Conglomeration Block

I had a little trouble trying to figure out what to conglomerate today. That's why I kept it simple. Navy sportcoat, of course, and a light blue broadcloth, straight collar shirt.

The necktie is a Brooks Brothers navy, gold and royal stripe. It's a "346" which is supposed to be a little better than their "Basics" line. Maybe it has a thicker lining or something. It's knotted four-in-hand to keep with the simplicity theme for a finally a Friday.

Black and Tan

The sportcoat is a black, tan and white tick (I think that's what "They" call it). I've had it for a really long time. It's a Robert Stock and I couldn't even begin to try and remember where I got it or when. The lapels look pretty big on it.

The dress shirt is the off white (ecru, says the catalog) pinpoint oxford, straight collar. A little too much starch in the collar this time around.

The necktie is a Ferrell Reed, City of London. It's a black background with gold criss-crossing over the top of the black. Ferrell Reed makes pretty nice neckwear but the City of Londons are a notch above, in my opinion. I'm not sure they even make them anymore. The widths and the general look of the ones that I have tend to suggest that they're several years old. I've liked them for quite some time and have purchased several from Ebay vendors. They're usually pretty cheap too.

Three Patterns, One Conglomeration

Today's conglomeration is three different patterne put together. "They" say you can have two of the same pattern together so long as the patterns are different sizes. For instance, a wide striped necktie with a fine line dress shirt. I decided to try three different patterns. I don't know if the solid sportcoat classifies as a pattern though.

Today's dress shirt is a spread collar, non-iron black and gray check. It's a pinpoint oxford weave. It's also the first check dress shirt that I have owned. I like it enough that I'm going to get more.

The necktie is from Paul Fredrick. The stripes are black, gray, silver and white. It's knotted in a half Windsor. That does kind of depend on who calls it that though.

Tan Tuesday?

I guess so. The tan camel hair again today. I've got a couple more sportcoats that ought to be ready any day now. They're both solids too -- one gray and one brownish color. Hopefully those will make their first appearance on Thursday and Friday. I've noticed a few places on the net that say it's OK, in fact fashionable, to wear your pinstripe suit coat with trousers other than those that complete the suit. Maybe I'll try that someday. One thing is sure, though. I need a little more color or variety or pattern or something in my coats.

The dress shirt is a French blue, non-iron, broadcloth point collar. I think I'm going to stop buying the colored non-irons. The collar points tend to wear out first and show white while the rest of the shirt is still perfectly fine. I don't have that problem with my other, regular, colored dress shirts.

The necktie is a Talbott Best of Class. Another Ebay purchase. It's got a somewhat tan background (if there really is a background color on this one) with different shades of brown and blue throughout. Four-in-hand knot again today. Yes, I guess it is boring and I should try some of those other knots that I posted yesterday.

Blue Monday

Navy blue, that is. The navy sportcoat got worn yet again today. I conglomerated it with a white straight collar pinpoint dress shirt. The necktie is another Jos A. Bank Signature Collection number. I got it online from Jos A. Bank but for an extremely reduced price of about $20. It's got a purple background that's woven to look like tonal stripes. Over the top of that it's got multi-colored stripes that go diagonally in the other direction.

It's a pretty cool tie that I wore for the first time today. It was a little thin to fill in the tie space so I tied it in a Prince Albert knot. That's the same as a four-in-hand with one extra wrap around the front. It bulks up the knot a bit but it also elongates it too. I like the way it worked out with this necktie.

Ever wonderd how many tie knots there are? Try this site for a few more. They call today's knot the Victoria. Brooks Brothers' site calls it the Prince Albert. I'm not sure whether I'd rather it be named after a female or a male. So long as it's named after royalty, I guess?

Double Dipping Church Services

I did go to church today. Twice, in fact. How goofy is that? I'm trying to find some place to attend regularly because.... Well, because.

For church I dressed it up a bit and went with a full-on suit. Yup, the pants matched the coat. Clever, eh? I got the suit at Dillards which is a department store. I honestly don't know how widespread they are. The brand is Austin Reed. Not that I know what that means. It's a navy pinstripe that looks pretty keen, I think. It's the only three button coat I own.

I went with a basic blue spread collar dress shirt. The necktie is the one I bought with the suit. It's a burgundy color with blue goemetric shapes on it and some white too It is a Roundtree and York by brand name. This is the first time I've worn the conglomeration with anything other than a white shirt. Fancy that! Oh, and I tied it in a half Windsor knot. It's too bulky a tie to go with anything more than that. Personally, I think all ties are too bulky to go with a full Windsor. But that's just me. Michael Irvin would probably argue that but at least my neckwear ends up being the proper length after it's knotted.

After the second service I took a new suit that I just bought to get it all measured up to fit me. It's a pretty expensive Jos A Bank number from their Signature line. The original price was about $800 but I got it for about $150. It's a charcoal pinstripe and I can't wait to wear it for the first time. Problem is that it won't be ready for another two weeks or so.