Touch of Classic Haberdashery Returns

If you’re a man, then you were once a boy, and if you were a boy, then you probably remember tie clips as a formal encumbrance--something you wore when you were all dressed up, something you wore to keep your tie from falling into your alphabet soup.

The new tie clips, however, are for men--men who pay taxes and have other adult responsibilities. Men who still get all dressed up and want to add a finishing touch to their outfits--but with a sense of fun.

Of course, the clips will still keep your tie out of your soup, and out of your heavy machinery, and out of your face on a windy day. But more than that, the new clips combine old-fashioned elegance with a splash of whimsy.

These bits of masculine jewelry come in two distinctly different forms. Either they’re bold and bright in an array of automotive colors or they’re classic gold or silver, but in eccentric shapes. Try stabilizing your tie with a clip in the shape of a tiny duck, French horn, sword or golf club.

The reason for the clips’ new-found popularity may have something to do with the trend toward traditional fashions, but with more creative flair.

A production manager from Burbank says: “I just always wear tie clips for sentimental reasons. I’m from Chicago and it’s windy there. Now I can keep being sentimental but not so boring.”

FO