Updates!

Saw it in person and fell in love!

Bought it... twice...

More casual than I thought, but still nice!

Godley

I had never heard of Robert Godley, but his ties are among my favorites right now at Barneys. After doing a little research (yea, all I did was google him), I found out he's worked at Drakes, Turnbull & Asser, and Ralph Lauren. For a tiemaker, I don't think you could ask for better credentials.

Godley also makes the Psycho Bunny collection of accessories that you can find at Neiman Marcus; it's all pretty cute, but it's subversive humor is a little too obvious in my opinion (skulls with bunny ears). His eponymous collection at Barneys, though, is definitely more sophisticated and more my style. Above are 2.5 examples.

I've resisted blogging about the brown striped tie because it really doesn't look all that special. But under closer inspection, it's really quite kooky: the drab browns are drab to the point of interesting and the odd stripe variations give the tie an off-kilter feel. In the end, it's weird, but surprisingly aesthetically pleasing.

Godley's dot ties are also very cool; very floral meets math. I prefer the burgundy, but the Barneys website didn't have a close-up, so I put up the mint as well. Is it floral? Is it abstract? I don't know and that's why I like 'em.

Randomness

I'm always a little wary whenever a department store manufactures their own stuff, so when I saw this Barneys tie, I was just a tad suspicious. From the looks of the first photo, it's a bit crooked, maybe?

Otherwise, it's a beautiful tie. I love the lack of a pattern (though there is one, if you look for it hard enough); it's as if the flowers were falling down your tie. Ties are almost always made with patterned fabric, which emphasize their mass-production quality. But here, the random placement of flowers makes it seem more like artwork than a department store tie. Not to mention, the color combination is perfect.

EDIT 06/10/07: I bought it and I love it... and in a moment of weakness, I bought the blue-with-pink-flowers version, too (50% off, folks!) -- if the brown/blue didn't do it for you, the blue/pink might work. The brown/blue is a bit more sophisticated, while the blue/pink is more sexy, more fun.