3 Polo Ralph Lauren Celebration Ties to Ring in the New Year! Longwinded backstory included. :)

This post includes a long winded backstory of why I like RL and my collection. Feel free to skip to the ++++++++ portion at the end if you just want to read about the pictured ties. :)

Long Winded Backstory:

Going back as far as 1988 that I can recall, I have been a Ralph Lauren fanboy.

It was right around 1988, when I was in 4th grade that I, for some reason, developed an affinity for the design, style, and overall pretentiousness of Polo by Ralph Lauren. A few years earlier, I had started my very first collection (cufflinks) and one of the things I recall asking for on my 1988 Christmas list was a Ralph Lauren French Cuff dress shirt (so I could wear my cufflinks!).

My parents thought it was really unnecessary (and I think my Dad was secretly hoping I would mature into more of a guy's guy that liked sports and cars; he's still waiting for that to happen). I didn't get my first Ralph Lauren French Cuff shirt until 1991, and I wore it as often as I could justify.

It wasn't until 1996, when I got my first job (outside the college campus), that my affinity for RL really started to take off. I got a Christmas seasonal job at Macy's in November of 1996, and that eventually turned into full-time Polo Ralph Lauren Specialist. During this time, I was living at home with my parents, going to school full time at USC, and working full time at Macy's. I would probably say at least 50% of my paycheck went to my insanely growing wardrobe that was 99.9% Polo Ralph Lauren (all gotten at great clearance prices, with employee discount :)

In 1999, I made the move to Robinson's-May Department Store (a former Macy's competitor that was eventually acquired by Macy's). I took the position of full time Men's Polo Ralph Lauren Department Manager. The store I worked at had the largest Polo department in the company, and I loved that job. It also gave me the opportunity to hoard all kinds of Polo that I wanted to buy and chip away at my paycheck week after week.

When I finally quit retail for good in 2004, I had amassed a collection of over 200 Ralph Lauren ties alone. Though men's ties may have advanced in fashion when it comes to width and knot type, I couldn't care less. I still wear my RL ties from 1996-2004 every single day when I got to work. The timeless elegance of RL and their whimsical designs fit my personality quite well. And when the wife and I get the chance to visit the Polo outlet or occasionally even the swap meet, I still scope out deals on Polo neckware.

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Pictured here are 3 of my Polo "Celebration" ties that I am posting in commemoration of New Years 2015.

The red and navy ties were made by Polo in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium. The ties have the Polo Bear, wearing a smoking jacket tuxedo, holding up a martini or champagne glass and is also embroidered with RL 2000 all over it. I got married in the year 2000, so these ties are doubly sentimental for me. :)

The black thin tie in the middle was a recent acquisition that I got at a Polo outlet that was going out of business and was running a massive going out of business sale. It has a champagne bottle and glassware.

Last night, on New Year's Eve here in Las Vegas, I wore the red tie pictured (upon the suggestion of my wife) as we donned our Sunday best and hit the strip. The wife wore her full length mink over a stunning red sequin dress and I wore my RL tuxedo, but with a traditional collared shirt and this RL 2000 bear tie. We attended a concert of Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett at the Cosmopolitan. Awesome night all around.

Thanks for reading everyone and Happy New Year 2015!