I bought a tie

Posted at 10:22 on Monday July 03, 2006 | Filed Under Miscellaneous

It was my birthday last week and my friends bought me a gift certificate to Thomas Pink. Then they took me shopping there and I bought a tie. I almost had a heart attack--it is the most expensive tie I have ever bought. Also, the third one. Now all I want to do is walk around with bodyguards and people holding those soft packing peanuts all around me.

More to come later.

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Comments (24)

1.: It looks to be about $70 for a tie, while this is a touch expensive for a tie $30-60 is department store average, it is a statement piece, as handbags or shoes can be for women. I take it you have never spent $600 on a good Brooks Brothers suit? Look at it this way: a nice tie can really help an inexpensive but well fitting suit. If you aren't willing to pop $500+ for a suit that will look great for years, then $70 is a decent investment to snazz up a so-so suit. The key though is to wear a suit that actually fits. My mother always said you can wear a cheap dress without looking the part if your hand bag and shoes are good quality and in good condition. While a college student may not care about "looking the part" ie being well dressed beyond club wear, there are times when it counts: beyond the obvious career related events consider you new tie fair game for summer weddings, dates, and graduations etc. Though a tie is probably not a long lasting part of your attire as a watch might be, a statement piece or two a season can transform a borrrrring wardrobe.

Although I am sure others will argue that we all shouldn't care how we look when we could be investing those extra pennies, I have found a few decent clothes to be essential in distinguishing myself from the other slobs in grad school on specific occasions (conferences mainly).

Posted by Mia at July 3, 2006 04:54 PM

2.: yeah ties are extremely expensive.

What really bugs me is, you try not to get anything on them and eventually you always end up with a random stain the dry cleaners cant remove.

Posted by Euan at July 3, 2006 09:23 PM

3.: I went to the website and it looks like the ties are $100....wow...that is an expensive tie.

Posted by Sri at July 3, 2006 10:23 PM

4.: Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great time celebrating :)

Posted by Julie Isserman at July 4, 2006 05:34 AM

5.: Those ARE great ties!

Posted by Jason C at July 4, 2006 07:13 AM

6.: let's see a picture of this pricey accessory.

Posted by steve at July 4, 2006 10:16 AM

7.: wow, how stimulating...ramit bought a tie. in other news, i woke up this morning and had some cereal for breakfast. ramit, any idea on when you'll be finishing up some of the topics you've been talking about for ages? you know, the ones that kind of fit with the title of your blog?

Posted by ryan at July 4, 2006 12:00 PM

8.: Thanks, Julie!

Ryan...gee, sorry I'm not writing fast enough for you. I'll post some longer articles when I get some time.

Posted by Ramit Sethi at July 4, 2006 01:15 PM

9.: I know you have a life outside of your blog, but it is really disappointing to check out your blog and see these posts that really offer nothing of substance. I enjoy the "longer articles" because they make me think about things in my own life (I would imagine it does the same for your other readers), as opposed to "I bought a tie". Very deep, indeed. Do you plan on finishing the personal finance series you started? How about the stuff that your readers asked for when you invited them to make some suggestions on topics for you to write about? As I said, I know you have a life outside of your blog, and you don't owe anything to anyone who reads your blog. I understand that. But if you are going to say you'll do something, you should probably make good on that. Just my two cents.

Posted by ryan at July 4, 2006 03:41 PM

10.: Try shopping at the Off 5th outlet in Milpitas. There's no need to pay $100 for a designer tie!

Posted by Chris Yeh at July 4, 2006 07:35 PM

11.: I got my favorite tie at a thrift store for $3. It was an antique - a beautifully designed and stitched tie, manufactured in the pre-depression NYC garment district. Unfortunately, that also meant it wasn't long for the world, and it started to unravel after about a year or two (I bought it in college, before I fully appreciated what I owned). I still miss that tie.

But to build on Mia's point, a good tie should last you several suits. And one really good suit/tie/shirt/shoes combo is an investment, not an expense. Even if the office is business casual, client meetings are an entirely different animal.

Posted by Independent George at July 5, 2006 06:33 AM

12.: Awesome, thanks for sharing this information!

In other news I ate a pie today, I was thinking about eating a peach pie but I ate a cherry one instead. The pie was very good and I am happy that I made the right choice by going with the cherry one. This topic is so interesting you should make a post about it and other worthless information about your/my life! Keep up the great work of spreading worthless information, I will be waiting until I can read more post like this about what you bought today!

Posted by John at July 5, 2006 06:48 PM

13.: I just can't wait to find out in the next enthralling post what that crazy Ramit will buy next! Talk about suspense!

But seriously... Happy birthday! Hope you had a great day.

Posted by Brad at July 6, 2006 06:38 AM

14.: I like to evaluate all clothing purchases on a cost per wear basis. So for example, a high quality $70 tie that lasts for 5 years and I can wear 50 times is a better value then a $35 tie that looks lousy after 2 years and worn only 15 times. Hence, the cost per wear : Good Tie $70 / 50 = $1.40 cost per wear. Lousy Tie $35 / 15 $2.33 CPW. I use the same logic when I’m tempted to buy something on sale. Will a $30 sweater that I’ll probably wear once be a better value than some of my more expensive sweaters that I’ve worn dozens of times?

Posted by Lee at July 6, 2006 07:25 AM

15.: Lee, where's your website/blog?!

George, I'm with you. I've got a closet full of designer clothes that cost me avg. $1.50 each. So anyone that can afford to buy this expensive stuff, barely use it and then donate it, THANKS from the bottom of my wallet!

Happy birthday Ramit, don't worry, enjoy the gift.

Posted by Carol at July 8, 2006 10:50 AM

16.: Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jW_PTT4Ac8
[yes, it is relevant]

Posted by Kirubakaran at July 8, 2006 01:28 PM

17.: Belated Happy birhtday!

Posted by Jinal Shah at July 9, 2006 02:52 PM

18.: Unfortunately, Thomas Pink clothing and accessories are expensive but not well made at all. I have several garments from them that started to wear out after being cleaned just 4-5 times. That's downright poor.

Ramit, I wish you a happy birthday, and I wish your friends the wisdom to get you a gift certificate to Charvet next year.

Posted by Maxwell at July 10, 2006 08:27 PM

19.: This is my first visit and all I get is a stinking tie? Where is the "I will teach you to be Rich.." ? Are you sure this isn't the "How to buy an overpriced piece of fabric for hanging around your neck." blog?

I've spent too many years staying as far away from ties as possible. They don't really do anything except reinforce the idea of "Conformity". Of course, "Conformity" is one rode that can lead to wealth. In some cases a tie can actually help you become rich (think the first Fuller Brush Salesman). - I think he paid a nickle for his.

More often then not, the innovative person, the one that steps outside the bounds of confromity is the one that attracts wealth. Ties may not make you a non-conformist, but it is one more noose around the neck of innovation.

Give me a write up about your purchase of a sari. That may not make you wealthy but it is definately a better deal...on a square inch / $ basis, of course.

Posted by sarre9 at July 11, 2006 05:36 PM

20.: Ramit...this msg is for you...not for the site:

We miss you at your old home(things I hate blog)....pass the torch to someone who will take better care of us. Obviously you have other obligations and have moved on but we havent. I personally miss the site.

And yes...this is my was of stalking you!

Posted by annoyed at July 13, 2006 05:45 AM

21.: Way to go Ramit. I clicked on the post the obviously had nothing to do with your site and after reading the title AND the first sentence, I still decided to continue reading.

THANKS FOR WASTING 87 SECONDS OF MY LIFE, ASSHOLE!

How dare you hand out all this wonderful free information and then have the audacity to put in a personal post (which is still related to the topic purchasing).

You are a terrible human being, and I'm telling all my friends not to come here or pay absolutely nothing for your services.

Posted by Kevin Sweeney at August 17, 2006 07:21 PM

22.: I'LL TEACH YOU TO BE RICH: Don't spend your hard earned money or your precious time choosing a colorful silk ribbon to adorn yourself with. A "tie" is the epitome of a created need. Its like putting a bow a on a present,... society is such a joke.

Posted by C Fox at August 22, 2006 10:35 PM

23.: Wow! To the angry people, this is his blog, and he'll do whatever the fuck he wants to with it! I'm not complaining.

Posted by 1800yolk at November 30, 2006 01:57 PM

24.: Ramit, it's your site. Don't let the assholes get you down. If they don't like your posts, they can find themselves something else to read. Better yet, they can start their own blogs...

Posted by Chris Sells at December 27, 2006 08:05 AM

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