Evanston's Necktie Fashionista

Evanston resident Brooke Saucier has worn a different tie to work for more than 100 days, and has written about every single one. 

Saucier's blog, "100 Days, 100 Ties" chronicles the story of each tie: where it's from, what it looks like, why it's special.  Even though he has passed  the 100th day of the project, he says he will continue until he rotates through all 150 ties in his personal collection.

Saucier says he started his blog when he had about 80 ties.  He decided to wear a different one every day to his job as the manager of membership, marketing, and development at the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.  He says he enjoyed the challenge of writing about the ties, and the project forced him to write something every day, which he says improved his writing skills.

Evanston Patch sat down with Saucier to discuss his ever-changing neckwear.

Evanston Patch: Do you have any fashion advice for Evanston residents?

Saucier: I'd never worn a pocket square until this year, but why not? Give it a shot. You can always take things off, as long as it's not pants.  Be adventurous.

Evanston Patch: Tell me about the tie you're wearing right now.

Brooke Saucier: This I bought last week; it was $10 from T.J.Maxx.  This is the first day of stripes week.  Last week was ugly tie week. I've done red tie week, blue tie week, and a week of retro skinny ties the week before the "Mad Men" season premiere.

Evanston Patch: What has the response been to your website?

Saucier: It's been good! I've had over 6,000 page views and I have regular commenters.  And when I don't wear a tie people will stop me and ask, "Where's your tie?"

Evanston Patch: What did you do when you reached 100 ties?

Saucier: Party!  People keep threatening to send me more ties so I won't run out.  One of these days I'm going to get inundated with ties.

Evanston Patch: What's it like to do this project in Evanston, which isn't particularly known for being fashion-forward?

Saucier: Evanston is very casual, and being in Evanston, it's easy for me to stand out looking like this. I get some attention for always wearing a suit, but it's fun. Formal is the new casual.

Evanston Patch: What is your favorite tie?

Saucier: The one that I wore on the 100th day.  It's a Giorgio Armani that someone bought me, and probably paid a lot more than I would have for a tie. It's very special.

Evanston Patch: Where in Evanston do you buy your ties?

Saucier: I go to the Unique Thrift Store on the border of Chicago. [The] Salvation Army has been great to me, and Crossroads.

Evanston Patch: Have you learned anything from writing the blog?

Saucier: I learned that writing can be addictive, and that's a good thing.  I have a self-imposed deadline and it keeps me writing all the time.