A Yale graduate would not put a Harvard blazer badge on his/her jacket. But we,here in the USA, think nothing of wearing English regimental, English School, or Tartan ties,etc.School Ties, to which we have no claim. In the same way that here stateside we would not wear a USA school or USA club identity  tie/or apparel to which we or our children had no membership, an Englishman would not dream of wearing a regimental or school item to which he was not a member or graduate. In the 60’s, when the “Ivy League Style” was at it’s height in both the states and in Japan, it was not unusual to have an individual visiting Japanese customer buy blazer crests for every Ivy league school. ( Today the “Ivy Style” is more popular in Tokyo than in NYC!) In our retail store and our mailer, back then, we offered many English Regiment and English School ties. We selected them based solely on liking the color. The more famous patterns,”The Guards Regiment” for example, would be listed by their proper names. For many of the more obscure “Public Schools” we would make up names and embellish them with stories about their origins and history. One of the ties offered we called “The Queens Own Confectioners”.  My brother made up what we thought was an amusing story to complete the presentation. We received a letter from a gentleman in London.  He asked us if we knew that the tie was infact the tie for the school he had attended in his youth.  He related that during the 2nd World War at the weekly Friday Chapel Assembly the Headmaster would read the names of graduates who had died in battle that week.  One sad Friday one of the names read by the headmaster was that of his son. My brother and I discussed whether we thought the letter was real or if someone was “pulling our legs.” We decided to play it straight. We sent a letter and assured him we meant no offense. To those who may be traveling to Great Britain we suggest you not wear a Guards Regimant tie if you or a family member has not served in the regiment.                              This entry was inspired by a thread on Ask Andy About Clothes.