The Fighting Frogs

Behind the Scenes

I’m riding the elevator when, upon stopping on a floor I wasn’t going to, two pilots enter. I’m staying at an airport hotel for a quick weekend event – judging a local dance competition. That’s a tale for another time. The fact that two finely dressed pilots, with luggage in tow, enter the elevator is unsurprising. The fact that they were curious about my tie caught me a little off guard.

I don’t think I’ve worn a tie in years. In my world, they seem to have gone out of fashion somewhere around 2010. I can’t actually remember. Regardless, I had to wear formal attire early in my career. My parents purchased my first blazer for me from a designer boutique in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. when I was 11 years old – it was bright orange. My dad and I would make a thing out of shopping for dress clothes. He particularly enjoying picking out all the things that would match a suit – the shoes, belt, socks, shirt, and tie. He had an eye for the coordination of colors. To be sure, I still have a closet full of suits, along with all the necessary accessories, including and a decent collection of ties. So when the dance competition described their dress code for judges I actually got a little excited. This was an opportunity to break out some lesser used attire.