Joe gets up in the morning and he knows exactly what he is going
to wear. One side of his closet is lined with white shirts, the
same white shirts, (with perhaps one or two blue ones at the end of
the row, to be completely accurate), and dark suits on the other
side, all from Brooks Brothers. It’s hard to make a distinction
between shirts, or to tell one suit from another. But the ties…,
now those are candies to the eyes. They are like a rainbow in a
cloudy closet, like a day of carnival after a year of
restrain. Some have bold solid colors, (royal blue, gold,
phosphorescent pear green, or a more feminine hot pink, or peach,
or delicate lavender), others have stripes of vibrating
complementary hues, while others have intricate and involving
patterns of paisleys, little elephants, and other curiosities.
So there is not much thinking during that time in the morning
after waking up and before stepping out of the apartment. With
those colorful ties all Joe needs to do is pick anyone and he would
always look fine; and even if he was to wear the same tie for a
week, the effect might be the same on whoever runs into him: Here
is someone who knows how to wear a suit; his confidence is
saturated like the orange of the tie around his neck; is he in
fashion or finances? It doesn’t matter; he could be in an executive
meeting in the morning and go to a club right after work without
having to change. He is mature, with a few wrinkles along his eyes,
and with those bright and elegant ties he looks even more
interesting. And now that I think of it, do married men wear ties
like these when they go to work? I’m not sure these ties would
match with a wedding band around Joe’s finger.
But similar to a ring, a tie is an accessory (like the colorful
feathers of a male bird); and even more so, it is a symbol. Ties
express formality and adherence to order and tradition, they
indicate commitment and dependability, ties represent personal
sacrifice for something we consider a greater good. Wearing a tie
gives the impression of being civilized, respectful, tamed,
self-controlled. So, it is no surprise that a tie might increase
your chances for a better position at work, and perhaps even
provide you with more advantageous relationships. As a result, ties
could also be deceiving.
Joe’s ties scream out loud, “success!” Their ordered patterns
and purity of colors, the perfection of the knot, and the carefully
measured length project complete confidence, total commitment, and
trusted dependability to a higher cause to which he has freely
subordinated. The rewards must be great, for those are -noticeably-
expensive ties, appropriate more to his aspirations than to his
position, and he wears them proudly.
Joe hardly ever removes his tie in public. I’ve seen this
occasionally, after a long day and in an informal meeting with one
or two friends. And at moments like this, he goes through a radical
transformation: his body relaxes, shoulders and chin drop, and
feelings of exhaustion are mixed with a new found sense of freedom
(perhaps due to the actual loosening of the knot and a heighten
awareness of breathing.) Physical release is accompanied by mental
release; his duties are removed and his commitments are put aside,
neatly rolled and into a pocket, like the tie itself.
But a hint of sadness always seems to linger. He knows his neck
is unrestrained only for so long, and the time is precious. He will
spend the weekend in a white or gray t-shirt and cargo pants, and
bare footed for as long as he can. He’ll go out for a run or a walk
in the park not far from home. He’ll postpone it as much as he can,
but on Sunday afternoon, he’ll start thinking about work and
preparing for the Monday morning meeting. There is just one thing
he won’t have to worry about.
A. Morel
Battery Park, New York, 08/03/2008