am only giving you 30-150 minutes, depending on publication time and your own personal time zone, to don your favorite red dress, socks, hat, clown shoes or skimpy negligé (send photos…they’ll help women with heart disease).

Since NWRD fell during PTW, I draped myself in a red paisley tie. Although it is probably not nearly as sexy as a skimpy red negligé, here is the TdJ. The strip, according to the label, was hand sewn by Robert Talbott for Carl Sterr:–and here’s where it gets confusing–Natural Shoulder Clothing. First off, I’d like to meet the Carlster (just had to be his nickname, right?), and, secondly, I’d like to know a couple things about him: 1) What is shoulder clothing? 2) Can one make artificial shoulder clothing? Sounds like someone didn’t have English as a first language, and they feel it necessary to over-describe when they switch to the Queen’s.

As I mentioned yesterday-ish, I will extend Paisley Tie Week, at least through the middle of next week, since the Snowgasm took the Ties du Wednesday et Thursday from us. Way too soon.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

So,

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Tieders on the Storm…

February 3, 2011

To be read in a panicked, high-pitched, B-Movie trailer voice: Run! Hide the children. Stock up your pantry. It’s the dreaded [insert one of the following: Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, Snowicane, Snowtorious B.I.G.] of 2011!

To be read in a pleasing, slightly British, public televisional announcer voice: And, thus concludes the overreactional portion of the blog post for today. Come back tomorrow as we detail cleanup efforts in your area.

Many of you have seen pictures, but it’s the 3-dimensional aspect of this storm that must be seen. Dotting our landscape are drifts that seem to have been created out of some random act of wind physics, and humongous piles of snow created by purposeful acts of large trucks. Peoples’ wish to get outside, despite the cold and not-completely-safe conditions, solidify the basal human need to socialize, be it only to shovel next to a neighbor.

It seems as if Paisley Tie Week will have to be extended, as this Tie du Tuesday will be the 2nd of 3 ties that I’ll be able to sport this week. So, what I’ll do is wear one on Friday, and then I think I’ll have enough paisleys (or partial paisleys will have to do) for next week.

Tommy Boy

On to the Tie du Jour. It’s a great brown strip, with slight tinges of green. It’s a really nice combo with this shirt, and this’ll be a pairing that I’ll look forward to wearing again. As is usual with Tommy Hilfiger, the navy blue with white polka dotted tail (the small part) is a different fabric than the apron (uh, the big part). Just a small, classy touch, in my non-humble opinion.

Speaking of a Tommy, that made me think of a couple of MSWTs (Movie Stars With Ties)…the late Chris Farley and the non-late David Spade, smiling and smirking, respectively in this promo shot from the movie Tommy Boy.

“And, thus concludes the social reference portion for today…”

We’ll be back to a tie on Friday.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

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Remember the Tietans

February 2, 2011

Hey-o!

Getting a bit of a late start on this post, for reasons you will learn of in the next post. Oh, shucks, who am I kidding, I can’t toy with you.

If you live in or near the Greater Metropolitan Chicagoland/Cook Countyland Voting District Area, you are probably aware that we have been attacked/waylaid by a blizzard. So, on Tuesday evening, when I normally would have been crafting (tardily) an essay in homage to the Tie du Monday, Julia and I spent the night with our friends, the Frischers. Yes, normally, one does not let their 9-yr old have a sleepover on a school night, but you see we already knew that we’d have a Snow Day (yes, of course, it should be capitalized). So, I’m a bit discombobulated.

Anyway, the Tie du Jour keeps on the tradition (a tradition since last Friday!) of Paisley Tie Week. It’s a mainly silver/grey strip, with reds and blues tossed in, from Preswick & Moore. It was a gift from John Harris, a realtor with Koenig & Strey here in Evanston. John has become a regular participant in the Chamber’s networking events, and he always points out his ties’ brand and price (seems to be a resale shopper like yours truly).

A regular contributor submitted this GWT picture…it’s Charlie Day, one of the stars of the TV show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If you haven’t checked out the show, it’s really damn funny in Philadelphia, too. Thanks, J.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

 

Posted in Guys With Ties, Paisley Tie Week, Tie du Jour | 1 Comment »

Mazeltiev!

January 31, 2011

We bring you a special weekend edition of 100 Days, 100 Ties. As my union restricts me from writing over 100 words on weekends, today’s post will be mainly photos, only bow ties. Beep-beep. Zip. Bang.

Mine is a vintage bow tie from Cardinal Neckwear. The label, next to the adjustable sizes, says “The Center of the World, 5th Ave., At 46th St., N.Y.C.”

Some more GWBT:

Brad, brother of Jon

Brad Lippitz of the Brad Lippitz Group.

Ramie, friend of Jon

Ramie Egan.

Thanks for reading…Brooke, the conscientious union scribe (90 words)

Posted in Bow Tie Fortnight, Guys With Ties, Tie du Jour | 1 Comment »

Frequent tie-er miles

January 29, 2011

As I announce Paisley Tie Week, which had been officially slated to commence Monday, I realized that, by wearing a paisley today, it actually would start, um, today. Ergo, I hereby welcome thee to PTW.

This celebrates another TW, as Paul Fredrick Week was only a few weeks ago. As you may recall (I’m just happy that I do), Angela from Paul Fredrick wrote on the blog to ask me for my address. A week later, I received ten (TEN TIES) of their beautiful ties in the mail. I can only assume those events are related. I’m like a detective that way. Plus I have a magnifying glass.

Anyway, the Tie du Jour is a stunningly gorgeous blue & green paisley tie. I like the texture that it has, and my crapiPhone camera actually does a decent job showing it off. I chose this tie for a pretty important event that the Chamber hosts annually: the Legislative Breakfast. Ooh, I can just feel the bitterness and pain out there from those who missed it. It’s actually a pretty great event, on top of the fact that it does include the most important meal of the day.

And, of course, since it was an important meal, there were guys with ties everywhere. Here’s a shot from EvanstonNow, showing a few PWTs (Pols With Ties), an ATTEWT (AT&T Exec With Tie), and even a AeBWT (Almost ex-Boss With Tie). That’s State Rep Daniel Biss on the left, next to Chamber Executive Director Jonathan Perman. From the right are State Senator Jeff Schoenberg, AT&T exec Paul La Schiazza and Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. The non-tie wearers in the middle are Steve Hagerty, the president of our board of directors, and State Rep Robin Gabel.

Other GWTs at the event included Dave Davis, Grant Coordinator/Constituent Advocate for Representative Jan Schakowsky’s office. I need to take some knot lessons from him, and I need to get some green ties. Lookin’ sharp Dave.

And, another Dave…Dave Skrodzki, who owns Pharm Execs, a medical/pharmaceutical recruiting firm. First time I’ve seen this Dave in a tie. He says he only wears J. Garcia ties.

And we have a political hopeful, Richard Rykhus, rounding out the photos I took. Richard is running for District 65 School Board. Good luck, Richard.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

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Posted in Guys With Ties, Paisley Tie Week, Tie du Jour | 1 Comment »

You have the tie to remain silent

January 28, 2011

It’s been quite a while since I’ve struggled for a post’s beginning sentence, or even a main thought. But, that’s where I’m at right now, what with the previous night’s Tie-valanche still fresh in my mind. With the help of a friend’s sage advice, I’m questioning my decision to go with a seemingly stronger hanger over the safety of just having two hangers for the Already Worn. Danger doesn’t rhyme with hanger, but it’s close, and it’s my middle name.

You may recall my cousin Beaux’s tale of nearly choking on himself when shopping for a Lee Allison tie at Aidan Gill’s New Orleans store. The thought of spending a hundie on a tie was only slightly alleviated when Mr. Gill showed him the special “Remove After Sex” notation in the tie. Anyway, Beaux is about to be on the receiving end of an envelope full of ties. Wear them proudly, Cuz.

My Tie du Jour contains perhaps my favorite shade of blue. Would this be cornflower blue? I’m no paint color expert, but…I like it. It’s from Nautica, and the strip’s tan/blue/orange notes made for a nice airy complement to my mainly orange shirt.

We have a contribution from a reader (and friend and fellow Lincoln parent), Ginger Moore, who submitted this blog post from the non-tied Anderson Cooper (does he have a patent on those perfectly-wrinkled, you’re-damned-right-I-work-in-war-zones-and-disaster-areas shirts?). It’s a pic of VP Biden and SotH Boehner, both wearing ties, and a caption contest underneath. The winning staff entry is tie-based…and kinda funny.

Just a bit of a preview, since I didn’t capture any live GWTs…on Friday I’ll be wearing a blue paisley tie, which will herald (should I remember) PTW (Paisley Tie Week) from Monday through Friday of next week. Wear your favorite paisley ties (or paisley scarves or whatever, for the non-tie ladies out there) and send me a picture. We may even have a

Thanks for reading…Brooke

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Desperate ties call for desperate measures…

January 28, 2011

The tipping point. The straw, the camel and his aching back. Well, Thursday night at 11:56pm, all those things came crashing together as disaster struck.

Hang in there...

Pope Pileup I

You have seen the HotAW (Hanger of the Already Worn), in its resplendent, albeit hokey, glory. As I placed another worn tie (for the record, it was the Rhonda-given Chinese character one from last week) on the hanger, the wall came a-tumbling down. So, prepare to marvel at the destruction wrought by a weak-ass suit-hanger.

A score of lbs.

Those pictures on the right are the immediate aftermath; this one on the left is what happened after I tried to rescue the ones that were still attached to the hanger. Nearly 200 ties in a heap is a sad thing to stare at when one wants to go to bed. And, as the caption hints, that is twenty pounds of ties up there. TWENTY.

Do Not Adjust Your Set

The Tie du Jour is a wavy number from Bachrach. Little blue, little brown, lotta squiggly lines. I’d like to have hoped that, somehow, the lines would have mesmerized me into realizing that my suit hanger was going to explode that night, but I just don’t have those kinds of ties.

State of Tie Union

Many thanks to roving tie-news gatherer (and GWT alum), Greg Clarke, who discovered this essay from Esquire’s Style Blog, about, Barack Obama’s SOTU tie.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

 

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There is no TIE in ‘team’…

January 25, 2011

…but you can wear your tie for your team. Like John Stone did. And got fired.

Bear down. Packer up.

I’m sure you’ve heard about this already, but an area car salesman got canned after refusing to remove his Green Bay Packers tie. His boss said he was agitating customers, so he let him walk. Stone has options, and his former employer is asking him to come back, saying Packers fans want to come buy a car from him (not sure if he sells snowmobiles). Both of them are getting an immense amount of free press, so it’s hard to feel sorry for any of them.

Today was Networking Breakfast day (it’s the most important networking meal of the day), so I had to come up with a colorful tie. My last trip to Unique Thrift Store was quite fruitful, as I found some pretty unique strips. This is either the 1st or 2nd from that particular trip. But, overall, today was tie No. 211. Still 60+ to go.

The Tie du Jour is from the house of Bellagio; taking a peek at their website, I think this TdJ may actually be on the tame side. Let your tiger roar, that’s what I say.

I really appreciated the feedback from the flat tire story. I am utterly convinced that I did a truly good thing, and I’m going to keep reminding people of that story. My fellow blogger dimpledfourinhand gave me a shout out (is that what the kids are calling it these days0, and had some things to say about having faith in the goodness of others..

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Posted in Guys With Ties, Tie du Jour | 2 Comments »

Can’t spell ‘Great White North’ without T-I-E

January 25, 2011

Yes, as expected, I forgot about Paisley Tie Week. Much too much to expect me to remember something as (un) important as that.

But, I did pull out a good tie this morning…the tie of a good man.

A few years ago, my parents fired up a long-distance introduction to my (now) great friend, Paula Kostuik. They knew from their friends Paul & Donna Kostuik (yes, relation) that Paula was moving to Chicago, so, weeks in advance, they said she would call. Well, she did, and I’m ever so glad; not many people out there as sweet and fun as PK.

Sadly, a couple of months ago, Paula’s dad passed away. My parents, I could tell, were very affected by the loss of their buddy, and I know Donna and Paula are still hurting. A couple of weeks later, they sent me a couple of his ties to wear for 100 Days, 100 Ties. Here is the first of the two, from the Italian designer Stefano Conti. Of course, it looks like I was falling down at the moment of photo-capture. Nice blurry.

Thanks to roving photographer (and another GWT alumna) Rebecca Berneck, we have a new member of the Girl With Tie clan. Her daughter Zoe is sporting a former TdB (Tie du Brooke), looking very stylish for junior high.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

Posted in Girls With Ties, Guys With Ties, Tie du Jour | 1 Comment »

Tielence is golden

January 23, 2011

Golden brown, that is…

Several years ago, at two different resale shops, I found my brown and white Tie du Jour exactly one day after I found my white and brown Shirt du Jour. I remember thinking how similar their patterns were, and how perfectly they’d go together. Well, one really shouldn’t be so matchy-matchy, after all. It took me those several years, in addition to two-hundred and something blog posts, but I finally did put them together.

How now brown tie

So I present the TdJ, from Kenneth Cole. And, since I’m in a giving mood, why don’t we revert to the old Friday Freebie follies, in which the best comment (on here or on Facebook) gets the tie. Free shipping.

I captured, photographically speaking, a couple of Guys With Ties on Friday. First we have one of the most prominent Evanston businessmen, Robert Reece. His insurance business is in the same office building as the Chamber. Very sharp dresser.

Squinting is bad for you

And this next picture is pretty dark, but take a look at the length of the tie worn by Jonathan, a waiter at Carnivale down in the city. It looks like he’s wearing a vest, but in reality, all the staffers wear their ties really short, and tuck the tail into their shirts. I probably wouldn’t wear it to work, but it looked pretty classy. It’s definitely a way to keep soup off of one’s tie.

I can’t remember if I said I would do Paisley Tie Week this coming week, or the week thereafter. I guess it’ll depend on my m&m (mood & memory) tomorrow when I’m getting dressed.

Thanks for reading…Brooke

 

Posted in Guys With Ties, Tie du Jour | 3 Comments »

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