the Chap... By Wisbeach
A brand-new advice column, in which readers are invited to pose pertinent questions on sartorial and etiquette matters, and even those of a (steady on) romantic nature. Send your questions to wisbeach@thechap.co.uk
F. Agri (Fuglebjerg, Denmark): Personally, I have always been inclined towards plain woollen and knitted ties, but I admit to having been fairly impressed by one fellow at a bar who wore a tie with a pattern of little fox heads on it. Indeed, I might have bought a not dissimilar specimen already, were it not for the fact that I seem to recall Jeeves being averse to a tie with horseshoes on it, in one of Wodehouse’s splendid stories. I should therefore like to lay this conundrum before you, in the hope that you will have the resources available to furnish me with proper guidance. The Chap: Sir, we understand your dilemma! Non-geometric patterns present a whole world of potential fauxes pas. The devil is in the detail, and rarely is the importance of detail in such stark contrast to the object’s seeming simplicity. A general rule of thumb is: if it has a face, it has no place. We do not wish to use our neckties as a way of displaying our allegiances to cartoon characters, motor cars, or the flora and fauna of the world that we admire. It is quite simply a question of how the motif is displayed. A tie plastered with an entire
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