Coming Out of the Closet

As a collector, buyer and seller of antiques and collectibles I am a packrat.  Some things that are currently not as popular as they once can be found in my clothes closet because you never know when they may come back into style. I have dozens of neckties hanging from four or five hangers categorized by width. I have saved very thin ties from the 60s, very wide ties from the 70s, hand-painted ties from the 40s and one, alas only one, tie that my late Father wore in the 30s. As is often the case when a family member passes away their clothing is donated or merely tossed and so I only have one of my Dad’s ties, a wide maroon tie adorned with red and white flowers. 

            I ventured into the back of my closet the other day after reading the Fashion and Style section of the New York Times and encountering Trading Up, a new column that takes a fresh look at fashion's classics. The fashion classic in this case was the wingtip shoe which the column claimed was a “much-loved shoe with the much-perforated upper that has stealthily become a favorite in the last couple of years…”  The column described trendy shops in Manhattan’s West Village featuring wingtips from work boots for $350 a pair to bench-made British long wing brogues for $1,125. The pair of oxblood wingtips that have languished in the back of my closet for many moons were acquired 25-30 years ago and while I have put on new heels and soles over the years the uppers have worn like iron, intact and seemingly lovely to this day.  I say seemingly lovely because the New York Times says they are really big right now. Even makers like Prada and Gucci are reportedly turning out “slick Continental loafers and lace-ups…and given this breadth of offerings, the wingtip is now available in lighter weights, softer constructions and slimmer silhouettes than the full brogue, with its unwieldy touch of the old cement shoe.” Ah yes, my trusty old pair of heavy wingtips are like old cement shoes, something like a pair you’d wear when being tossed off the end of a Brooklyn pier.

The deal on wearing wingtips again was sealed for me when I read a comment by a 27-year-old who had just bought his first pair of wingtips having just started a new job as project manager for a construction development firm in New York. “The thing is,” he said, “they go really well with regular work pants and jeans. I’ve usually worn sneakers and boots…but these look good with everything. They’re dressy, but in a casual way.”  Hey, that’s me too bro, dressy, but in a casual way. Now when are those wide ties coming back into style?