More wool

Not all wool neckties are heathered solid-color weaves: this plaid tie comes from Basil Elliot in Scotland. (The thickness of wool really puts a bulge all the way around one's collar!)

Et in Arcadia Ego

Today's tie looks like it could be Gene Meyer's take on the diagonal brocaded ties of the 70s, though it's from Italian maker Milano. The row right in the middle that resembles an Islamic arcade takes the design one step beyond pure abstraction. This is another pre-blog favorite that I am happy to wear again at long last.

Ungaro

Here is an old favorite from the pre-blog days, which I have deigned to wear a second time so I can share it with you, Dear Reader. (Though this Ungaro tie actually got a mention in one of my early posts.) I think it looks quite festive with the pattern's resemblance to balloons or flowers.

Don't try to work political unrest into promotional tweets

Kenneth Cole Reaction ("to Gene Meyer", as I have joked before, and will continue to do).

Birds, candles, saints

Astute observers who know of my love for "overlaid stencil" patterns will need just a brief glimpse of this Enrico Capucci tie to guess (correctly) that it's one of my favorites. There are overlapping shapes in cream, brown, and gold, with balancing black space between them in a mod lattice pattern. The shapes themselves are not quite figural, but suggest birds, candles, or haloed saints. Underneath all that is a floral pattern woven into the silk jacquard. I-love-it-I-love-it-I-love-it! I'll not part with this one.

Botanical fantasy

Here is a nice stylized botanical pattern on a "Swing" brand tie, made in the U.S.A. of Italian silk. If the colors would be bolder this would be a standout tie (I have already punched them up a little in GIMP), but their relative dullness makes this a "B" tie at best.

UK Style

Anglophile that I am, I naturally like to dress like an Englishman. Hence this tie ("St. Michael from Marks and Spencer") featuring such icons of Old Blighty as Big Ben and double-decker buses. Tally-ho, guv'nor!

Palimpsest

This design on this extra-wide tie from an unknown maker looks like pick-up sticks, or a bunch of city street maps superimposed on each other. The repeating compass roses support the map theory.

Whatever

Mrs. V. liked this tie (from Echo), but I am indifferent to it. I don't see any particular inspiration in its seemingly random, vaguely rug-like design. At least it gives off an overall cheerful vibe, and that's something, I guess.

Soviet art

Here is the second of Boxelder's four-tie Soviet Art series to be featured on the blog. The first one depicted "Collective Farming," while this tie presents "Naval Shipyards c. 1920's" in a style much like Italian Futurism.

Gel-git

According to master marbler Galen Berry, the pattern on this tie sold by the Smithsonian is called "Gel-git" (hard g's), which is Turkish for "coming and going."

Gloomberg Tempest

The colorful masses of umbrellas on this Jacques Ploenes tie do not seem large or sturdy enough to protect their bearers from the giant raindrops slinging down on them.

Double duty

I am a sucker for cutout patterns that reveal other patterns beneath, like the waves and underlying stripes on this monstrous-sized Juka Spitzenklasse tie of "Dralon 100% Polyacryl." The use of "Spitzenklasse" (top class) indicates a German origin; the use of polyester in such a voluminous amount indicates a 1970-ish vintage.

Candy

Even though there is just as much lavender as there is green in this vintage Pierre Cavet tie, now that I see the picture it is evident that the green stands out more and I should have worn it with a green shirt. I'll have to remember that when this tie comes back to the front of the queue in 2015 or so.

It's just a jump to the left

This is about as far-out as you can get from Ralph Lauren. (Polo)

Wild Style

The Urban Canvas line of neckties aimed to capitalize on the ascendant popularity of graffiti art. I think I prefer the vitality of this classic graffiti style to the arch social commentary that Banksy has steered the medium into.