Ninja Tie Knot

>> Oh, let me see, the last time I wore a tie was.... 2003? Dressing up for me involves an aloha shirt or a kilt or maaaaaaybe a long-sleeve dress shirt, but no tie! I love West Coast dress codes.... <<

I haven't worn one in a long time either, but I like to keep it in mind as an option.

>> That said, I do believe that every day is costume day. What message do I want to send? Am I trying to fit in? Am I trying to stand out? Am I broadcasting a grumpy vibe, or a playful one? Am I expressing solidarity, or iconoclasm? <<

For everyday purposes, I dress for comfort, durability, and a minor amount of mood resonance. If I'm going out, it gets more expressive -- I'm very fond of t-shirts and sweatshirts with images on them. Scientists, SF characters, animals, etc. I like bright patterns too.

>> (Victor does the same thing, at least sometimes, I know... and I suspect that's an extension of yourself...) <<

Oh yes, Victor uses clothes to frame his performance of masculine gender, and there's a distinct overlap between his idea of gentleman clothes and manners with mine.

>> Even in the days I did wear a tie, it was definitely self-expression - Star Wars, Starry Night, and on really frustrating days, The Scream... (dammit, if I gotta wear one, I'm *going* to have fun with it!) <<

I like whimsical ties. But most of the occasions where I'd want to wear a tie, I'd go for silk or satiny polyester either plain or with a subtle pattern.

>> And yeah, a tie on .... choosing words carefully here... a not-exclusively-male body... is a clear signal; to Joe Sixpack, DANGER STRONG WOMAN; to me? Quite possibly an interesting person. I *like* the look of a sharp dressed woman... <<

I quite like ties on women. If I could afford it and had places to wear such things, I would enjoy shopping at the handful of butchwear stores that are emerging. One thing I like about suits is that it's easy to conceal my very pronounced hourglass figure under one. So yes, there's a female body, but the presentation becomes much more clearly genderqueer.

>>(Reminds me of the woman in the T-Mobile commercial... little pink dress... it's time to go out for the evening... she rifles her closet, can't find a thing, until over in the corner.... it's a custom made pink and BLACK leather track suit. MOTORCYCLE track. Zip, zip, zip, stalks out, throws a leg over a litre-class sportbike, drops the helmet over her head, gloved hands start it, VROOOM..... Ah, here it is. <3 <3 ) (A former SO has a habit of wearing pink bike gear, not because she likes pink, but just to tell the world, yeah, WOMEN can do this too!)<<

:D I have a handful of characters like that. In fact, I've noticed that my butchier female characters tend to have one really girlie thing, unless they really are genderqueer. Fortressa is a scientist, a mechanic, a gender activist, a supervillain in a battlesuit ... who relaxes with the most feminissima set of bath products you ever did see.

I agree, that was amusing.

>> I do my best to avoid jobs that require me to wear a tie every day. To me, it's a leash, a reminder that my boss can yank the chain and choke me at will :-( <<

I wouldn't want to wear one every day either. But I know that for some people, especially transmen, a tie is more of an anchor.

>> The best unconventional tie I found is a bolo (Cowboy / string tie) with a fused glass woggle. <<

How pretty!