regimental tie- disbanded regiment

[globetrotter]

I saw a tie in the new Ben Silver catalogue - page 10. this is for an authentic regiment, but one that has been disbanded 50 years ago (an Indian regiment in the british army). I am very much against wearing somebody elses regimental tie, but I liked the colors a lot. this is a little bit of a moral slippery slope for me - anybody have any thoughts on this?

 

[dah328]

I'm with you -- I wouldn't wear it. I would try to find the same colors in a different tie, but obviously, that's easier said than done.

dan

 

[Manton]

I think you can wear it in the US with absolutely no concern at all. Probably in the UK too. If, that is, you can satisfy your own conscience.

 

[STYLESTUDENT]

You'd be breaking my rule: if you doubt an item sufficient to post about it, you shouldn't buy it. As you're an ex-military man and appear to avoid self-indulgence (e.g. another man's regimental tie, whether disbanded 50 years ago or not), you'd probably question the tie every time you put it on.

 

[Charley]

I would not run my horse in someone else's silks.

 

[aybojs]

I think it's pretty pointless to be hung up about it. Just because an old regiment happened to have its stripes in a certain color pattern, does that somehow mean that nobody else can ever wear stripes in those colors? It seems unreasonable to expect that idea to be upheld in principle or in practice, and especially in the U.S., where the average person a) won't recognize the stripes as "belonging" to a certain group or b) doesn't believe in adding artificial weight to something just because a bunch of old guys did it a long time ago, you shouldn't have any reason to be concerned.

The only scenario I could see regimental patterns being an issue is wearing a group's colors when you're around people of that group but not part of it (say a blue and white striped tie to a party filled with Yale alumni), but otherwise I don't get what the fuss is over.

 

[FIHTies]

(an Indian regiment in the british army).

But if you get scalped dont blame anyone but yourself...

 

[alchimiste]

What if Beau Brummell or the duke of Windsor had decided that the clothes they invented were their own? Your wardrobe would look very different nowadays.

This issue is a lot like companies trying to trademark dictionary words and then consider these words as their property.

If you show up with a regimental tie at a military thing or with a tie corresponding to some university association at one of the meetings you pretend you are one of them when you actually are not. Rest of the time why should they own that design?

If you wear a dinner jacket you imply that you are rich/educated/ a gentleman/other. Are you? Should you avoid wearing one?

Should all American wear sack suits because doing otherwise would be akin to pretending they are British/Neapolitan/Roman?

Mathieu

 

[globetrotter]

thanks all. I think that stylestudent and Manton hit it on the head - it is perfectly acceptable, and there is no chance that it would offend anybody, but I get the feeling that I wouldn't wear it very much as it would always make me a little uncomfortable - I don't know if I could get it past my consience.

 

[JLibourel]

Hmmm...my wife has a couple of Ralph Lauren jackets in the Black Watch plaid and I have had various garments in the past with the Black Watch plaid, but neither of us have ever served in the "Auld Forty-Twa." I have owned several plaid shirts in the Black Stewart and Ancient Hunting Stewart plaids over the years although I have no affinity with that house of princes. On the other hand, I suppose that a regimental tie is a mark of membership in a way that a plaid shirt or jacket is not. As to a regiment that had been disbanded for 50 years, I would probably second the opinion of wearing it stateside but not in the UK. Lord knows, I have seen enough "Balliol" ties over the years here in the USA that I don't even bother questioning the wearer if he had been, in fact, a Balliol man.

 

[dah328]

If you wear a dinner jacket you imply that you are rich/educated/ a gentleman/other. Are you? Should you avoid wearing one?

Should all American wear sack suits because doing otherwise would be akin to pretending they are British/Neapolitan/Roman?

While I don't think it would be an egregious breach of propriety to wear that tie in the US, the dinner jacket/suit silhouette analogy just doesn't hold.  Those items imply, at most, a certain lifestyle or background and make no other statement about the wearer.  On the other hand, the design of that particular tie was specifically intended to represent military service in a very definite regiment.  Knowing that was the case would be enough to deter me from wearing it.

dan

 

[StagRaven]

whatever, guys. I'm wearing this one, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

 

[esquire.]

Honestly, I think it's sort of a marketing gimmick by Ben Silver in some respects that they include the info on what college or regiment the tie is from-- since after all Brooks Brothers etc sell similar designs with no description except what colors they are.

The key difference is that most American regimental ties including Brooks Brothers will have the lines slanted in one direction, opposite of the british reg. ties so as not to confuse the two.

 

[FIHTies]

The key difference is that most American regimental ties including Brooks Brothers will have the lines slanted in one direction, opposite of the british reg. ties so as not to confuse the two.

Regarding the direction of the stripes

 

[NoVaguy]

I saw a tie in the new Ben Silver catalogue - page 10. this is for an authentic regiment, but one that has been disbanded 50 years ago (an Indian regiment in the british army). I am very much against wearing somebody elses regimental tie, but I liked the colors alot.

this is a little bit of a moral slippery slope for me - anybody have any thoughts on this?

don't regimental ties have to be slanted in a certain direction?  wouldn't simply getting the mirror image of that tie suffice for avoiding wearing someone elses tie?

edit: looks like everybody else is bringing up this point....