Pink and Red?

Traditional pundits will tell you that Pink clashes with Red.  Like everything else, its only sometimes correct.

Here are some shots that might debunk that part truth:

The suit is navy, the shirt is light pink, the ties are various shades of reds.  I intentionally chose a deep red square to highlight the red of the ensemble.

The First Tie has red with blue cross stripes, which comes back to the navy suit.



This twill tie might be too red against the pink. (I would love to hear your thoughts)



Better and more subtle is this twill:



Initially I thought this chevron tie may have been too strong, but I think the white breaks it up.



Yes, I know that this tie is NOT red.  But I really liked the way it went with the pink shirt.  Highlighted with the square its a winner.

A Busy Day

Way too tired and drained for much.  To finish the previous ideas I bring you the following shots:

Maybe when I am awake I will post comment.






If you want to know what I was busy with all morning... :-(

(EDIT: Fell asleep last night in the Lazy Boy before I got a chance to upload the photo!!!)

Contrasting with Layers

Sheesh peoples...Is it so hard to comment below or click on the stars above (when you click on the permalink for any  particular post)?  Not asking much here. :-(

Anyway...needing to retake the shots of the cashmere silks (and I should probably retake most of my earlier tie shots) I figured I would incorporate the previous concepts of layering into the shots (and thereby kill two birds with one stone as I could shoot the vests and the ties at the same time).

As mentioned earlier, keep the contrasts coming and use the layer as an aesthetic accessory as well as a practical one.

Results are here.  Interestingly enough I used a NAVY cardigan vest yet it photographed like a black.  Both are acceptable.  The light Blue shirt, Colombo Cashmere vest and the Zig Zag Cashmere Silk tie in Blue and light Brown.



Made up of this:



Here is the squares twill cashmere Silk Tie,  the reverse,  beige vest with a Navy suit.  I like this square in here since the red shocks life into the Navy suit and the gold beige works with the vest. (I know that the square here looks nothing like the link, just dump it into the items that I need to retake folder. :-(  )



Made up of this:

Your Attention Please...

Having opened up a pandoras tie box the other day by introducing the Cashmere/Silk Blends shown in this post, I was asked to pair a few up with the aforementioned swatch.

I kept the Colombo cashmere vests. (did I mention that these vests are only $300.  Pretty durned good for a 1 x 2 cashmere vest with a sublime hand and MOP buttons)  I like them in there but between you and me they dont have to be there to create that buffer I have been speaking about as this suit fabric is textured enough and the tie isnt that fuzzy.  I did swap the beige for a brown which I found to be more of a challenge and not the no brainer the beige was.

This time I also used the cream shirt which was the second request in the letter.

Here are some results (If you notice I substituted the burgundy square for a green floral paisley. As I have mentioned before there are probably close to if not 9 different colors in those squares:




Not a wool blend but sufficiently textured to allow this tie to belong in this post.


Now with the blue shirt.  I don't know what your monitor shows but the reality of this ensemble is that it works.  The tungsten lighting is making the blue more royal than it should.



So Mark...Do I have your attention yet?

 

Before and After

As promised (I think a first for me) , here are two shots that clearly illustrate how the layering piece buffers and transitions between a smooth fabric and a textured one.  In the first pic, the tie looks in place.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="460" caption="With Layer"][/caption]

In the second, the tie looks like it doesn't belong.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="460" caption="Without Layer"][/caption]

Enjoy the weekend.

The Buffer Zone

Another added benefit when layering is that it creates a buffer between a smooth fabric and a textured tie.  Ordinarily one would try and avoid mixing and matching textures but here you get some leeway being that the layer creates a buffer between fabrics and textures.

Here are some visuals. (The first two ties are less of an issue as even though they are cashmere blends since they have a fine finish.  The third also is not that big a deal as its a thicker weave.  Tomorrow though I will add some additional pics to further illustrate as well as to show what it looks like with and without the layer).

I rather like the effect that this cashmere blended tie gives the ensemble, with its strong contrast against the vest.



This burgundy cashmere silk blend gives a soft introduction of color into the set.



A knitted woven burgundy tie goes a little more bold and further illustrates the point, as its got texture. Technically one could get away with this kind of knit with a smooth finished wool. Definitely so if it was a silk.

Form and Function

Form and Function.  The two words that architects grapple with, playing the art and the practical side in projects against each other.  Ideally, as the architectural  adage goes  "Form follows Function".

Bringing it home, in matters sartorial layering is important for its practical benefits as well as its aesthetic benefits.

Virtually any layering piece will accomplish the former (function) whereas it takes a little thought to accomplish the latter(Form).

Here is a midnight navy suit, with a light blue shirt, a beige Colombo cashmere vest and a brown and navy cashmere/silk weave tie.  To throw some color in I added a bright red square.



Which is made up of this.



To tone down the square yet still introduce some color, try this floral square which has the burgundy and some of the beige and grey tones:



Made up of this:

In Tribute to Charles Schulz

I admit it.  I dont do Holloween.  That being said I always felt bad for Linus waiting up for the "Great Pumpkin", his Halloween version of Santa Claus.



IN advance of the 31st, here is a little something for those that do Holloween.

A Black cardigan with Grey Check shirt and Black taffeta tie with textured stripes.

Charcoal or Black Pants would work here as well as jeans.



Have fun and be safe.

A Letter of Recommendation

Today I received a letter of recommendation.  Well, it was not in the usual sense but it was a letter with an enclosed fabric swatch sent from way up North (North West to be precise) with a request for a Tie recommendation.

The fabric was a glen plaid flannel, a rather rich heavy cloth, to be used in an academic setting with a blue or beige or white shirt.  Both, Boring and Bold ties were acceptable so long as they werent with a "shiny" finish.

Here are some looks that I though worked.  A strong navy tie might also work here to give a bit of a pop.

For the squares, I alternated two squares depending on the tie and what it brought out.  Not having a pocket I was forced to present the layout as you see it.  Additionally as I started with some new Marinella stock (38 New Ties)  I hesitated to actually knot the tie and having begun that way, thats the way the post continued.

Readers will know my feelings on the versatility of grey and where it works so this post should in no way limit ones choices.

Oh and Mark...when you read this...thanks for your nice words.

Starting off with a really beautiful Marinella in Brownish grey with blue mini flowers, and to add some color to the jacket I used the burgundy square.  Again, for the rest I will let the pictures do the bulk of the talking.

Two New Changes

Greetings all!  I trust you are all enjoying the weekend.

Two minor changes to the blog (or related)

1)  You can now rate each post.  Please do.  With close to 200 views daily I would like to hear what people think.  Click on any post (you dont get to rate them unless you are in that particular post and you will see the rating stars at the top of the post.  I will eventually move it to the bottom where it makes the most sense but meanwhile so you notice it its up there.

2) FIHTies (and this blog) have joined Twitter, so you can get updates sent to your phone when I post.   Follow us at www.Twitter.com/FIHTies  We will post sale and new merchandise info there as well.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

A Browner Brown

So that the non believers don't think that this Brown, Blue Pink thingie is limited to a really dark brown I show the following few shots:



The light blue worked with the pink shirt but it did not work well with the light blue shirt.



And for the truly sporty at heart here ya go:

More Brown Suits

Brown works with blue (In both Shades shown, the lighter and the darker).

Brown works with Pink

Pink works with Blue. = Brown works with Pink and Blue.  (pardon the brevity, I am swamped at work.)

(The square has a bunch of colors that all work together, greens, pinks and fuscia as well)

Going Green

Hey, its the latest rage.  Everyone talks about going green and saving the planet.  But I got a request about how do you go green in the literal sense without looking like this fellah and people expecting you to take their garbage?



My feeling is that the key to avoiding the very green look is to get away from anything green in the tie. Any additional green you have is going to highlight and underscore that you are wearing a green suit.

Here are some ideas from the FIH thinktank. For color purposes not having a deep green jacket I used a green scarf.

As usual I welcome any and all comments.

This first illustrates the concept that if you have any green it merely highlights the green in the suit so while the blue shirt pulls the eye and mind away from the green of the suit, the blue and Green tie yanks it right back.



I like the gold with pink here which works on the blue and takes it further than the shirt alone.  It gets better with the browns and Burgundies though as you will soon see.  Incidentally I dont think that you get the effect with a cream shirt which works but not enough to draw away from the suit.  Pink is just too "fruity".  The square has it all, the brown, the beige the burgundy and a splash of royal blue.


Not quite gold, the tie is a beige which also works.  From here on in I will let the pics do the talking and only contribute when I have something really poignant to say.



Here burgundy takes over.  Too much Burgundy is no good, highlights and accents of Burgundy work well IMO.




A burgundy Brown tie with Blue in the flower.  Nice!


An all Burgundy with a change in the square for color shock.  Its growing on me ;-)


Changing the shirt for a burgundy stripe and back to the tie from before.