The Double Take Tie

Back in the days of expense account yore, it was not unusual to drop $300 to $400 on lunch with a single client. Beers before lunch, wine with lunch, after lunch port and cigars. This was relationship building and I sure as hell wasn't going to endure three hours of a CFO's gushing about his favorite ride at Six Flags on my dime. Especially when my employer had an iron clad non-compete.

I have seen clients expense golf clubs, fur coats and prostitutes. That's not so much about building relationships as it's using your position to grab something for yourself. The client who bought a fur coat also bought this tie for me. Or, was it a pair of box cloth braces? I'm not too sure. It was after a very long lunch that we stumbled into Paul Stuart. The client wasn't so much generous as he was buying my silence when he whipped out company plastic to pay for a fur lined Loden coat.

That was 17 years ago and this tie remains a favorite despite its unethical origins. Everybody thinks it's a baseball tie until they take a closer look. Hugely popular with Brits and Bermudians, it never fails to secure a surprised double take. I guess they wonder why a Septic (Septic Tank- Yank) would wear a Cricket tie? They should ask the guy who expensed it.

The Art of a Tie: Passagio Cravatte

I've always wanted the best.  Problem is, there's so damned little of it.  Gianni Cerrutti and I started a conversation back in early August.

My name is Gianni, Italian, and I am the founder of Passaggio Cravatte. This  I will write because I have a very important dream. And you can make it come true.

His English isn't the best and my Italian doesn't exist but like buying cheese in Paris -- some pointing to this or that, a key word  like Epoisses, and you're good to go.  I was offered a tie and asked to pick a few from a library of vintage silk, cotton and cashmere.  From a handful of my choices, Gianni would pick one but it would be a surprise until it showed on my door step.

We are unique in Europe and not only to have only true vintage fabrics. In fact, our fabrics have all aged between 40 and 60 years of life on his shoulders. They are still hand-printed and they are all limited edition. This is because after 2 ties the fabric ends.Beyond that evoke British regimental archives of 1930.

I can't imagine a better life than being a custom tie maker in Italy.  Hands down, it soars above George Costanza's choice of architect. Roaming around Lake Commo for bits and pieces here and there. A softly lit workroom with sunlight peering in through 200 year old glass windows over looking a cobble stone street. The quiet cutting of silk and the silence of seven folds and noiseless sewing...As the little boy admiring a library book of Gaugain's Tahiti says in "Goodbye Columbus, "Ain't that the fucking life."

We are the only ones making the old 7 folds in a single piece of silk. This is when all ties to the world are the union of 3 pieces of fabric. This is the Rolls of all ties to the world. Our 7 folds old is not to be confused with the modern one. In fact, ours is the original model that was born in the early 1900s. We do it like then. All without any internal and hemmed by hand. In addition we are always the only ones making the ties - always very exclusive - in just 2 pieces of fabric.

I wish I sold  good feelings but I sell insurance.  No sadness without joy - No joy without sadness.  Selling insurance is lot like selling tires  --  It's more a solution to a problem and people want to pay as little as they have to.  It's hard to show off your insurance company -- Unless you have Chubb -- But I digress...

Our tailors are in Naples and only work for us still in their homes. As more than a century ago. Us we finish, and we stretch the check because they must not have defects. The ironing is very important for us, in fact I do it directly. Even the label are strict with ourselves. Then, having many foreign customers we are also able to provide tailor-made vintage ties without disturbing the customer from their office or from home.

Gianna's tie arrives and it's this powerful combination of green, blue, and an orange red that matches a freshly painted guest bedroom.  The tie is a self tipped feather. So much so, that when I make the first loop, I almost expect it to fly away.  Instead of fat heavy silk stuffed with a lining -- this is a silk air mail envelope. Everywhere are hands: Rolled edges, tipping, the keeper...all of it a kind of imperfect perfection.  

Gianni sends another tie along as a surprise.  A simple four fold rep but in cashmere that has softened with time.  I've had a few cashmere ties but nothing this...It's so utterly soft that I decide I must line a closet in cedar just to protect it from the moths.

I'm probably going overboard but I almost always do when I find something that I know is in rare supply. These ties are little pieces of art and as art goes -- They're fairly reasonable at 80 to 120 Euros. Ever since my first non clip-on tie that was issued in the Army, I must have purchased well over 500.  I mean that.  And it's embarrassing to admit, but it has been 36 years.  Frankly, unless you're really clothes mad, you might be a little let down by Gianni's ties.

They are of an aesthetic that you must really appreciate.  You could buy a bunch of J. Crew ties for just one of Gianni's seven folds but everyday I listen to opera I don't understand,  I look at paintings I know nothing about, I drink wine and have no idea what it is -- But I'm  moved by it all and that makes me want to know more. When you get there...you'll know it.

Hello Dear,

Now I can tip the balance.

I think your tie is ready Mondays.

To what address shall I send?

Let me know and thank you for everything,

I can not wait to send it.

Gianni

Gianni Cerutti
Passagio Cravatte 

H. Herzfeld Tie Envelopes

I had never seen a tie envelope before H. Herzfeld.  The brand on the slick cardboard never matched the tie I bought.  Still, Herzfeld made an effort -- Even for the lowly tie -- The most affordable purchase in the store next to socks.  Why I kept these envelopes... I'll never know.  My sub-conscious must've reckoned...I'd  never see one again.

Tatts & Bolos

M Magazine April 1986



"You can make a lot of mistakes with hair because it grows back. It’s tattoos where I would put my foot down. There’s no coming back from that. If my children were to bring it up, I would calmly explain to them that I used to be really into bolo ties. I thought bolo ties were the shit, especially with my long hair. Now imagine a bolo tie you could never take off. That’s a tattoo." Paul Rudd



Thanks to Grantland via Manshit

Humble-Ties

I have a question. I'm a 26 year old working in financial services in New York City. I have a couple Hermes ties and while I love them, they seem too old for me. I also have a number of Vineyard Vines ties but they seem too young. Any ideas? Connor Fused



Dear Con,

You're in a predicament. However, you've provided enough information to work with. A young man (under 35) in an Hermes tie comes off looking, at worse, pretentious -- over reaching at best. Also, older men (over 40) in your office don't like you simply because you're 26. They'll look for anything to disparage and what you wear is an easy target.



I was 21 and driving for a colonel just before I got out of the army. I had known him for about a year, respected him and was flattered he specifically requested me as his driver. Coming out of a G-3 briefing, he climbed into the jeep and said, "Sergeant, I'm so confused I don't know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch." I'll never forget that or what he told me next.



He told me I was a smart ass. Not so much because of what I wore. Except for his rank and C.I.B., our uniforms and footwear matched perfectly. He told me it was how I walked and talked. He also told me that people would either like me or hate me with no in between. I remember sighing a plaintiff, "Jesus, sir?"



Which reminds me of the time a chaplain in the field was chewing me out for my helmet graffiti which read, "Kill a Commie for Christ." This same colonel came to my rescue and told the chaplain that, "...it's his fucking job to kill Commies and if he wants to kill 'em for Christ, that's his business."



I'm getting off track here so let me wind scratch this up. I said, "Jesus, sir?" and the colonel said not to get him wrong. He loved smart asses but he wasn't everyone. He told me, "You need to be humble. I'm not saying you can't be you -- I'm telling you to be humble 'cause you don't need to wave your flag. It's big enough for everyone to see." I thanked him although I have managed to ignore his advice pretty much the whole of my life.



I don't know if you're a fellow smart ass, Con. But I do have some advice. 'Humble' is not a word you associate with Hermes while 'insipid' is what a designer I know calls Vineyard Vines. If you want something with Hermes gravitas while following my colonel's advice for humility, try Ferragamo. Not the shoes. They're not humble. The ties. As elegant as Hermes but not nearly as in-your-face assertive, the Ferragamo tie walks a fine line of understated style and restraint. Grown up but not middle aged. They're not cheap ($170) but women love giving them as gifts while old farts like me will hate you just a little less.



Update: I have just been advised the colonel retired a major general. I'm guessing I should've taken his advice.

Last Shouts of Summer

left to right: Nantucket Classics Madras, Faconnable Flowers, Lilly Pulitzer GTH



Sartorial courage increases with September in sight. Every day of August is like watching 60 Minutes on CBS. Something I look forward to -- but with a ticking dread of Monday. The queasy feeling in my gut remains unchanged 26 years since the last day of school. August colors are my last act of defiance -- the middle finger to Fall.

"Your Huddled Madras Yearning to Breathe Free"

Happy 4th

Keep Your Powder Dry

The Last Tie & Goodbye...

General Knot & Co came to me and asked that I review their ties. I agreed on one condition. That I would not keep them. I've never been a fan of the too narrow or too wide tie. They play hell with jacket lapels and usually wind up in the back of the closet until the width makes a comeback. This is about the only way the fashion industry screws men...save for double monk shoes.

What's unique about General Knot is their use of vintage fabrics. If you see something you best pounce 'cause there ain't gonna be a lot. That can be used as a cynical marketing strategy -- Disney limited DVD releases with the threat of "going back to the vault." Or, a blogger who retires only to come back, retire again and come back, over and over and over.

But General Knot has only so much fabric. Ties are made in runs of 10, 13 or even less. I picked out two. A navy and gold silk 'cause I like navy and gold, and an Hermes lookalike 'cause I'm sick of Hermes ties but still love their soft colors.

I paired both with the Turnbull & Asser blazer and charcoal suit I mentioned yesterday. The darker fabrics help conceal the lapel width while the vintage fabric is rich enough to pair with grown up suiting. It's a contrast I really like.

What I don't like is --Sadly, this is my last post. It's been a great run and I just want to say my decision to retire The Trad comes with the knowledge that, what with the world ending again and everything, I'm going to go work on my golf game.