| Fashion critiques are often informative and | | | | |
| short enough to scan while you're at the | | | | Check and striped ties don't have to be |
| breakfast table, or waiting for the train. | | | | considered conservative. It's all about |
| Aimed at those who are on the move, they | | | | colour pattern and texture and doing |
| reveal just enough information to prompt | | | | something out of the ordinary, without going |
| further investigation. A recommendation is | | | | overboard. Here is an example; definitely out |
| worth more than a thousand flashy | | | | of the ordinary, definitely light on |
| advertisements. Our prime motivation in | | | | conservatism |
| writing is to promote budding fashion | | | | |
| designers. To this end we employed modern PR | | | | "To be different" Polka dots, you can't go |
| tactics such as bloging to attract an | | | | wrong and the variations of, texture, |
| audience unreachable without the services of | | | | dimension, pattern and colour, add-infinitum, |
| costly Public Relations and journalists. | | | | a designers delight. And all the variations |
| | | | are in this tie. It might lack conservatism, |
| Here are some excerpts. | | | | but we like to be different. |
| | | | |
| "Toast and marmalade for tea, sailing ships | | | | "The one that got away" Here trapped in |
| upon the sea aren't lovelier than you". What | | | | lifeless form with no detail left unturned, |
| a cheerful little song; Recorded by unknown | | | | right down to glistening scales. Measuring |
| band Tin Tin and produced by the late Maurice | | | | 33mm long and 11mm wide, they're in perfect |
| Gibb of the Bee Gees. You can also have honey | | | | proportion. Made from pure English pewter and |
| on your toast. And when you're ready to don | | | | double coated with Rhodium to give many years |
| the shirt and tie, try a pair of honey | | | | good linkage; taken from Ian Flaherty's |
| coloured cats eye cufflinks from Veritas | | | | Country Enamel animal collection. |
| Gifts. One gentleman decided to match them | | | | |
| with an abstract floral tie by Patrick | | | | "The one that got away" Here trapped in |
| McMurray. "Nice colours for spring" Barry | | | | lifeless form with no detail left to |
| Gibb the elder of four brothers and leader of | | | | guesswork, right down to glistening scales. |
| the Bee Gees became the second most prolific | | | | Measuring 33mm long and 11mm wide, they're in |
| songwriter/producer in history. He sold close | | | | perfect proportion. Made from pure English |
| to 400 million records | | | | pewter and double coated with Rhodium to give |
| | | | many years good linkage; taken from Ian |
| "Calling on inter-planetary craft", most | | | | Flaherty's Country Enamel animal collection. |
| extraordinary: Semblance of some planet from | | | | |
| outer-space, it's just landed and stamped | | | | A tie my kingdom for a tie you don't have to |
| with Westwood's unmistakable brand, The Orb, | | | | mortgage your house to buy a good tie. |
| without (it), also in Onyx and Pearl. | | | | Michelsons of Kent have been making goods |
| "Collect them" before they take off. Just | | | | silk ties, since 1937 and at good prices |
| like the song did for the carpenters. | | | | too, guess how much? Buy yourself a nice |
| | | | lunch with the change and don't tell the wife |
| "Living in the love of the common people, | | | | |
| smile from the heart of a family man, mommas | | | | Swarovski Crystals, the choice material of |
| gonna bring you a dream to cling to, daddy's | | | | world class jewellery designers. A sense of |
| gonna love just as much as he can". The | | | | luxury is extended through sterling silver |
| anthem of the common people as sung in the | | | | and enamels creating forms reflecting |
| 60's. Remember the Bowler hats, swank | | | | beautifully, textural influences at every |
| cufflinks, three piece suits, drab silk ties. | | | | angle. Natural light suddenly becomes part of |
| Everything seemed to mirror the bleakness of | | | | the experience as it bounces off every facet |
| an industrial revolution drawing to a close. | | | | of Swarovski Crystal |
| When designer brands seemed as futuristic as | | | | |
| putting a man on the moon and fashion | | | | The writer of these critiques dwells on the |
| accessories for men never heard of. The light | | | | fringes of journalism, neither a critic nor a |
| on class distinction began to dwindle. And | | | | journalist. It's his collaborative work with |
| then came the Beatles and things were never | | | | budding and established fashion designers |
| the same. | | | | that motivates his writing. |