The first time I went for a job interview in New York, I was sitting there
thinking: “These Americans sure do seem like nice people. But why is this
bloke wearing a Brigade of Guards tie?” Practically all conceivable
patterns of what in America are called “rep ties” have some tribal
significance in the U.K. They belong to a club, or a college, or a
regiment. Here is a store that covers the full range. They even have the
tie for my Dad’s old regiment, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Thanks to reader Boris Evseev of Moscow (that’s Moscow, Russia–we span the
world here at NRO) for tracking this down for me.