The Two-Tone Tie

The Orange and Yellow Two-toned Tie

I first developed a sense of fashion on my mission to Tokyo, Japan.  It seemed that all of the Japanese businessmen had the latest and greatest fashion.

I felt that in order to better relate with those I was trying to teach, and for them to better accept me as their teacher, I needed to up my fashion.  I didn't have much money, but I was able to buy two cheap (yet fashionable) pairs of slacks,  a few cheap dress shirts, and several nice ties.

At that time in Tokyo, two-toned ties were the big fad.  The blade of the necktie would be one color, the tail another.  Those were the kind of ties I bought.

Most ties have what's called a "keeper loop": an extra piece of fabric that is sewn onto the backside of the blade of the necktie.  When the tail of the necktie is placed through the keeper loop after knotting, it helps to keep the tail out of sight.

Well, I never used the keeper loop.  I didn't want to keep the tail hidden.  I wanted people to see the tail of my ties, to notice they were a different color from the blade, to know that I had two-tone ties and that I was fashionable.

I will never forget the lesson Sister Wada, my mission president's wife (affectionately known as the "mission mom") taught me with regards to one of those ties.