Grenadine In Context

Same outfit as the last photo.  I forget where I got that linen pocket square, but it's just thin enough that it takes on a life of its own.  It has a way of working itself out of the pocket and poofing, then falling over a bit.

And see what a lovely knot the grenadine makes!

At Last, Grenadine

It's no secret that I'm a cheap dresser who thinks things into the ground before buying.  Nor am I free of the intonations of the menswear bloggers, who tend to all suggest a navy grenadine tie.  Drakes makes them for $100+, but I get vertigo just thinking about spending that much on a tie, no matter how useful.

Enter The Knottery's navy grenadine tie.  (The discoloration in the middle of the shot is an artifact of my camera.)  TK has been around for a while, but their ties are so popular that they tend to sell out really fast.  This time, I got on the waitlist and so was ensured one.  As promised, it has a lot of texture-based personality.  Contrasting textures can make a relatively monochromatic outfit much more interesting, and for this, it fits the bill perfectly.

Outfit photos to come.

Red, And More Red

Back when it was really cold, I wore my ebayed Gieves & Hawkes DB peak-lapel 2x2 keystone suit (pattern here) with an ebayed LL Bean red cardigan (basically Mr. Rogers's famous red sweater but with buttons) and that fun bowtie with the red reverse (not my first experiment with that, either). 

Maybe I'm overselling my own theory of clothing, and you'd have to ask my coworkers how they felt about the outfit, but I think even a Mister Rogers sweater can be appropriate in context.  A DB jacket and a bowtie tends to say, "Why, yes, I did this on purpose," not, "Why, yes, this is my first rodeo.  How could you tell?" 

That said, I wouldn't wear this particular outfit before Christmas.  Holiday outfits--even those famous Ralph Lauren red tartan Christmas trousers--are an extremely dicey affair, requiring sensitivity at an atomic level to one's partygoers' personalities.