It's a fairly special occasion for me to happen across even one of these vintage embroidered go-to-hell ties, but four in one day? Unheard-of.Here are some close-ups, from good to better to best, in my opinion.
A true New England classic, the red lobster motif on hunter green ground,
A true goofball New England classic, smiling whales, possibly drunk, on a maroon ground,
Now we get a bit esoteric. A navy tie with a pattern of gentlemen gentry on horseback, alternating with highly detailed embroidered hounds,Stand back for the winner,
British "Red Coats",
versus the Minutemen of Massachusetts. Hands off, and stop drooling. I think I have to keep this one.From all the right kind of long gone legendary places:
"The Coop", i.e. the Harvard Co-operative Society. Once known for it's men's department and formidable collection of jazz and classical records, as well as its magnificent bookstore. The Coop is now owned by Barnes and Noble, and mostly sells sweatshop made made Harvard souvenirs to the parents of the new money savages who of late have infiltrated its hallowed halls.
The Crimson Shop, another long gone Harvard stalwart. I find it hard to even conceive of a time when a college campus had a network of satellite stores selling this stuff. When did the admittedly ambiguous age of 21 shift from leaning more toward adulthood than childhood?
Rivetz of Boston. I can't find a damn thing on the web about this place, but I remember when I worked at Simon's the older guys were known to hold Rivetz in especially high regard. Like "He shops at Rivetz" meant "he knows his stuff. Tread lightly."
And of course, what does the original owner of these ties buy as a souvenir of his vacation? A Lobster necktie that smacks of coastal New England, of course.Stop by the the Top Shelf Flea in May. I've also got all the suits, jackets, pants, shirts and shoes to compliment these ties. Plus, I'll be listening to jazz records on a plastic portable and drinking beer, ready for a good conversation.
p.s. there's this new blog called Styleite. In recent article on best menswear blogs, I was christened the godfather of the hipster thrift shoppers. While most of the hipsters I know tend to wear excessively tight jeans and dress like lumberjacks, with the occasional ironic reference to ugly bygone fashions of the early 1990s, I'm gonna go ahead and take that as a compliment. As old as I feel most of the time, maybe I am actually still kinda young. Thanks, Styleite.
