Some Neckwear Non-Sequiturs

A recent meme of the legal blogosphere: neckties.
We find this subject hard to resist, since it lies at the intersection of two of our favorite topics: fashion and law. Because of the staid fashion standards of the legal profession — dark suits, white or blue shirts, black shoes (or brown if you’re wild ‘n crazy) — one of the few ways male lawyers can express themselves sartorially is through their ties.
Here are a few quick links and thoughts:
* One of the more random things we’ve heard of ex-practicing-lawyers going into. But it’s probably more fun than document review, or two-hour conference calls in which nothing is accomplished. [WSJ Law Blog]
* An excellent taxonomy of neckwear, from Raffi Melkonian of Crescat (who, as we know from his food-related posts, knows how to live the good life). [Crescat Sententia]
We agree with Raffi’s endorsement of Zegna ties (and own about half a dozen ourselves). But we also have a weakness for the Hermès school of ties in fun patterns — and would add Ferragamo to this grouping.
One of our favorite ties is a red Ferragamo, with a zany print of dancing Asian coolies (pictured at right). Back in our law firm days, when we sometimes felt like a highly-paid coolie, we’d wear this necktie as a form of silent protest. A $120 tie, emblazoned with dancing coolie workers, was the perfect embodiment of the Biglaw predicament.
* Finally, here are some necktie thoughts from Professor Glenn Reynolds. Brooks Brothers makes some nice ties, but they can be a little unexciting. So the Instapundit wisely balances these out with printed ties from museum shops. [Instapundit]
P.S. The best personal necktie collection we know of is owned by the Justice Department’s Office of Sartorial Counsel (aka Ryan Bounds, Chief of Staff for the Office of Legal Policy).