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.
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44 comments:
Baby...Please don't go... My work will surely suffer, as I will actually be doing work, rather than experiencing the wonderful diversions via The Trad. Best of luck with what comes next and thank you.
-Patrick
Noooooooooooooooooooo!
What!? This is terrible news. Not only have I just put OC and Stiggs on my queue, but the Golf Foxtrot nailed it w/ a Mercer shirt for x-mas. Crap. Now who's gonna tell me how to spend my money?
So long, tintin. Have fun on the links.
I felt this coming, and I don't like it, but ...c'est la guerre.
I would love to buy you lunch sometime in NYC. This blog, while I found it late, has been great and I would hope that I could somehow explain to you why it had such relevence for me. In trade, I tell you all about the demise of the Canadian Airborne Regt.
All the best
Cheers!
Oyster Guy
I've only been reading your blog for a handful of months, but it's become one of my favorites and I've found time to read through all of your old posts. I'll miss your wit, your taste, and your style.
I hope you'll leave up the blog, even if you no longer post anything.
Goodbye, and good luck with the golf game!
What sad news... The Trad will be sorely missed.
Good luck on the links.
happy trails - enjoyed reading your thoughts.
If it's true, thanks for your contribution to society and actually doing this "style blogging" thing better than anyone else. Also, make sure to leave it up.
If it's a friendly jab to the man in the very warm Scottish woven sport coat, then well, a light chuckle to you, sir.
I hope this isn't true--this has been my favorite blog by a wide margin. You've done amazing work here. I think you're "Mr. Hoy's Strainer" post was one of the best things I've read online.
That's too bad, you will be missed. Good luck on the golf game.
Ummmm, this is a joke, right? The so-called (and aforementioned) retiring from the blog only to return and return and return.....
Rats. You leave some poor imitations in your wake. What could replace The Friday Belt?
You will be missed.
Onwards and upwards. (But shouldn't this have been announced somewhere in the vicinity of a well-stocked bar?! And where will I find sarcasm and dry wit now?)
I've enjoyed your blog immensely.
Perhaps we will hear from you
again, sometime.
Nonononono.
Damn.
Who the hell will make Michael from ACL keep it real?
Golf? I hope you're kidding. I don't like the way this sounds. Maybe a vacation or a bottle of Sagrantino would help? I'll send you some (wine, not vacation).
Best of luck, I will definitely miss your sense of humor - and thanks for the introduction to the dark and stormy way back in 2009, I don't know how I'd cope otherwise.
Brandon
alla hopp, ade mol. bitch.
NOOOO! Don't do it! Or maybe, wishful thinking here, this is a Heavy Tweed Jacket thing, and you'll come back periodically? Or an ADG thing, and you're not really retiring at all? A boy can dream...
John - while it makes me sad to see you go, I have to wish you best and hope that you make the most of your new-found time. Be it absolutely nothing, or 72 holes of golf each weekend. Hopefully if you choose the latter you head south.
Be well my friend.
Chris
Thanks for everything.
First off, very sad to see you 'retire' from this blog has it has been a great one!
However, you are ending on a good note. These ties are right up my alley as I'm a fan of floral-patterned ties and the fact that the fabric is vintage makes them even more enticing!
Hope the retirement doesn't last long!
As perhaps the first commenter on this blog, I hope that I am not the last. I have enjoyed your blog for sometime, particularly the clever and intertwined stories you painted in certain posts.
I hope that after a suitable sabbatical and some of Longwing's wine, you will feel the urge to write again in the future.
Tintin,
Sad to hear that it is over. I just spent the last few months browsing through your back posts. I always felt like your voice was a stark counterpoint to the majority of people writing about ties and booze. Like you mentioned in an old interview, the clothes were just a vessel for telling the story. A way of glancing backward before moving ahead. We allow our memories to shape us, wear them almost like clothes--"The Trad" was a way of taking pleasure in doing just that.
I understand what it feels like when a project is done. It's better to end it officially than to let it linger. Better for all parties in the end I suppose.
I had a Trad Dad of my own who is long gone now. The tone of your posts always reminded me of him. Funny to be choked up over a blog.
Thanks for everything.
Drew.
You will be missed.
Wow! Sad news. Thanks for the fun. Your site felt like a great boy's club (where only the cool girls were allowed in) I'm frequently in the city and would love to buy you a drink or three.
Tin:
It's been a great run.
I appreciate the shots on us philly guys, the dry humor, and information.
You introduced me to Mercer shirts, real khakis, and Lillie's nuts, which are by the way, a News Year's Eve tradition for the past three years now. In addition, you turned my eye to some great beverages.
Luckily, I found your blog three years ago. Sadly, three years has passed rather quickly.
Again, thanks for everything. You've run a high caliber blog for some years now, unrivaled by many. You will be sadly missed.
I hope to run into you in Philly, or NYC.
--Matthew
Like all above, I'm very sorry to see you go -- I've been reading The Trad for years. Your posts are always interesting, well-written, and tell an honest story. Hard to come by two, let alone all three.
Don't be ashamed to come out of retirement if the golf course gets boring.
checks calendar... not 01 april... please don't be serious!!
Tintin,
Say it ain't so! April 1st is a few months away. I'm dubious, but if this is true, best of luck and thank you.
Golf, January, NYC... I hope you're off to the Bahamas old man! I'll look for you or your GTH pants at the Windmere island club.
Thanks for the rants/raves and godspeed. Jack.
A Dear John letter? Bad news for us.
"What with the world ending and everything..." Did any of you read the post? Huh? Anyone? Raise your hands...
I did...I caught the world ending thing and thought you were just pulling our leg...especially the long ones (ha!) Will be sitting holding my breath to see if there is more Tradville in my future. And there better be, gosh darn it. You are the only guy I know who thinks bold patterned paisley & Hudson Scotch Whiskey are the bomb, and we few must stick together...;)
I felt I was fairly flippant in my goodbye.
Gentleman Mac-
Now that's a gentlemanly thing to say. Besides, I love Flip. Especially when he'd wear a dress.
if you still have this tie you can send it over my way... i just checked their site and saw its sold out!
Wacky bastard...if retire, come back, retire wasn't clue enough. Work on your golf game? Hillarious! Hey, the navy & gold silk is "Sold Out". Since you don't want it, how about sending it my way? If would look even more narrow draped down my width. I'll send it back when it's in style again. Or out of style again...whatever.
TRB- Send me a BOR and I'll send you both ties.
You can't be serious Tintin...and with the new movie out and all. So what brought this on? Writer's block, nervous exhaustion, too many martinis? Sorry to see you go. Surely you're not serious about St Augustine. All those old guys in socks and sandals. Ah well good luck wherever you go.
The ties btw are fairly hideous.
Tin: You can't retire. How 'bout you dictate your musings to a Miss Moneypenny who can be trained to post for you? You have captured the truest elements of style and authenticity of all things taste in every post since I found The Trad a few years ago. I had never read a blog before hearing about The Trad. You are an exceptional writer with incredible nuance. For those of us who get the joke and things that matter in the closet, apres ski, on foot, behind the the bar, on the cuffs, on the road etc, you have engendered a real kinship that is going to be missed. I vote that your followers pool together and rent a Trad restaurant for a blowout dinner and night of Trad reminiescence and laughs. Pick a date in the Spring and let us thank you the way you deserve to be thanked. Name the place and we will rally.
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