My room is in a working-class neighborhood, but the library is located in more of a business district, downtown. Most people dress pretty casually, but there is one look in particular that some young gents are sporting that I’ve been meaning to comment on:

• Close-fitting black or navy blue suit.

• Light colored, but colorful, shirt in something like blue or lavendar. May be solid color, may be window pane pattern.

• A fairly wide tie with a knot the size of a child’s fist. Stops about an inch or more short of the waist-line.

• Hair styled up with gel or wax into a sort of fin along the top of the head. A genteel descendant of the mohawk?

This might sound sort of weird, but it really looks pretty sharp. The tie is interesting because it’s sort of making fun of the whole idea of wearing a tie. It’s postmodern: it’s not a tie, it’s a “tie.” Even without all the other elements of the look I’m describing, there are a number of guys wearing their tie this way. It’s right on the border between goofy and cool, and I think it takes a certain panache to pull it off.