| |
|
| |
• TIE-LESS DOCTORS NO ANSWER TO DEADLY BUG |
| |
WE were intrigued to see the report that doctors are being advised not to wear a tie as part of measures to suppress the deadly MRSA hospital bug |
| |
Clearly, anything that can be done to stop this bug should be done. But we nevertheless have to wonder about the efficacy of going tieless.
|
| |
The modern trend in hospitals for doctors - and some nurses - to go about their duties casually dressed, so that it is often impossible to tell them from waiting patients, is hardly conducive to nurturing the confidence and respect that the old crisp white coats engendered. And some of these casual clothes look distinctly seedy, to say the least.
|
| |
Furthermore, open necked shirts perhaps sprouting a tuft of chest hair or a T-shirt that rides up to reveal an expanse of flesh bring their own dangers, not least to ladies of a particularly sensitive nature. |
| |
One health professor has stated categorically that any germs that do land on a tie are immediately rendered impotent. And any dangling problem from a tie can easily be averted by a reintroduction of a neat jacket, whether in white or one of the more environmently friendly shades preferred at some hospitals, such as green. |
| |
The resulting smarter appearance of a physician at some of the most hectic of our Accident and Emergency Departments might not only reassure those waiting - and waiting - for attention but also help to re-establish an authority that may diminish the likelihood of violence that has become such a hospital hazard.
The bug problem, meantime, continues unabated and the first priority in tackling it would seem to lie in better cleaning standards |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
• PINK PANTHER TEMPTS IN JERMYN STREET |
| |
MOST of Savile Row's customers will avail themselves of the bespoke shirt-making services offered by their tailor - hardly worth spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar, as an old adage might explain. The fact that this ha'porth (half penny to those of a young vintage) now may amount to as much as a small dinghy is neither here nor there, as it still ensures that the Savile Row suit is suitably complemented by its shirt.
|
 |
This is an example from Pinks. One of a number of designs brought out to mark the new Pink Panther film, it may be teamed up with a coordinating tie patterned by the Pink Panther himself. - Price £95 the shirt, £49 the tie.
|
|
| |
Nevertheless, the tailors acknowledge that ready-to-wear inevitably plays some part in the wardrobes of most of their customers. And the Jermyn Street shops offer instant gratification in the shape of some eye-catching shirt creations. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
• new tory leader forsakes the tie - a sorry start |
| |
NEW leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, was interviewed on the BBC's Today programme the morning after his election. After discussion of his policies, John Humphrys pointed out that of all the PM's and opposition leaders that he had interviewed over the years, Cameron was the first to come to the studio not wearing a tie. Unabashed, the Tory leader explained that it was Friday (so?) and that he was on his way to a rural appointment. Alas, that will not mollify the British tie industry, nor those concerned with male style standards. The tie remains as entrenched a part of male formal business wear as ever and the tie men and up-market menswear shops will view Mr Cameron's tieless state as a sorry way to start his leadership.
|
| |
A recent survey showed that despite all expectations to the contrary, the tie wearing habit is not disappearing. As with so much of the classic male wardrobe that has been under attack in recent years, it may have been disparaged by the youth market but it remains firmly in situ among grown-ups and particularly in the business scene. |
| |
Savile Row tailors plus other good mens clothing shops all stock ties that are in the finest silks, hand made and lined, and which men who appreciate style esoterics are continuing to buy and wear. But few may be aware of the origins of patterns now worn by many strictly not entitled to them. |
| |
The Old School Tie is but one of many 'club' ties that Britain started - and which spread the worldwide tie market. One of the first was the l Zingari Cricket Club tie, a tie that as its name Zingari - meaning gypsies - implies had no home ground. In 1845, they created a flag to fly over whichever ground they played on and subsequently the tie in the same colour. It helped give them identity. Others followed suit, and the identity tie was born. |
| |
Regimental ties often took their colours from original symbolism - in the case of the Royal Tank Regiment the red, brown and green stripes take up the 'Through Blood and Mud to Green Pastures' motto. Many other school and regimental ties have the bright colours that reflect their original sporting and therefore casual associations. Later business designs show the 'serious' intent. There is now a tie for every conceivable group and following - one of the most successful being the hole-in-one tie for golfers, launched in 1954 by the then director of London tie firm Thresher & Glenny, which has gone on to spawn a minor industry of hole-in-one items, from cufflinks to tankards. |
| |
The tie has much more to it than a simple neck ornament. One day soon we may see designs celebrating rap or skateboarding enthusiasts! |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
 |
:: Dig This For Fashion :: |
| |
|
|
 |
THOSE ubiquitous machines that dig up everywhere from here to Timbuktoo, JCBs, may seem as removed from the rarified air of London Fashion Week as it is possible to get - yet they were responsible for one of the better parties of the season. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
On Sloane Square, right in London's fashion heartland, a new store opened this autumn with the clink of many flutes, and the happy throng of guests was then shepherded just across the road, onto the square proper, where in a splendid marquee more champagne flowed, music played and a jolly time was had by all. And the hosts of this grand occasion? Bamford & Sons, the family firm enriched by the venerable JCB. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Bamford is now a fashion brand name offshoot of this global phenomenon and the Bamford store on Sloane Square amply illustrates the luxury level at which it is aimed. Quite one of the best men's shearling coats was on sale at a reasonable price, along with cashmere knitwear, suede slippers and other accessories. It may be away from the premier Savile Row/Jermyn Street menswear locale but it is worth the trip. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Incidentally, we learnt that a JCB factory is opening in China, where the rate of new building work promises much more support for the Bamford firm. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
