Althouse: "Grey ties are flying off the shelves as wives take inspiration from X-rated bondage novel to dress up their men."

March 11, 2012

"Grey ties are flying off the shelves as wives take inspiration from X-rated bondage novel to dress up their men."

"Hundreds of women write to me every day asking where they can buy grey ties."

Ha ha. This is about that #1 bestselling porn-for-ladies book we were talking about yesterday.

So... is this new-found, book-driven desire a desire to get tied up or to get their men to wear ties? Female sexuality... the timeless mystery.

56 comments:

madAsHell said...: This is why pregnant school girls are segregated from the rest of the class. School administrators are afraid it might become a fashion statement.; 3/11/12, 11:25 AM
edutcher said...: So, if we see Ann wearing a tie with her blazer, she's just being fashionable.

WV "oreight" After yesterday, I dassent.; 3/11/12, 11:28 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: People are so weird.; 3/11/12, 11:38 AM
Wince said...: Ty: So, what do you do?

Lacy: I enjoy skinny skiing. Going to bull-fights on acid. I bet you got a lot of nice ties.

Ty: What do you mean?

Lacy: Do you want to tie me up with some of your ties, Ty?

Ty: I've got an idea

Lacy: What?

Ty: Let's pretend that we're real human beings.; 3/11/12, 11:41 AM
Mark O said...: It's only a mystery to the unobservant.; 3/11/12, 11:44 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Dressing up your mate for everyday life to look like a character in your sex book is weird.

Imagine if a man said, "I want you to start wearing this belt because a really hot girl in my pornographic magazine was wearing it."

Isn't the unstated part of that, "It will aid me in thinking of her when I'm supposed to be thinking of you."

Stop the pornography. Have the real thing.; 3/11/12, 11:52 AM
YoungHegelian said...: What kind of boorish male wears a grey tie?

Real studs wear Pancaldis!; 3/11/12, 11:52 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Lawyers wear ties. Do financial sector people wear ties?

I see business people, people who work at Fortune 500 companies, out and about all the time during the day, and I hardly ever see ties. (This is because Walmart is based in this area and any company that sells to Walmart is required to have an office here.) Who wears ties?; 3/11/12, 11:55 AM
edutcher said...: They say ties are coming back.; 3/11/12, 11:58 AM
YoungHegelian said...: @Freeman,

Guys who have to dress to impress wear ties, e.g. salesmen or guys out hustling to close a deal or representing the company in some way.

You have only one chance to make a first impression.

Even in running a geek firm, first contact is always suit & tie. Where the dress code goes from there depends on how lax the customer's dress code is.; 3/11/12, 12:02 PM
Sorun said...: Mr Grey, a 27-year-old billionaire...

I'd rather women got the hot steaming undies reading about a 50-year-old billionaire. I suppose that's out of the question.; 3/11/12, 12:03 PM
MayBee said...: Amen, Freeman.

Is bondage really a thing women like? I must admit I have never once had that conversation with my girlfriends.; 3/11/12, 12:11 PM
Sorun said...: Is bondage really a thing women like?

It depends on the man and what he does when you're tied up.; 3/11/12, 12:16 PM
David A. Carlson said...: so, your saying you picked out Meade's B-day gift?; 3/11/12, 12:19 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @MayBee,

Why might some women like bondage?

It's all about dress up, and what girl isn't all about dress up?

It's also essentially long drawn out foreplay.

If the woman is the Dom, she gets to push the guys around for a change.; 3/11/12, 12:21 PM
Chip S. said...: What kind of boorish male wears a grey tie?

Boorish?

Hardly.; 3/11/12, 12:27 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Oh, and by the way, while it may work for a woman's porn novel to have the billionaire guy be the in-control Top, in real life professional dominatrices say that it's the successful guys who are their customers. The fantasy of the guys is just not to have to run things for a while.

Then, again, it takes a successful guy to afford those kind of sessions....; 3/11/12, 12:28 PM
Anonymous said...: I was reading about e-books and I guess erotica written for ladies is one of the biggest growing genres. I guess they will click on a book on amazon but are too embarrassed to buy it in the store!; 3/11/12, 12:30 PM
Chip S. said...: Freeman Hunt said...

...I hardly ever see ties. (This is because Walmart is based in this area and any company that sells to Walmart is required to have an office here.)

It's hard to find the right tie to wear with bib overalls.; 3/11/12, 12:30 PM
John Burgess said...: I'd mostly given up wearing ties when I retired. I do, however, have several grey ties, all in silk.

It's time to change my sartorial approach, I guess...; 3/11/12, 12:34 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Chip,

I also notice that news guys on TV wear monochrome ties.

Multicolored ties just don't work well on film or TV. It may have something to do with background screens, I don't know.

But in the flesh, it's very different. The male suit and white/cream/blue pin-point oxford shirt is about as close to military standard as one finds outside the military. The tie is the only thing us guys got to liven up the ensemble.; 3/11/12, 12:37 PM
MayBee said...: The guys that wear ties here are bankers, lawyers, and agents.

Multicolor ties don't work well on tv because the camera has trouble reading small prints. They often read as 3-D or even look like they are moving.; 3/11/12, 12:46 PM
Chip S. said...: YoungHegelian--My link was a still from NxNW, which was shot in Technicolor, which didn't have any trouble with colorful attire.

NTTAWW your ties.

I favor the Jake and Elwood look myself.; 3/11/12, 1:04 PM
Ralph L said...: So, MayBee, are you in the entertainment world, or should we think you're a spy?

Do you believe a gray tie makes your photos tasteful?; 3/11/12, 1:05 PM
Sorun said...: I downloaded the Kindle free sample of the book. Just a lot of G-rated dialogue. Definitely women porn.; 3/11/12, 1:05 PM
Titus said...: The thought of sex and Rush Limbaugh is a major downer.

Could you imagine that fat fuck mounting you?

All sweaty, huge flaps of fat engulfing your tiny frame.

And what about his hog? You know that thing is tiny and absolutely gross.; 3/11/12, 1:10 PM
Charlie Martin said...: Really, the only mystery is that people sill manage to be surprised by rather mainstream sex fantasies and that women like them too.; 3/11/12, 1:12 PM
William said...: I think ties are still mandatory in most business settings in NYC. In banking and credit no one wants to trust their money to a guy in sneakers and a t-shirt. Perhaps as a result of this book, people will start looking upon ties as weird, fetish clothing, and bankers, in their lust to appear respectable, will eschew ties. God works in strange ways. If the tie joins the pocket watch as a dead accessory, I shall not mourn its passing. Girls, just remember that if you meet a guy wearing a tie, there's a good chance that he's some kind of sick perv who wants to tie you up in his basement and act accordingly.; 3/11/12, 1:14 PM
MayBee said...: Do you believe a gray tie makes your photos tasteful?

Strategically placed gray ties, in the right tone of gray.

I do have to say the best thing that ever happened to women in business is the getting rid of those rosette ties for professional attire. Remember those? Talk about bondage.; 3/11/12, 1:31 PM
ws4whgfb said...: All ties are grey in the dark.; 3/11/12, 1:35 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: My husband, The Dumbplumber, doesn't wear ties. I guess we just have to continue to use bungie cords.

Did I say that? Out loud?; 3/11/12, 2:06 PM
MayBee said...: My husband, The Dumbplumber, doesn't wear ties. I guess we just have to continue to use bungie cords.

Sure, DBQ. Whatever snakes your drain.; 3/11/12, 2:12 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Lawyers wear ties. Do financial sector people wear ties?

Depends on where you live, and where you are. Yes, you still need to wear them in court. But I was in a decent sized firm in the west, and ties in the office were rare. When I had to go to one of our big offices, I would wear a navy sport coat, white oxford button down shirt, and gray slacks. Most of the guys looked nice, but ditched the sport coats (and ties).

Of course, when we were in our small rural office, we all wore jeans, unless we knew senior partners were coming in, and then I would dress as if I were in one of our big offices.

On the flip side, I own well over a hundred conservative silk ties, including a number of monochromatic ones - but none thankfully in gray. And, no usually no reason to wear any of them.

I think ties are still mandatory in most business settings in NYC. In banking and credit no one wants to trust their money to a guy in sneakers and a t-shirt.

And, maybe not surprisingly, in Wash., D.C. K Street dress code seems to be nice navy pin stripe suits, white shirts with French cuffs (and cuff links - but not button downed), and, power ties. And, it doesn't look much different in the halls of Congress, or, I suspect, at the White House.

Friend there, who had been in D.C. for quite awhile, had to get an entire new wardrobe when he joined a lobbying firm there a couple of years ago, and those were the directives he got for the dress code.

Which is another reason not to want to live in either D.C. or NYC.; 3/11/12, 2:34 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: One other thing here - it is often dangerous to allow your spouse/SO to dress you, at least for work, and, esp. if you are a guy. Office work attire should be picked to impress men, and not women (and, yes, that to some extent applies to women too). The way that you dress indicates your position in the male hierarchy, and a lot of women just don't understand what this means. And, in particular, how men read different types of ties. But, it also applies to suits, shirts, and shoes.

When women have given me ties, I tell them that I will wear them when I am with them, socially, where none of my coworkers or clients will be present, but don't expect me to wear their ties to work. The only woman in my life who could pick business ties well was my mother. Some have done ok, but none of the others could pick them as well as I could.

And, I just can't visualize a situation where a gray tie would work for me. Except, maybe a dark charcoal.; 3/11/12, 2:45 PM
bagoh20 said...: Don't spend too much on this guys. In a very short time, it too will be icky, but the money you save will still be sexy though, and you need to buy her stuff.; 3/11/12, 3:36 PM
Michael said...: Ties are becoming more rare since even conservatives like the idea of looking like rich Hollywood guys dressed down to look like the guy who supervises the guys who mow their lawns. Only worse. It is another example of the collapse that is underway, another marker in the levelling of all that began with the criminalization of judgmentalism and has ended up as AndyR's absurd hat.; 3/11/12, 3:52 PM
Michael Haz said...: I haven't worn a necktie to work in at least fifteen years.

Which isn't to say that they aren't of any further use. :-); 3/11/12, 4:35 PM
bagoh20 said...: Yea, I'm a business executive and it's been well over a decade since I wore a tie. Very few people I see as customers or suppliers ever do either anymore. Women of all status always dress more formally for business meetings. Lawyers are the exception usually wearing ties, and the women are always well dressed.

I just hate the idea of a tie. It's a noose with the control end presented to strangers, right out front. I feel vulnerable and less free. That's not something I want.

I've pretty much given up on being a very well dressed person, and fashion is just way beyond me. It's similar to my dream of playing in the NBA, impossible by nature.; 3/11/12, 5:30 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: "My husband, The Dumbplumber, doesn't wear ties. I guess we just have to continue to use bungie cords."

Sure, DBQ. Whatever snakes your drain.

Wut?

Bungie cords are very useful, versatile, colorful and inexpensive.

LOL.

And, I just can't visualize a situation where a gray tie would work for me. Except, maybe a dark charcoal.

Gray and peach...salmon is nice too. Gray and yellow. Gray and sage. All color combinations which might lead people to cast suspicion on your sexual orientation. But still nice color combinations.

Seriously. Other than a conference of stockbroker types where ties were mandatory (and I do mean mandatory) and a wedding and funeral in the last few years, I can't remember when I saw men wearing ties.; 3/11/12, 6:29 PM
Penny said...: "War on Women"!; 3/11/12, 6:33 PM
Penny said...: See how easy it was to get into your bedroom, ladies?; 3/11/12, 6:35 PM
Penny said...: Ha ha

No need for taxpayers to provide free birth control.; 3/11/12, 6:37 PM
Penny said...: We just need to fuck up your fantasies.; 3/11/12, 6:40 PM
Xmas said...: I'm a big fan of this company's ties.

From what I've heard, the BDSM part of the novel is terrible is BDSM is your actual thing. But the book plays towards women's desires to have a partner that has a firm hand. Really, it sounds like a book version of Secretary.; 3/11/12, 7:11 PM
AlanKH said...: I always said that the necktie is a noose disguised as a fashion accessory.; 3/11/12, 9:12 PM
Penny said...: Alan, REALLY?

You said that?; 3/11/12, 9:29 PM
Penny said...: We'll give you some time to rethink that.; 3/11/12, 9:30 PM
Hammer said...: If this is what she wants, tie your lady friend up with the grey tie. then go into the living room and watch Nascar or baseball or whatever sport. grill a steak and pour yourself a bourbon. let her go eventually of course.; 3/11/12, 9:46 PM
Penny said...: "We just need to fuck up your fantasies."; 3/11/12, 10:01 PM
rcocean said...: Years ago everyone wore ties at my place of work "Any Corporation USA.Inc."

Then the top execs starting showing up without ties, cause they could. Time went by, and now no one wears them, except Marketing guys or when there's a super-formal occasion.

Looks like we should have been grey times all along.; 3/11/12, 10:20 PM
bgates said...: The only woman in my life who could pick business ties well was my mother.

That sounds like the first line of the most upper crust country song ever. If Miley Cyrus married an investment banker, and they had a kid, and that kid decided to try his hand at Grand-papa Billy Ray's trade despite the fact that he grew up at Philips Exeter, he would write that song.; 3/12/12, 2:33 AM
Penny said...: But probably not!; 3/12/12, 3:03 AM
Penny said...: Whoa, sorry about that exclamation point!

Never meant to be "edgy" like that.

Just got carried away on the wings of a *totally blank, blah blah, dove*.; 3/12/12, 3:12 AM
Penny said...: Asked my best friend, Goog, to help me out with the blank spaces and the blah blah blahs.

And I got this...

"Searches related to on the wings of a cold"

- wings of cold gorefiend

- cold chicken wings

- wings of cold guild; 3/12/12, 3:37 AM
Penny said...: Whew, boy.

Tough one!

Which one would you pick if you were Goog's friend?; 3/12/12, 3:39 AM
Blue@9 said...: Who was the poet who said "every woman loves a fascist"?; 3/12/12, 6:05 PM

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