Take a journey "out of dark through fire and into light", with colours, black, orange and gold, and you have the origins of the business tie, which date back to 1860 Oxford University and the creation of the first school tie, and, since adopted as the most conventional of all business tie styles, stripes, stripes, stripes.
You exchanged the school blazer for the business suit, the tattered old school satchel for leather brief case, the tie stays pretty much the same, just a different brand, different colours, but most likely striped.
You probably still wear brogues, But have discarded the straw hat. And you catch up with your old school chums every now and then and relive the same old stories over a pint or two or more.
Perhaps the executive position you hold is a result of the old boy's school connections, and, your kids go to the same old boy's school you attended.
Chances are the old school tie and uniform are being kept by your faithful mum, who lives to relive the days when she had you tied to her apron strings, and then had to let go when the competition became too tuff, now your wife holds the same controls, but she won't let go.
You swap one way of life for another, just the circumstances change.
"Out of school through work into the grave"
All the things you learned from Mum and Dad and miss and mister school teacher are entrenched so much so that you can't leave the house without a clean hankie, clean undies, but you're still a rebel as defined by the holes in your socks.
Do you give up your seat to an old lady, buy flowers for mothers day, shout the old man to a pint of bitter. Take the missus out for dinner and fatten her up with a box of very expensive chocolates, do you eat most of them yourself?
And on Sunday night when the kids are safely tucked up in bed, your survey the site and there's a kind of hush all over the world, it's the quiet before the storm. At the crack of dawn you along with hundreds of millions of men the world over will uniformly be tieing the knot of a favourite Monday morning tie. Scoffing down breakfast and not forgetting your briefcase rushing out the door for another week's hard slog.
Do you ever wish to step out of your comfort zone and try to express some individuality? It seems with tie styles every one jumps on the fashion bandwagon, the problem is the wagon axle's break under the load. Time for a little "out of dark through fire into light" philosophy. When you dare to be different you step out of the dark, through fire, you have to contend with criticism from peer groups, but into light, you've had the courage and will to instigate change and it's like a breath of fresh air. And women start to pass comment on your chosen style, that's always the best indicator of correctness.
Don't be bashful, and what ever you do, pay no attention to what you work colleagues or drinking buddies say about your choice of tie, what do they know about style anyway? They just want to control and influence you. Perhaps its time to break away from the old school and stand alone, you'll be respected for it.
Bin the grandfather cufflinks, or best case mothball them, add some youthful vitality to your wardrobe, don't advertise your age. And even that old wallet looks stayed, what image of you does it portray? And surely your budget can stretch far enough to buy some polish for your shoes, people will notice, you will be judged. Listen to your wife, she's not nagging, just wants you to look smart and stylish, dump that tattered belt, upgrade and keep a tab on what's what in clothing.
What do I know? I'm in the business and dress men everyday.
Patrick McMurray, a modest business man with a keen interest in the evolution of styles and
progress of fashion through the ages. In particular, the growth and performance of the
silk weaving and silk tie manufacturing industry in England and its continuing survival in the
face of the mass manufacturing revolution. Thanks to electronic communications we can publish articles on the wire, making them immediately available for people with shared interests to learn and respond.
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