And knickers to you too!
Just occasionally I get an absolute cracker of an old fashioned “viewer’s letter”.
This week, 82-year-old Mildred wrote to me.
She said how much she loved my colourful ties – that she had even discussed them with her late husband. She’d asked him why he would not wear one.
“Bright coloured ties go with bright coloured underpants – I wouldn’t touch them”, he’d told her.
Sadly, Mildred tells me, her hubby died before she remembered to ask him why the two go together and what the problem might be if they did.
So she wrote to me to find out if it was true. I mean what is a man to say if a sprightly 82-year-old writes so candidly?
Yesterday I wore a particularly bilious painted silk stripy job.
I checked the boxers. Bright orange stripes. Mildred’s hubby was right.
My old mother told me it didn’t matter what colour my pants were so long as they were clean – should I ever get run over. It would never do to end upon the mortuary slab with dirty underpants!
The excellent FT columnist Lucy Kellaway opined on bright ties last week. For once she was quite wrong:
“Office workers try to show difference by subverting their uniform in other ways, just as children do.
“A bright tie, red socks, a flash of crimson in the lining of a suit – all are the equivalent of the school girl who hitches up her skirt or the school boy who ties his tie so that it only descends about four inches down his shirt.
“But with an adult it’s not daring – it’s desperate.
“A man in a loud tie doesn’t say that he is creative and interesting, but that he is tiresome.”
(FT 6th December 2009)
In this regard only, Mildred must prevail over Lucy. My octogenarian letter writer was quite right, her hubby should have worn bright ties.
The entire ensemble of man – shirt, suit, tie – is pretty odd anyway. If it has to be done, it should be done properly.
What on earth goes through a man’s mind when he ties some nondescript rag round his neck of a morning?
Heaven preserve us that he should add to it with a no longer white pair of de-elasticated old Y-fronts.
Related posts:
- Ties that bind
- Greenspan's right – this recession is pants
- Do ties show we're up to our necks in it?
- Getting knotted for a night with Paxo
There are 15 comments on this post
Well that was pants
As a proud one time wearer of bright orange cotton chinos and a variety of equally bright shirts (didn’t you just love the late eighties!) I heartily concur. Thought these days my rebelliousness is limited to the more cowardly brightly coloured sock. Try to find decent ones or decent colours in the High Street is challenge enough though! Why do retailers insist that men don’t like colourful stuff!?
I frequently match colours in my ties and socks – with bright yellow being a favourite. Nothing desperate about that – just trying to look good, damn it!
I need to write about something lighter following an e learning module on health and safety.. frustration … anger.. despair….and then:-
Back to base line
The trick is to just leave your bottom shirt button open and hitch your boxers up to prove that they are as bedazzling and coordinated as the tie and socks.
Personally I like the light grey suit and lime green socks, but are your undies lime green as well?
You should be getting these items of clothing free any way for advertising them.
I think that you ought to reply to Mildred out of a deeply ethical and moral sense of duty and answer that question for her.
Your ties are hardly daring or racy Jon, but it is what the well dressed man is wearing on the box. Krishnans pink cupid tie is OK too.
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Slow news day, Jon?
Well Jon , i like your ties and socks.When i’m chuntering about your bias,i can say “look at the state of his tie,and does he have to flash his socks”At least it takes my mind off what you are saying,so carry on doing it.As for your under garments at least we know now that you wear them.
Isn’t your sock thing regressing to your days as a model? In fact the recurrence of these flashes of brightness might suggest that you are subconsciously trying to conjure up the bright moments in your past.
As we are discussing Jon though I wouldn’t say that he was desperate,..: From what I hear ,those around are the desperate ones and he doesn’t quite empathise with their dilemma as they scruffily noose -like simulate a despairing hanging.
What I would llike to do with Jon though is show him how to tie a windsor knot, it is a much tidier conical type of centre piece.
If I could be allowed to broaden it out a bit- I think mens clothes have more or less here anyway [ ROI] gone to dogs – evrything is dark coloured nowdays – I have to send abroad for really colorful summer shirts – a. I usually wear a sweater / trousers instead of a suit – well nigh imposible to get nice coloured sweaters at any time of year – all is gone blue / grey / black . Someone said to me recntly that the 70s were a terrible time for fashion – IMHO – not true – now is bad time for the average – for the famous and celebs etc – they can do anything . . The one exception is the tie – there are mutitudes of colours – .
I’ve always thought that in these days of 24 hour TV, where we no longer see the Test-card, the C4 news teams ties were a very effective substitute…!
Jon Snow confesses he wears loose boxers/indershorts; Sexy! Pity the camera doesn’t show a viisble lining ;
I love the way his tie drops over his crotch; Hopefully I’ll see him reading the news in his shorts. Perhaps he did in the days wehen he sat behind a desk.
Jon SNow is such an attention seeker; He’s been waiting for opportuntiies to dsiclose info about his style of underpants much tot he glee of the gay population like myslef; I lvoe it. Dsiclose more abpout his underwaer and psot more pictures; Show his face this time int he picturess; Not just his bulging belly. Why doesn’t he justapear on TV wearing his silk shorts; DFoes he buy them hiomself; How much does he pay for them
They are covered in swaet afetr he cyles; As he wears loose woven boxers
Does he unbuckle his whole suit trousers or just pull te zippe rdown when he has a pee?.
How many pairs of boxers did he take to the Brazilian jungle?. How often could be change them. Did he get a chance to wash them or did they odoursie in his bag until he got backt o London?.
When I go on holiday. i take soem old pairs and so after I wear them, I just chuck them away. Mr Snow probably pays too much for his to do that though his salary would warrant such waste; He’s a boxers man. I can envisage him sleeoing in only his loose shorts. SEXY! He turns me on no end. I lvoe the way his tie drops over hsi crotch.
I must admit that for years we have seen him on the box and have not noticed the babyish face, but as he has got older,…. wow I notice.
I own over 450 pairs of boxers; Some of them still in their original packaging.
Unopen and unworn.
I’m the same height and geth as MR gOrgoeeous SNow. CAN I send hiom a couple; I’ll never wear them all. He can modle them for me.
Your choice of ties and socks only mirrors your loud liberal journalistic personality. Didn’t know about the underwear but it makes me smile with happiness.
Too many people find it hard to fathom that another human should do “it” differently, whatever “it” is..
Just another failure in education as far as I’m concerned.
adzmundo CND(Sri Lanka)
As with so many things, Nelson Mandela led the way – not tie but colourful shirts. Just imagine the impact that would have if adopted by Gordon Brown