The Dapper Dude VS Casual America
Yesterday the folks over at Ties-Necktie.com e-mailed me about a game they created titled “The Dapper Dude & His Fight Against Casual America”. Curious about this, apparently “addicting”, flash game I stopped by the site and started playing. An hour later I finally said “good enough”, and posted my score of 17,395 which landed me the 7th overall highest score. I don’t expect to be in the TOP10 for long since this game apparently just went live earlier this week. But for now I am bragging about being in the TOP10. CLICK HERE to play this game.
The premise of this PACMAN-like game is the fight of formal/dapper against casual/sloppy. As a tie aficionado, and someone that cares about fashion and style, I love this concept. The character Dapper Dude wears a top hat and a stylish bow tie. It is his mission to collect all the black bow ties and to beat the sandals (casual America). The game is simple, entertaining, and unfortunately also somewhat addicting. =)
Weekly Highest Score Wins $100
This week’s current high score of 31,870 is quite a reach for someone that has never played a PAC-MAN like game before, but my guess is that sooner or later some PACMAN pro will find his/her way over to the “Dapper Dude’ game and post a 6-digit score. Good news is that Ties-Necktie.com will be giving out $100 in store credit for each week’s top score.
How to Win?
The answer is simple: Score lots of points and be the #1 for the week. From my one hour playing time I figured out a few things that will help you rack up a respectable score after only a few tries. The most points are given out if you eat the sandals after collecting one of the four dots. The first sandal gets you 200 points, the second 400, the third, 800, and the fourth, 1600. So in theory you can score 12,000 points on the first level from eating sandals alone. Also, should you be able to eat all four sandals twice in a row, you will receive another life as a bonus. As a final tip: Watch out for the sandals that come out of the “safe zone” which will be lethal to Dapper Dude. Give it a try. I bet you will be hooked.
Cheers,
Hendrik
The bright red necktie is commonly referred to as the “power tie”. Red is an attention grabbing color that is commonly associated with passion, power, love, and authority. Because it is such a “loud” and attention grabbing color, I suggest you use it carefully on your selection of neckties. Unless you are looking for a bold look that makes you center of attention, stay away from bright red neckties. Red ties look nice with navy, gray, and charcoal suits. If you are looking for a bright and lively tie color, but don’t want the bold look of the bright red tie, then your best bet are red shades that contain a larger potion of brown – which brings me to the next tie color: “Burgundy”
Ties in burgundy and other dark reds (cherry, maroon, crimson, etc.) are popular in the world of neckties. They are timelessly elegant and suit any season. Burgundy is a color that pairs the power of red with the maturity of brown – thus making an excellent choice for business. There is a reason why cherry and burgundy red ties are popular in politics!
Blue is men’s favorite color. It connotes a calm and soothing nature, elegance, and maturity. It is not surprising that the navy blue necktie is the most commonly sold tie color. It is timelessly elegant and can be worn in spring as well as winter. My tip: Pair the blue tie with a contrasting suit and shirt to create a more interesting look. A solid navy blue tie would look great when paired with classic white shirt and a light gray pin-striped suit.
Light blue ties are most popular in the spring and summer month. It is, compared to navy, a much more playful color that evokes youthfulness and liveliness. My tip: pair the light blue necktie with your charcoal gray suit – a perfect business look for the spring and summer months. 
Pink is a color that pairs the passion of red with the purity of white. It is therefore often called the “romantic color”. In the world of neckties, pink is commonly spotted on designers’ spring and summer collections. My tip: wear a solid pink tie in combination with a light rose colored dress shirt, navy pin-striped suit, and light rose colored pocket square – the perfect look for a date at a fancy restaurant. I guarantee that she will be impressed! For more information you may also want to read my recent blog post titled: 
Orange is sometimes called the “happy color”. Depending on the shade of orange, it can be worn in spring, summer, and fall. For the spring, brighter and pastel orange ties are popular. Check out Hermes’ collection of pastel and peach colored neckties out of this year’s collection for instance. While lighter shades of orange are great for the spring and summer, darker orange (burnt orange and persimmon) are excellent fall colors. They remind me of turning Autumn leaves!
Yellow is a cheerful color that is typically only seen in tie designer’s spring and summer collections. It is not a popular color for business since it can be perceived as “too playful”. My tip: Wear a bright lemon yellow tie for the next summer wedding you are invited to! Yellow ties look excellent in combination with navy and/or beige colored suits.
That black is a formal color shouldn’t be news to anyone. For a reason we speak of 
White is a “pure” color. While common on a man’s dress shirt, it is typically only used as an accent color on the necktie (in form of white stripes, checks, polka dots, etc). Solid white ties are rare in business but are great for a casual/trendy look. My tip: Wear a solid white skinny tie with a black dress shirt, washed designer jeans, and a knitted cardigan sweater. 
Green is a color that is commonly associated with nature and the environment. When thinking about wearing green ties you will have plenty of choices. Especially the spring and summer months are great for showcasing a light lime-green necktie paired with a summer suit in blue, light gray, and/or tan – another great ensemble for your next summer wedding invitation.
Brown is commonly referred to as “the mature color”. If you are looking to portray a mature and established personality, then the brown necktie is right for you. Brown ties are especially popular in the fall season. My tip: stay away from a suit, shirt, and tie combination that pairs too many “earthy colors” – it will make you look like a park ranger. Instead pair the brown tie with a navy suit, off-white dress shirt, and dark brown dress shoes.
Purple is often times referred to as “the royal color”. Purple is a shade that is commonly associated with nobility but also with religion. Depending on the shade, purple ties can be worn in spring, summer, and fall. For the spring light purples (such as lavender and iris) are excellent especially when paired with tan or light gray summer suits. For the fall season darker purples (such as plum and eggplant) are great choices for the man seeking to add some interesting color to his business uniform. 
Men’s ties come in any imaginable color, design, fabric, and even cut. Because there are so many choices I noticed that even those who have been wearing ties for many years often find it difficult to make a decision when browsing tie racks. This is often a result of simply not knowing what to look for in a tie other than your personal likes and dislikes. While personal preference is of course important, there is quite a bit more that goes into choosing the right tie. So long as you have a solid idea as of what to look for when shopping for a tie, however, you’ll have a much higher chance of being confident about the order that you place. The following are three essential tips for choosing the perfect necktie, none of which should be overlooked.
