Scavenging the scavenged

This past weekend, I saw that there was an estate sale going on at a house in a nice area of my city, but put off going as it was on the opposite side of town from me and none of the clothing sizes listed seemed like they would fit.

Through sheer luck, I happened to be in that same area on the second day of the sale (when everything was 50-75% off), and decided to swing in just for the heck of it. I was immediately bummed that I hadn't gone a day early.

First up, I found not only 6 great belts, but a nice little wooden and brass hanger to hold them (and others which have been hanging over doorknobs in my bedroom).



When I got home, I realized that the two on the right were too small for me, but I think they'll fit a friend of mine (holla skoolbus39!).

At any rate, I also found the eternal accessories, which fit regardless of clothing size; Yes, that's right, I bought more ties.

First up is a couple nice repp ties. Both vintage and 100% silk.

This one in particular caught my eye due to the bad-ass tag. Royal Irish 4th Dragoon Guards? Damn!

Obviously, they weren't out wearing silk neckties on the battlefield, but the color scheme is based on their uniforms. Like I said above, pretty cool.



At any rate, I also found the two following knit ties. The burnt orange one is 100% wool and the chunky maroon knit is 55% mohair and 45% wool. I can always use more of these.



Total spent at the sale was $6, with some pangs of sadness that I hadn't hit it a day earlier. If I had been a shorter fellow, I could have made out like even more of a bandit, as there were still loads of Sero oxfords, wool sweaters, and other interesting items for $1 - $2 each. Crazy times.

After hitting the sale, I came up with an idea for a feature that I'll plan on launching sometime later this week on this site. It's going to be a bit more community-based and I think it will be pretty fun. Stay tuned. You'll want to.

Tie bonanza (part 2)!

It was just a couple months ago when I ran across one of my best tie scores ever. That day, I took home over 14 ties at $2 apiece and was beaming at how many new options I had.

In the midst of an insanely hot and busy summer (the main reason I haven't been posting too often), I recently ran across a huge score of ties that puts the aforementioned haul to shame.

Honestly, I have a hard time even knowing where to start, but I will just say right off the bat that in one fell swoop I purchased 42 ties. The insane part of it all was that they were a mere 10 cents each...

I guess I should start.

First up is a beautiful red, white, and blue silk number from Italy. The bottom is a bit frayed, but I don't care. It's awesome.

Bright red vintage 100% wool tartan. I needed one of these.

A huge, square-end linen tie in check pattern.

Dark blue textured 100% silk tie. Still has the original $5 price tag on it.

Vintage Abercrombie & Fitch tie, back from when they were still awesome. Has VL&A initials on tag, which stands for Von Lengerke & Antoine. According to my resources, that should date it to approximately 1958-1962.

And really, the above ties are just the beginning. There were also a handful of Brooks Brothers, several Hermes, and a couple Gucci ties, all from the early to mid 80s or so. The rest were all from the late 50s - early 70s or so, and at this point my tie storage area is completely overflowing.

More and different posts to come soon, I promise.

Vintage ties: The skinnies

In what will probably be my last vintage tie post (see also: square ends, hand-painted, geometric and space age, and novelty prints) for awhile, I'm going to break out my favorite skinny ties. I've noticed this style in particular coming back into the forefront lately, largely I'm sure due to the success of Mad Men, but I've had a thing going for these ties for many moons before that show was a thought (and to be honest, I've still never seen an episode).

Without any further fanfare, I present the ties!

This silk number is embroidered in several different colors (well, pink and white anyway) with undetermined shapes that are eye-catching without being gaudy.

This understated black silk number is art deco all the way. 4 simple boxes filled in with white, this one reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright for some reason.

Simple black silk with an embroidered triple line racing strip down the middle and a nice starburst near the point in white and orange. Fall, all the way

Technically, this one could have landed in my aforementioned collection of hand-painted numbers, but the tiny additions to this red diagonal print are so subtle they're almost not there. Very nice.

Army green silk tie with a black box damask fade. Totally killer.

I've noticed that a good portion of my older sharkskin and/or silk ties have at the very least some sort of minor embroidery on them. This one is no different, with a ivy and lantern (?) pattern that wobbles its way up the middle.

Another art deco style motif, this one is subtle and nice as well, with shades of gray and hints of light mint green that keeps it from being too somber.

Not sure that this is my favorite, but it's among them. A dark blue silk number with an army green check box damask that not only fades near the point, but has a clean line cut out near the left edge. Kind of a tricky color combination, but it totally cracks when added to the lineup.

Hrm, my next post is already number 50 since starting this thing. Time to start thinking...

Vintage ties: Geometric and space age

One massive project should be largely on the books next week and things should return a bit more to normal around here for me. To keep some sort of new content going, though, let me present the third in a series of posts that feature some of my more interesting vintage ties (click here for hand-painted or here for the novelty numbers).

I haven't counted my tie collection lately, but I do know that it's almost completely out of control. I have a small rack with arms to hold 36 ties, and there are a minimum of 3 times on each arm, with more draped across the top and some rolled up on my dresser. It's madness, and I need to figure out some better storage, although color-scanning everything in one glance is still fairly easy.

At any rate, this is a group (and again, there are many more in this grouping, these are just my particular favorites) of geometric and / or space age inspired designs. At this point, it probably goes without saying that these were all thrift store or garage sale finds and the most that was paid for any individual tie was $4 (with most clocking it at $2 or less).

Although this one has a swirl damask, dark red and navy cubist shapes rule the day.

If I had to guess where my love of the blue/brown color pairing came from, it would probably trace back to azure spring skies and plowed fields ready for being planted. This tie brings them both together and looks great with a blue and white striped oxford and any number of configurations that go with it.

Flesh-colored ties are a hard egg to crack in terms of working them into a wardrobe and this is no different. Still, I can't deny my love for the design.

Bright red offset with some some blue and white swirls that flare with ribbon ends. Another odd combination in the design, but this one works with so many outfits.

I lovingly refer to this one as my, "Old-school blackjack dealer tie" and I think the title fits. Crisp red and black diamonds in a larger diamond pattern with a dark green tip and diamond damask. Worn with caution.

This would probably be a fairly conservative tie without the two blue swoops, but they're also what give it a real dynamic feel. Another tie that goes with a lot of different combinations, this is one of the ties that led to me starting the collection I have now.

Found at the same time as the previous tie, this Eames-era esque design was sort of an early inspiration and still one of my favorites.

Super simple design that just works and works. The two circles with red just pop and the tie in general is a classic.

Vintage ties: The novelty

Now that I've tweaked the blog to show bigger pictures in a much nicer way, I figured I might as well let loose with another tie post or two. Within this collection, I have an absolute boat-load of what one might call, "novelty" prints, and these are some of my favorites. There are a variety of print styles and fabric below, and I enjoy them all for different reasons.

Insanely detailed print of France with the Arc de Triomphe, a double decker bus, ladies with umbrellas, and probably a Citroen. :)

Actually a bit more on the subdued side. Juicy browns and reds with a nice windowpane print.

If you can't tell by now, I have a lot of red ties. This is another one that's a bit on the loud side, but also works for fall just fine.

Featured in this post from awhile back. Shiny, shiny.

Very cool pattern that makes for a flat-colored knot with a lot of design on the tails.

Professor: What's another name for a pirate's treasure?

This goes perfect with a cream-colored shirt on a spring day. Is it a feather or a leaf? The world may never know.

I've seen a load of monogrammed shirts and ties in my day, but have never found another with the initial of my last name printed on the fabric. Of course I'm going to buy the damn thing.

More inspired posts soon, when my tornado of work slows to a mere dust storm.