Pleasing Practicalities

Braces suspenders, for instance, was for a long time (and by some still is) regarded as absolutely necessary for wearing trousers. Without braces suspenders, one was left with the choice between cutting the trousers incorrectly or destroying their fit with a tight belt. Or dropping them. In spite of this obvious utility, they became an accessory in their own right soon enough. As did the belt.

But there is one thing that never will be able, no matter the labour of ad men, to make the leap: The clip tie. This abhorrent piece of jewellery resurfaces every know and then and disappears again, with nothing to account for it but the whims of cheap manufacturers. It finds some witless host to support it for a while, usually a salesman of some sort, and is then thrown away.

Unlike its distant relative, the tie pin, it will never find true acceptance. For where the pin, effortlessly combining dare with care, not only has, but makes, a point, the clip is just as dull as its task of keeping shirt and tie together. It is nothing for a gentleman.

Link: Albert Thurston Braces