All posts by gasketraynes

Setting the Bar

What I love,

Taking something awesome and combining it with something else, that is also awesome, tends to yield fantastic results. For instance, take Transfomers. Cars, awesome! Robots, awesome! Combined… amazing!

Still not convinced? Okay how about this…David Hasselhoff, awesome! Red swim trunks, awesome! Combined you get Baywatch! The greatest historical account of aging gracefully on a beach!

But does this work in fashion…

Ties are awesome. Being cool and hip and trendy is awesome.  So what would happen if you combined all of that? The answer is easy. You get The Tie Bar! An affordable amazing place to get the men’s accessories we all need and love.

And you don’t have to take my word for it, you can ask the slew of celebrities that don the Tie Bar’s beautiful neck wear. Celebrities not good enough you? Then perhaps GQ can convince you, since The Tie Bar is regularly shown off on it’s cover and in it’s pages.

For those of us in the D.C. metro area, we can go see for ourselves! That’s right, The Tie Bar, has opened up a shop located within the Shaw neighborhood’s trendy apartment retail community The Shay (1935 9th St NW, Washington D.C.), the temporary shop will remain open for a limited time this fall season and offer shoppers an exclusive sampling of The Tie Bar’s latest offerings.

If this is getting you all excited, then you’ll be happy to know that we were able to interview Mr. Michael Corrigan the Publicist for The Tie Bar and all around extremely kind fellow!

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I always ask about the name. So The Tie Bar is a truly inspired name, because tie bars are awesome, but also because your site is like a bar, but, instead of serving countless kinds of alcohol, you serve something much more addicting…ties! So how did you come up with that name?

The company was founded by a husband and wife duo, a little over a decade ago here in Chicago. The husband spilled a drink on his tie and after discovering it was ruined, wondered why it cost so much. As lawyers, they were sick of spending a fortune on neckties and knew there had to be a solution. The idea behind The Tie Bar was born!

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Many big names have worn your ties, like, Neil Patrick Harris, Justin Timberlake, and Jimmy Fallon. Who’s was the coolest person to ever wear your ties…is it Bruce Willis!!? I mean when John McLane takes time from showing Hans Gruber who’s boss to wear one of your ties, that’s got to be a big deal…right?

We are so fortunate to have gained a long list of celebrity brand fans over the years. Especially when that has turned into long standing partnerships like our Tie The Knot collection with Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson or our ongoing collection with NBA star Dwyane Wade.  Neil Patrick Harris worked with us for Father’s Day this year as a website curator for charity, that promotion we were very excited about!  We also had Andy Samberg wear one of our newest bowtie designs on the red carpet when he hosted the Emmy Awards this year. That was an exciting moment for us too.

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You have one of the most affordable product lines available to tie-loving men, how much effort goes into keeping the prices so reasonable, the quality so high and the selection so large?

Over the last decade, a lot has changed. Our operating costs have risen steadily over the years, but we refuse to sacrifice our quality in anyway.  We take a tremendous amount of pride and are willing to put in the hard work required to remain the top destination for premium men’s accessories at awesome prices.

Your blog – Behind the Bar, give us a much more personal glimpse into the The Tie Bar team. How did you all decide to launch that in addition to everything else you have going on?

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We really wanted an opportunity to explore things and places that we love, preview new developments that the brand has going on, and allow us to continue being a style and overall lifestyle authority for our shoppers. The positive feedback that we have gotten on it has been so great for us.

The Ask A Stylist feature on the website is genius!! Who gets credit for that?

With over 10,000 products on our website, we understand that sometimes guys need a little styling help.  We are happy to oblige!

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The Tie Bar Bus came to D.C. and I missed it! But it seemed like a really fun premise. Will you be doing something like that again?

We are so happy to announce that we are opening our first DC pop up shop this November.  It will be located within the Shaw neighborhood’s trendy apartment retail community The Shay (1924 8th St NW, Washington D.C.) the temporary shop will remain open throughout the upcoming holiday season and offer shoppers an exclusive sampling of The Tie Bar’s latest offerings.

Is working at The Tie Bar as much fun as it seems?

Everything and more!

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Now Five Signature Questions with Christian:

Who is your Favorite Superhero or Villain?

Batman.  There is something so much cooler about a superhero that does not rely on his superpowers.  We also are biased towards the Batmobile around here

Who wins in a fight Batman or Superman?

I guess we will find out when the movie comes out next year!

Which Star Wars Character would you be?

Han Solo any day of the week.

What’s your Favorite cereal of all time?

Raisin Brain all the way.

Are your dirty clothes on the floor or in the hamper, right now?                      

Never! Ok maybe occasionally guilty on that one.

Speaking Frankly

What I wore,

I’ve known some Franks in my day…Frank Costanza, Frank Castle, Frankfurter…

But one of the coolest Franks I know is Grand Frank, makers of mens accessories and ties! In fact, I have several of their ties which I will showcase for you thIs week via Instagram! The first of which is this paisley BAD BOY, pictured here.

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Additional outfit details:

Pocket Square:  Rocket Squares

Lapel Button: Bubibubi Ties

Belt: Dickies

Shoes: Sebago

Shirt: Nordstrom Rack

 

American Field!!…of Dreams…Good Movie

What I love,

This past weekend I was able to attend a rather cool event here in Washington D.C.

(I normally dread venturing into the city because after working in it for 10 years…I HATE TRAFFIC!! But I really wanted to go to this event so I put on my big boy pants and had someone else drive me!)

The event was American Field: An All American Pop Up Market and it was fantastic! The event is held in Boston, D.C., Atlanta and Brooklyn, featuring amazing goods and the people that make them.

American field sign

I was planning to attend the event in Boston, so I could practice my cool Boston slang like: Wicked Awesome! and Chowdahead…and Ah You A Cawp? AH YOU A CAWP!!?? – but that didn’t work out so D.C. it was!

It was a unique experience being able to buy high quality items directly from the hands that made them. Of the vendors I bought from, 2 stood out the most.

First, there was Mr. Michael Thomas and his lovely wife Christian. They couldn’t have been kinder. Michael designs and makes men’s accessories, namely ties, bow ties, pocket squares and some out-of-this-world waist coats…for you Lame-O’s those are vests…read a book would ya! In fact, I would suggest reading the Astonishing X-MEN story, Gifted by Joss Whedon, it’s a masterf…off topic …sorry! Okay! Back to the event! Michael had some very cool ties and squares and I just had to buy some. But the nice thing about an event like this, is that after talking to Michael and Christian, I really wanted to buy their products and support the people who are passionate about what they do and amazing at doing it.

Michael table1Michael products

Second was LVR or Love Virginia Ruth. Now I’m going to confess something here. I have frequented Scout Mob over the last year or so and almost bought items from Love Virginia Ruth several times. I’m not sure way I never ended up pulling the trigger, but I now regret that it took me this long. Honestly, this was the first table of goods that drew me in. As I walked over to see the lush ties and the sturdy but delicate pocket squares I knew this vendor was getting my money. And then I met Virgina!! Who couldn’t have been more adorable and bubbly and she had the awesomest boots and I was like I’m definitely buying something. What did I buy? I got a vintage necktie and 2 pocket squares. Virginia uses natural dyes to color her pocket squares and handkerchiefs. One of the squares I got is a dotted swiss cotton, hand dyed with pomegranate and iron! I know, right?!!  Virginia too, through her kindness and passion for what she does, made me want to buy her products and I couldn’t be happier with my purchases.

Virginia table2 Virginia squares

virginia tie

All in all it was an awesome event and I can’t wait till it comes around again! In the mean time please check out my new friends and their awesome handcrafted goods.

http://www.lovevirginiaruth.com/

Virginia table

http://www.mrmichaelthomas.com/

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Accessory Buffet

What I love, ,

Have you ever been to a buffet?

For instance, a breakfast buffet. You walk in and they’re all like do you need menus or do you want the buffet? And you’re like how much is the buffet? And they’re like $28.00 per person. And you’re like well can I go take a look? And they’re like yeah sure sweetie (in my story the waitress is always a very kind old southern lady).

So you go take a look. This is make or break time. If the buffet is a conglomeration off-color eggs, soggy bacon, that weird pudding like substance near the fruit, and only lemon poppy seed muffins. Then it’s a pass. A hard pass.

BUT if it’s one of those magical buffets…You know, one of those buffets with an omelet station, crispy bacon, blueberry muffins, cheese danishes, those little boxes of cereal you can sneak out and some guy carving beef as you awkwardly say a little more…a little more…more…Gimme the Knife I’ll do it Myself! If it’s THAT buffet, they’re getting your 28 big ones!

The point…? Men’s accessory sites can be like buffets, there’s so much to choose from on each site. But you want to make sure you’re choosing from products you want to wear and not simply wading through weird pudding substance.

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Harrison Blake Apparel is a men’s accessory brand. But their site isn’t filled with things you don’t want, in fact, it’s hard not to add everything to your cart. It’s definitely a magical buffet! They carry one of the largest selections of lapel pins, plus, they have ties, bow ties, pocket squares, bracelets and tie bars! And they have the Selected Monthly Club and the Bow Tie Club. Want to know more about these clubs and Harrison Blake? Checkout the interview below with Harrison Blake owner (Oh! And Published Author), Richard Taylor!

So I have to ask, because I ask everyone – Where did the name Harrison Blake come from? 

The name Harrison Blake means so much to me, because Harrison Blake is my son. Everything I do with this business has to be positive because of this. 

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In a sea of men’s accessories, most companies either don’t have lapel pins or they have them as an afterthought. But your lapel pin selection seems to be a focal point – why is that?

The lapel pins are what we started with. They are a point of pride for us because we have the largest selection of lapel pins for the best price. These small accessories can transform your look and we wanted nail down a niche.

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You offer the “Selected Monthly Club” and the “Bow Tie Club,” can you tell us more about those?

The SELECTED Monthly Club by Harrison Blake is a subscription club that delivers 5 classy accessories and unique products for gentlemen. Each box will contain a wide range of products; from neckties, accessories, lapel pins to wardrobe accessories – each selected to complement your lifestyle and help you live the life of a gentleman. Each of these items will be exclusive and hand selected – not just items currently for sale on our website.

The BOW TIE CLUB by Harrison Blake is a subscription club that delivers 2 unique bow ties every month for only $16! We all know how expensive bow ties can be – so this is an incredible service for bow tie lovers! Each package will contain two different bow ties every month in a wide range of styles, designs and patterns… Imagine the bow tie collection that you’ll build and the money you will save!

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What are manlier, mustaches or anchors?

I will go with anchors.  Popeye had no mustache, but he had an anchor tattoo.

Is there a particular product that you sell that you would like consumers to pay more attention too?

We have developed a nice variety of bracelet choices that we don’t promote too much. Hopefully we showcase them more in the coming months. 

What do you like better and why – neck tie or bow tie?

I like neckties better. I don’t think they’ll ever go out of style and they are great statement pieces.

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Dude! Did you write a book? Tell us about it!

Yes, I wrote a few fiction books and also The Life of a Gentleman, which engages the reader and delivers a powerful message.

Style is only the beginning as you will also learn about etiquette, manners, personal finance, mental health, and speech. This book does not talk down to the reader, but rather builds up with simple language, an engaging delivery and an encouraging tone. This is the essential guide to transform any man or adolescent male into a sophisticated gentleman that the world must respect. I felt it was important to write down information that many young men miss out on these days.

When you get dressed up, tie bar or no tie bar?

Most of the time, a simple tie bar.

 

And now Five Signature Questions with Christian: 

Who is your Favorite Superhero or Villain?

My favorite superhero is Batman. He seems like such a creative and innovative guy.

Who wins in a fight Batman or Superman?

Superman has an unfair edge in my opinion, over everyone…

Which Star Wars Character would you be?

Luke Skywalker for sure!

What’s your Favorite cereal of all time?

I can crush a box of Honey Smacks

Are your dirty clothes on the floor or in the hamper, right now?

Hamper.