Sunday, July 8, 2012

Curses!! Foiled again.


There are quests, and then there are Quests. I've worn fewer bow ties lately, their place taken by an array of striped silk square bottomed knit ties. What used to be called Rooster ties.



The ties above are place holders for what I've set as my ultimate goal, a navy and white or black and white stripe number as worn by the always elegant Mr. Barbera in the first photo (taken by the Sartorialist)

In my mind's eye the navy (or black) stripe would be the perfect accompaniment to most of my summer suits. Admittedly, I haven't broken into a sweat searching, but I've yet to find it among the low hanging fruit. What I did find is the photo below taken at the Henley Regatta last weekend. The photo shows members of a rowing club in matching club ties and blazers. The b**t**ds are wearing my tie.

photo by Tim Jenkins

There is just enough Hail Britannia in me to give me pause before wearing the club colours of an active club to which I do not belong. Hemingway wrote about F. Scott Fitzgerald with such a dilemma in "A Moveable Feast".

"I kept on observing Scott. He was lightly built and did not look in awfully good shape, his face being faintly puffy. His Brooks Brothers clothes fitted him well and he wore a white shirt with a button-down collar and a Guard’s tie. I thought I ought to tell him about the tie, maybe, because they did have British in Paris and one might come into the Dingo [bar] – there were two there at the time – but then I thought the hell with it and looked at him some more. It turned out later he had bought the tie in Rome." via Clothes in Books

Even though the club members will never know, and no one I'm ever in contact with will ever
know the tie's origins, I'll know. Probably won't stop me from buying it though.

Toad

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE and adore those ties of yours, I too have a fondness for striped sq-bottom knit ties. It is so bloomin hot out there today, I love having an indoor scan/seek project like finding your tie. I'm on it!

-Flo

Toad said...

It was 109 and pouring rain last evening. The heat may have broken for now. If so I'll send relief to all in need or want.

Anonymous said...

Holy smoke, I just got started. I'm gonna keep looking cause this is so much fun; it might be too skinny, but here's for openers:

http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/H.-Luzzario-Co-Mens-Silk-Navy-Striped-Knit-Tie/5596997/product.html

Toad said...

Perfect, but out of stock

Anonymous said...

Undauanted.

Here's another tragic dead end:

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/grande-stripe-knit-tie

Picking up language as I go, though. Grande stripe. Old School Stripe. Rugby Stripe. Breton Stripe.....

2Stoics said...

You look very dashing indeed. I've wanted one of these forever. It's time!

Anonymous said...

Your back-up plan:

http://www.paulstuart.com/product_info.cfm?ProdID=5025&ProdCatId=1002&MainCatId=14&HEADERMENUID=1&SUBPRODCATID=2060

You get the one in the middle; purchase a navy or black permanent marker; take the tie and the marker to alchemist, and ask that the green panels be marked over/dyed with navy or black.

Onward, undeterred.

Toad said...

Or I could learn to knit...

Old Polo said...

The nerve of those weevils, wearing your tie! I say "the hell with it" and go ahead and wear it yourself...if you can find one. Good luck in your endeavor.

Scott Alexander said...

http://www.paulfredrick.com/Catalog/PFProductDetails.aspx?rootcat=2|Ties&rcount=1&refinement1=STRING|Clearance|Yes&Category=CLNeckties&ProductId=TPG2016&Color=undefined&rev=1

Perhaps not quite what you're looking for.. but not bad.

Anonymous said...

"Perhaps not quite what you're looking for.. but not bad."

No, not bad at all!

This one's partway there, but looks a little too cheesy:

http://www.thetiebar.com/tie-bar-product.asp?pn=22537&orderPageReturn=%2FcategoryPages%2FAll_Ties.asp&pg=0&categoryIds=31,62,16&optionValueIds=

Anonymous said...

A dish, a Q-tip, a weak solution of clorox, patience, and this tie:

http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12561202

Anonymous said...

Frustrating!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Club-Room-Striped-Color-Knit-Neckwear-Thin-Neck-Tie-NWT-/190469698750

Toad said...

You can now see why i've been searching for ages

Anonymous said...

We need MegTown on this.

-F

Pigtown*Design said...

Assignment accepted. I actually have a tie that I bought this year, when we did our tie drive at my old job. It's a BB horizontal striped job with shields on it. i was planning to remake it into a sash. WIll send pix.

xo

Rich Spen said...

Variations on a theme, http://www.woodsofshropshire.co.uk/shop/silk-ties/knitted-ties-silk-knitted-ties

Rich Spen said...

Better, but http://www.michelsons.com/retail-home.php?data_id=2368

Toad said...

Rich you may have picked a winner. It's very close to what I have in mind.

In the mean time I've asked my rowing contacts for the name of the team in the photo. Something may come from that as well.

Toad said...

Does $600 sound extreme?

http://www.oldcollegeties.com

Anonymous said...

The distinctive thing about Mr. Barbera's tie, it's not skinny. That's why I was thinking Meg might come across a vintage tie with a little more distinctive width to it.

Love these leads you've gotten. I went looking for the name of that rowing team as well, looked and looked. Might know you'd have an inside contact! From rowing contacts to a young Finn, spanning the globe, giving your great big heart to the internet for free. We thank you.

-Flo

Anonymous said...

So close, wrong blue, dadgummit.

http://www.swaggerandswoon.com/product_info.php/horizontal-wide-striped-knitted-square-end-tie-p-5301

Toad said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Toad said...

The tie lives here: http://www.oldcollegeties.com

I just need 19 confederates to keep from being murdered in my own home

Anonymous said...

"The tie lives here"

Done.

Step aside Ralph and Ricky, here come Mr. and Mrs. T.

For the lady:

http://us.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=34072&storeId=13065&productId=5725373&langId=-1&cmpId=&viewAllFlag=false&sort_field=Relevance&beginIndex=1&pageSize=20&categoryId=339720&parent_categoryId=339496&_$ja=tsid:34094|prd:QFGLnEolOWg&cmpid=aff_ls_us&siteID=QFGLnEolOWg-oww3SkJHkXPy1Jz.jugO6g