Jared's Tale:

All was well a week after moving in with two friends to an East Village apartment. Our respective moves went smoothly, debates over which pieces of duplicate furniture to sell were settled without drama and the rent split was solidified. Basically, we were all still friends. But, nothing could have prepared us for perhaps the greatest hardship of my young and thus far charmed life.

I awoke one fateful Wednesday morning to find my not-too-shabby designer tie collection the victim of a tragic miscommunication between my two roommates. Justin had placed a bag of clothes, including a few old ties, in what was, unbeknownst to me, temporarily designated the “giveaway room.” Amidst the chaos of the move, we were using the two spare rooms as staging areas while we got our bedrooms and living room in order. I unwittingly placed two racks of ties in the “giveaway room” in close proximity to Justin’s bag of clothes. The trap was set, yet only someone unfamiliar with the value, both financial and sentimental, of a man’s tie collection could spring it.

Meet Alia, an intelligent, charismatic, and generally thoughtful young lady who is the glue in what may well be the greatest roommate trio in New York City. One thing Alia is not however is a tie aficionado. Having taken Tuesday off for move-related chores, Alia took it upon herself to take Justin’s giveaway clothes to a local charity. Upon seeing my ties next to Justin’s, Alia, possessing common sense, paused to contemplate why anyone would want to give away so many seemingly nice ties.

In what proved to be the pivotal moment in this riveting tale, Alia texted Justin “Are you sure you want to give away all these ties?” Justin, unaware of my ties and thinking only of the four or five he was parting with, quickly replied, ‘Yep, they can go.’ At least 30 ties, including five recently acquired from Josh Bach, were left on a church sidewalk to be rummaged through that afternoon, rendering them unrecoverable the next morning.

Men who have to put on the corporate uniform every morning can appreciate my loss. Ties are the most prominent fashion statement a man can make. There are only so many distinguishable shades of blue and grey for suits and the Brits can keep those crazy dress shirts. It was difficult not to dwell on the loss of so many practically irreplaceable ties.

I put on a brave face, tried to put the loss in perspective and go on with my life. By that afternoon I vowed to build back stronger. Vineyard Vines would be replaced by Ferragamo, Ferragamo by Hermes, and Hermes by Josh Bach. After badgering my well-healed coworkers and friends for donations, I thought to write to you since there was actually a record of an online purchase.

Your prompt response and generous donations got my tie fund off to a great start and pulled me out of my funk. I’ll be a loyal Josh Bach customer for life and will work to spread the gospel. No pattern is for everyone, but I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t like at minimum a few of your ties. My coworkers, with tastes ranging from ‘Martini Girls’ to ‘Pineapples,’ are on the bandwagon and I hope everyone who reads this will give the ties a chance with the knowledge that they’re supporting a classy operation.

Jared Toothman