Wednesday 22 August 2012

Vive le T!



My partner’s off on a lengthy business trip to France in the very near future.  Since he relies on me to buy his ties I thought I would do something slightly different. This time his neckwear will allow him to make a discreet political statement, rich in colour and a flash of panache.  I bought two, one a fleur de lis design, gorgeous in gold and black, the other the royal standard of the kingdom of France, also rich in fleur de lis imagery.  He will go to Paris, bringing a personal Bourbon restoration.

I ordered these from Zazzle, an American-based online retailer of whom I had never previously heard.  They also do a nice line in Russian Tsarist designs, as well as communist-based themes, which I must order if he goes to Russia, the former, of course, not the latter!

Their Imperial collection is a joy to behold, and I don’t just mean ties.  The catalogue has a range of Tsarist portraits, from Ivan the Terrible onwards.  They even have Peter II, Alexander II and Alexander III, though I doubt these particular rulers have much of a recognition factor, outside Russia anyway, or, in the case of the first, even inside Russia.  

The last Imperial family are well-represented, particularly Nicholas II as ruler, martyr and saint.  And, yes, there is a Grand Duchess Anastasia!  I was looking to buy Nicholas mementos and artefacts when I was in Moscow, only to discover that the market for these is mostly confined to Saint Petersburg, where the royal family are now interred in a special crypt in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. 

I was disappointed at the time but now I have a chance to make good.  I shall ask for the last Russian autocrat to come west from republican America to royalist England.  There is surely some subtle symbolic and historical irony here.  I shall wear Nicholas with pride.  His Imperial Majesty, along with Anastasia, shall come with me on my next big foreign adventure, which is Tunisia this coming October. 

Will Nicholas have much in the way of recognition factor there?  I seriously doubt it.  If asked I will simply say it’s a portrait of my father.  There he will be, on my chest, looking more than usually regal. 

My partner will be coming too, with or without his French royal ties, that is if he manages to avoid an encounter with Madame la Guillotine.  Ah, well, Vive le T!  


18 comments:

  1. Your partner should make quite an impression on the French with your stylish taste in clothing. What is there in Tunisia that you are interested in experiencing?

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    1. Carthage! Well, that and other things. Apparently they make the best couscous in all of North Africa. :-)

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    2. But didn't the Romans raze Carthage and plow the fields with salt and all that?

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    3. Yes, you are quite right but they built their own Carthage a hundred years later. The remains are all Roman. Still interesting, though.

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    4. Chris, now there's a coincidence! Look out for my headline article. :-))

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  2. I'll have to check them out. The last tie I bought had hens on it, to celebrate my daughter getting another hen. Go me.

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  3. While I admired your enthusiasm to look out nice ties for your partner, I was a little concerned at the actual look of the ties from a male perspective - depending what the occasion was. While your knowledge about history and the underlying reason for your choice of tie was pleasant to read,the tie would be something I wear in simple parties :)

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  4. An interesting post, Ana.
    I'll google the online retailer you mentioned.

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    1. Thanks, Harry. It's super to see you. I hope all is well.

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  5. I went to have a look, but their website is rather complicated for brief browsing. I shall have to return.

    If you're going to sport Tsar Nick, why not get an Old Nick T to match?

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  6. Hi Ana, thank you for reminding me of Zazzle . . . I've obtained a couple of things from them in the past, but this time, inspired by your Imperial theme, I ordered a t-shirt in honour of my many ancestors who attended the University of Koenigsberg . . . http://www.zazzle.com/liberate_east_prussia_t_shirts-235642538821527998

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    1. I like that. Which reminds me, I have a book on East Prussia I've still to review. Alas, so many!

      Incidentally, Chris, in case you didn't notice, Calvin replied to you on my Hidden Secret article.

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    2. Thank you Ana--I'll check it out . . . and I saw your latest post, too--I don't think Cato the Elder took it to ridiculous links . . . especially in politics, persistence is the sine qua non of eventual success, another example being Churchill during the inter-war period . . . Best, Chris

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    3. Chris, it was all rather ad nauseum.

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