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 Morning Suit - All Dressed Up With No Place to Go

One can hope the royal wedding brings back more than hats. My Morning Suit has been cobbled together piece by piece over many years. The Henry Poole coat was cut by Angus Cundey in 1992 and purchased second hand from the owner in 2001.

The raw silk cravat and three waistcoats, all Favourbrook, were found at an Off 5th outlet in Orlando. The trousers were purchased at Hornets. I have no idea if any of it will ever see a wedding in the states. My only hope may be Ascot.

There are rules (tomorrow) but there's room for creativity in waistcoats, shirts and ties. The first option is double cuff spread collar shirt, purple cravat and lavender waistcoat. A bit daring. I might be confused for someone who works in advertising.

The same shirt is paired with a brown lapel waistcoat and Hermes ice fishing tie. I don't get it either but it works. If asked, one can always claim ignorance of any significance. The English will assume you're being coy and, if they get drunk enough, they'll tell you what it means.

The Hermes Griffin tie is paired with a blue double cuff shirt and silver waistcoat. Very boring insurance-man, lunch at Ball Brothers, Renault company car, looking, but showing some flair - albeit mostly in the vest.

The Chanel Porpoise tie with the same blue shirt and waistcoat is my favorite for a London wedding. It's very old and chances are I won't run into it. Not that I won't run into someone on the dance floor.

I read that in the 18th Century American colonists were savagely criticized for their apparel choices when visiting London by the natives. Nothing much has changed there. Still, they may give you some credit for making the effort and for loving their traditions.