Asian Persuasian

I first saw Mimi Fong ties at NeimanMarcus.com. To be perfectly honest, I thought they were kinda ugly. The colors, the patterns... the pandas...

But there's no denying the artistic quality and craftsmanship of her ties. So I googled Mimi and found her website to give her another chance.

And wow... her stuff is amazing. In general, her ties are so much more subtle than the selection available on the Neiman Marcus website. Note the first tie: the bamboo pattern is gorgeous; I love the large bold pattern and the color combination is great.

The second set of ties are in the dragon pattern. Three words, gentlemen: unique paisley replacement.

Finally, my favorite pattern at Mimi Fong right now: cherry blossoms. The pattern is so detailed and intricate and I love the open spaces between the cherry blossoms--it makes the tie look more like art than a tie. Everything about this tie is romantic and beautiful. Interestingly, all the color combinations work for me, but my favorite is the black and white.

For $145, Mimi Fong's ties are in the higher price bracket, but they're unlike any other ties out there.

Classic

Regis Philbin ruined solid ties for me. "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" became HUGE and solid ties (especially ones with a metallic sheen) were around everyone's necks, including mine. Boo. Now everytime I see a solid tie, a little part of me dies. Thanks, Regis.

And that is why I love this monochromatic black paisley Brioni. From far away, it's just a boring black tie; but when you get up close, it's like "gotcha!" I'm not a fan of paisley, but here it looks gorgeous and sophisticated; the black on black makes the paisley less gaudy and the paisley makes the black tie less somber. Two very conventional elements in perfect harmony.