Reflections of 2010, Goals for 2011

As 2010 comes to a close and we welcome in 2011, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on the wonderful changes that have happened this year. Here are some of the top highlights:

• Filmed commercials and promo teasers for Skankeywear and C6 Technology
• Finally finalized and received shipment of NW Allen clothing
• NW Allen’s eDoors are opened
• eDoors for Skankeywear are opened
• New opportunities and doors opened with trips to Utah and New York
• Starting expansion of Skankeywear line

It’s been a great year opening so many doors, but now that they are opened, I’m ready to run down their hallways. Here are some goals for 2011:

• Go to at least 1 trade show as a guest.
• Host a booth at a trade show, hopefully Outdoor Retailers (Magic will have to wait another year)
• Expand NW Allen’s line of clothing
• Continue expansion of Skankeywear
• Sign a deal with the many potential investors/partners we have interested

Again, thank you to all of our fans, friends, and family who support us and have helped us along the way.

I hope that you are able to reflect on the good times and focus on the great things to come. Remember to set attainable goals and then surpass them.

Reflection of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close and we welcome in 2011, I thought I would take a minute to reflect on the wonderful changes that have happened this year. Here are some of the top highlights:

• Filmed commercials and promo teasers for Skankeywear and C6 Technology
• Finally finalized and received shipment of NW Allen clothing
• NW Allen’s eDoors are opened
• eDoors for Skankeywear are opened
• New opportunities and doors opened with trips to Utah and New York
• Starting expansion of Skankeywear line

It’s been a great year opening so many doors, but now that they are opened, I’m ready to run down their hallways. Here are some goals for 2011:

• Go to at least 1 trade show as a guest.
• Host a booth at a trade show, hopefully Outdoor Retailers (Magic will have to wait another year)
• Expand NW Allen’s line of clothing
• Continue expansion of Skankeywear
• Sign a deal with the many potential investors/partners we have interested

I hope that you are able to reflect on the good times and focus on the great things to come. Remember to set attainable goals and then surpass them.

Again, thank you to all of our fans, friends, and family who support us and have helped us along the way.

Year's Close

I know we all need to hurry along to close our books and count our inventory. Despite the busyness of the year’s end, we wanted to give everyone one last opportunity to shop with a discount. Make sure to type in the promo code at check out for 30% off your entire purchase. Valid until 12/31.

hollyjolly30

We would also like to share with you a source of wisdom to help you with your closing and setting of goals for the next year.

Openforum

This website has many articles about relevant business strategies, ideas, and cost savers. They have topics such as: innovation, lifestyle, managing, marketing, money, technology, the world. They have great tips from other small business owners, professionals, and experts. We’ve found lots of knowledge from many of their writers and thought you may want to know where to go for more insight.

Have a great rest of the year and good luck with your closing.

Year's End

I know we all need to hurry along to close our books and count our inventory. Despite the busyness of the year’s end, we wanted to give everyone one last opportunity to shop with a discount. Make sure to type in the promo code at check out for 30% off your entire purchase. Valid until 12/31.

hollyjolly30

We would also like to share with you a source of wisdom to help you with your closing and setting of goals for the next year.

Openforum

This website has many articles about relevant business strategies, ideas, and cost savers. They have topics such as: innovation, lifestyle, managing, marketing, money, technology, the world. They have great tips from other small business owners, professionals, and experts. We’ve found lots of knowledge from many of their writers and thought you may want to know where to go for more insight.

Have a great rest of the year and good luck with your closing!

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holiday's from all of us at Skankeywear!  We really appreciate all of the support and love we have received this past year and all those who have stood by us.

We wish you all a very merry season filled with love and laughs.  We hope that this next year brings all the success you deserve.

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays from NW Allen and Skankeywear.  Thank you for all of your support this year and love, we really appreciate it!

We hope that you have a wonderful time this season and wish you a very bright and exciting new year!

Thanksgiving

I have never been to Idaho and Thanksgiving weekend I was able to travel here.  All I can say is that you could certainly have a lot of fun there.  You wouldn't think a pile of potatoes could be fun, but it can be.

And of course, so could snowmobiling.  It was my first time and definitely not my last.  Have you gone before?

Business or Pleasure Trips

I strongly recommend, as a Road Warrior, to plan trips for pleasure and ONLY pleasure.  Why?  Well, let's look at the flip side.

The Business Trip:
Some times you can be in a city for a few hours, a day, maybe a week.  During that time you usually work, maybe go into a satellite office, or just go from meeting to meeting.  Most companies don't want you there longer than necessary so you don't have any fun really.  This is why I recommending taking as many "moments" as possible on these business trips.
-In you taxi, look up at the buildings and around!  Don't stare at your blackberry the entire time.
-When you're done for the day, try to see or do one thing you couldn't anywhere else.

-Keep track of the places you eat and buildings you go to.  On your next time, try to venture out.

Doing it little by little each trip relaxes you enough, without stressing out your boss or your wallet.

The Pleasure Trip:

This is even more important if you aren't able to schedule your little moments on business trips.  Even though you are seeing the world, you aren't usually enjoying it.  This in turn, makes every trip a chore and a routine part of your job.  By ensuring yourself a pleasure trip, there is a little break in the monotony and re-excites you to go somewhere.  On these trips, do not do any work.

-Keep your phone off, especially during dinner, family times, or for romantic occasions.

-Do your best to not talk about work.  I think they will last without you.

-Keep emailing to an absolute minimum or none if possible.

-Take the time to think about you and your loved ones.

Whether you like it or not, if you are a serious worker it will come out in conversation, but keep that to a minimum.  The only except to the rule is networking because you never know if there is a good opportunity, but if the bell boy asks why you can afford such nice luggage...you don't need to give a pitch.

I went to the Oregon Coast for my last Pleasure Trip and was able to mix business with pleasure on my trip to Utah and Idaho.  You only need a day or two to rejuvenate you to keep going and sometimes you just need a moment.

Road Warrior Travel to New York

Things have been very busy since the launch of Skankeywear. We are doing pretty well and it's been very exciting to see all the activity and excitement over it.  Both companies have really been taking off since the opening of their stores.

While, we have our stores open for both Skankeywear and NW Allen, we are still open to explore options of improving and expanding. I was able to travel to New York to have different meetings with companies, sales reps, and others about NW Allen, Skankeywear, C6 Technology, and what we could do with it. Things are going very well.

While in New York, I was able to mix a little business with pleasure, as I recommend everyone do. Especially if you are a serious road warrior, take a minute to take in all that you get to see and take advantage of. It was great to be able to see so many sights and enjoy the city. I'll go back anytime.

Oregon Coast

Having only lived in the Northwest for a short time, I am not an expert, but I am learning what fun things there are to do here.  It's hard not living in Southern California in the 3 hour zone.  The 3 hour zone is where you can travel within 3 hours to go surfing, snowboarding, or wakeboarding.  During the fall and spring in this coveted area to live in, you can literally wake up to go snowboarding, head to the lake, and go night boarding.  It's insane and I miss it terribly.

You can't do that in the Northwest during fall and winter, but you can enjoy the Oregon Coast.  I have now been to every city from Astoria to Newport.  The Oregon Coast is completely different from the beach and not something you can easily jump into, but it has it's own feel and activities.

One of the places we have enjoyed the most is Depoe Bay and Newport.  We stayed in Depoe Bay, which is where we got amazing pictures of the view.  The "big" city is Newport and they have many cool funky shops and places for great seafood, including the original Mo's.  Each coastal city is similar, but they all have their own distinct vibe.  Make sure to check out as many as possible when you next visit the Coast.

New York

Things have been very busy since the launch of Skankeywear.  We are doing pretty well and it's been very exciting to see all the activity and excitement over it.

While, we have our stores open for both Skankeywear and NW Allen, we are still open to explore options of improving and expanding.  I was able to travel to New York to have different meetings with companies, sales reps, and others about Skankeywear, C6 Technology, and what we could do with it.  Things are going very well.

While in New York, I was able to mix a little business with pleasure, as I recommend everyone do.  Especially if you are a serious road warrior, take a minute to take in all that you get to see and take advantage of.  It was great to be able to see so many sights and enjoy the city.  I'll go back anytime.

PR Release - Skankeywear Launches a Line of Comfortable Protective Wear

Skankeywear launches its one of kind graphic tee line of clothing treated with C6 Technology a revolutionary process that makes clothing stain, water, fade, odor and wrinkle resistant.

Skankeywear®, LLC. a Beaverton, Oregon headquartered company has launched the Skankeywear® brand; a range of T-shirts for the US market. The products have unique benefits that protect clothes from a number of things that can damage and stain garments. Given the active lifestyles of America’s youth, this product hits the mark. Skankeywear uses C-6 Technology, which is a special eco-friendly process that allows the clothes to be stain resistant, water repellent, fade resistant, odor repellent, breathable and wrinkle free. This advanced technology has been years in development but the results have been worth the wait. Says CEO Nathan Skankey “Skankeywear is the ultimate protective range of clothes for people that lead an active lifestyle.” Simply put, if you spill something on your clothes you will not have to worry about unpleasant odors and embarrassing stains.

Skankeywear clothes do not require ironing they can be shaken out after drying and immediately put on because they are wrinkle resistant. In a world committed to saving our planet, the consumer is now part of the solution given that they can save valuable energy with Skankeywear clothing.

"Skankeywear is the ultimate protective range of clothes for people that lead an active lifestyle."

Skankeywear has a range of stylish clothes to meet a consumers on the go lifestyle needs. In addition, for a limited time during the introduction, Skankeywear will be offering lucrative discounts and value packs. Visit our Facebook page to see these great values.

The products will be sold primarily via online portal at skankeywear.com and will be nationally available in the Fall 2010. Over the next twelve months the company plans to expand distribution into both specialty stores and eventually to mass retail outlets.

Join Skankeywear as it brings a new wave of stylish and resistant clothing to consumers.

For further details, please visit at skankeywear.com and follow Skankeywear on twitter.com/Skankeywear.

Skankeywear LLC is the nation’s leading provider of quality and protective apparel for a range of occasions.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…Lift off!

Skankeywear’s online store is now opened for business. Check us out on our twitter and facebook pages for updates on deals and promos.

Currently, the first 10 purchasers will be entered into a drawing to win at $50 Visa gift card. You read right, $50 Visa gift card. That means you can use the gift card anywhere and everywhere Visa cards are accepted. Buy a Skankeywear shirt and then go buy groceries or more Skankeywear. Whatever your little heart desires.

The first 20 purchasers will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 Visa gift card. Yes, $25 on a Visa gift card to spend wherever.

What do you have to do to be entered into these amazing drawings? Be one of the first 10 or 20 purchasers and you could win!

Check out our website now for your chance to win and to be one of the first cool kids in town to be wearing Skankeywear!

Announcing the Launch of Skankeywear

Technically speaking, Skankeywear is the main company line and NW Allen is the offshoot of dress clothing. However, due to supplier difficulties, NW Allen opened its online store doors first and now Skankeywear has too.

Skankeywear (named after the CEO’s last name Skankey) is casual clothing; sweatshirts, shirts, etc. The line is currently offering select styles and types for men and women, but hopes to expand to more varieties including hats, jackets, and pants with sizes for all ages.

NW Allen is of course treated with C6 Technology, and so is Skankeywear. It feels and breathes as comfortably as normal cotton knits, but it has the same stain resistance as your favorite rain coat. It’s great for day to day use and no worries about spills or unpleasant odors.

Skankeywear is really to better complete and help offer you a complete line of clothing. You can wear your NW Allen dress clothing to your business meeting and by night switch to your casual Skankeywear for fun.

Be sure to support both companies for the two styles to every guy.

http://www.skankeywear.com/

http://www.skankeywear.blogspot.com/

www.twitter.com/skankeywear

Care Instructions and Tips

For our C6 treated clothing, you don't have to do all the extra steps. It's actually quite energy and money saving to have all of your clothes treated with C6 Technology.


For best results, machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors. That includes your whites. Washing in cold water saves you money. Tumble dry on medium and do not use fabric softeners. All you need is a light tumble since C6 technology dries faster and in already wrinkle free. It's best not to use fabric softeners since some contain different technology that can adversely effect your C6 tech. As soon as the dryer is done, you can grab your shirt and go. You're welcome to iron your clothing, but it's not necessary and I would advise against ironing with water or starch since it cannot be absorbed into the clothing. This is the same reason why you don't need to dry clean.

I know what you saying, "Why do I need to wash my clothes if they are treated with something that protects against water, stains, and odor?" Our technology makes clothing water, stain, odor resistant. Washing the garment will remove oils making the C6 Technology work as good as new.

Care Instructions

For our C6 treated clothing, you don't have to do all the extra steps.  It's actually quite energy and money saving to have all of your clothes treated with C6 Technology.

For best results, machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors.  That includes your whites.  Washing in cold water saves you money.  Tumble dry on medium and do not use fabric softeners.  All you need is a light tumble since C6 technology dries faster and in already wrinkle free.  It's best not to use fabric softeners since some contain different technology that can adversely effect your C6 tech.  As soon as the dryer is done, you can grab your shirt and go.  You're welcome to iron your clothing, but it's not necessary and I would advise against ironing with water or starch since it cannot be absorbed into the clothing.  This is the same reason why you don't need to dry clean. 

I know what you saying, "Why do I need to wash my clothes if they are treated with something that protects against water, stains, and odor?"  Our technology makes clothing water, stain, odor resistant.  Washing the garment will remove oils making the C6 Technology work as good as new.

Vancouver Snowboarding Hot Spots

I’m preparing for a trip up to Vancouver, Canada and I’m very excited to go snowboarding up there. I was searching around for the best spots and here’s what I found from the websites. From most expensive daily lift, to cheapest (all CAD):


Whistler Blackcomb, Lift tickets start at $93.

Whistler is 2 hours north of downtown Vancouver, and probably most famous because of the Olympics. It hosted Alpine Skiing events, all Nordic events, Luge, Bobsled, and Skeleton. Needless to say, this place looks huge and although it’s distance to downtown, it’s likely a huge tourist attraction. Although it’s the most expensive daily lift ticket, they offer several different discounts, group discounts, and package options to help save a buck include deals with their Edge Card. You can take lessons and snowboarding rental set starts at $34.99. They also offer other events besides snowboarding and skiing, there is ziptrek tours, snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, and even helli-skiing! Before you go, check out their weathercams, etc. All I can say, is this looks amazing and I’m assuming very worth the drive and money.
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/

Cypress Mountain, Lift tickets start at $58.04.

Cypress was also home to many Olympic events including Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross, Snowboard Halfpipe, Giant Slalom, and Snowboard Cross. You can actually snowboard on the Olympic Halfpipe, which is amazing! I feel like they let you do and see a lot of your lift ticket. They do have very separated Nordic & Alpine sides of the mountains. The Nordic side has a huge area to snowshoe. They offered a Gold Medal Card for their discount prices and this place looked pretty awesome. Rental sets start at $41.96 and it’s only a 50 minute drive North West from Vancouver. I thought this place looked like it had a lot to offer and could be a lot of fun.
http://cypressmountain.com/

Grouse Mountain, Lift tickets start at $55.

The mountains that don’t offer Olympic claim to fames, tend to be much cheaper, but not necessarily a “cheap” place. Grouse Mountain looks phenomenal with lots to do and it’s only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver! Snowboard package rentals start at $42, but you can combine on your tours and save a lot of money. They offer a free style park, snowshoeing, sno-limo, paragliding, and ziplines. They also have the claim to fame of the Eye of the Wind tour. There is lots to do there and it’s amazing to think that it is so close to the city! I think this mountain gives you the most bang for your buck.
http://www.grousemountain.com/

Manning Park Resort, Lift tickets start at $45.

This may be an amazing resort and I have actually heard decent things about it, but if a tourist like myself was stumbling across the website, you would find it nothing short of disappointing. The Park is 3 hours East from downtown, making it the farthest mountain and it has no claim to fame. It does offer similar events and ice skating, but for how confusing the website was, why would I drive 3 hours for the same thing closer?
http://www.manningpark.com/

Mt. Seymour, Lift tickets start at $44.50.

Mt. Seymour looked like the simplest website, but still cool. I feel like they are saying, “We don’t have to compete with the ‘famous mountains.’ We do our own thing.” They do have a more slim menu of outdoor activities, the only extras offered are snowshoeing, tubing, and tobogganing. However, it had a fun vibe and seemed like you would find many more avid snowboarders and locals here. Since rental packages start at $41 and it’s only 30 minutes north east of Vancouver, Seymour seems like the best deal if you really want to snowboard.
http://www.mountseymour.com/

Portland Fashion Week

Portland Fashion Week was October 6-10th.  My wife and I went on the 9th to see her favorite designer, Seth Aaron Henderson.

The video is of his collection, inspired by SolarWorld.  It was very exciting and the crowd loved each piece.

The other designers were fun as well and also all from Project Runway, but I would say the next best was Gordana, with her line "Goga."  Most of her clothes seemed wearable and interesting.  Jonathan Joseph....snooze.  Jay Nicolas Sario...eh.  Now I'm no fashion expert, but I do not what is wearable and comfortable and on those terms "Goga" won.

It was fun to see a Fashion Show so up close.  We will be working on getting in Swag bags next year.

Updated Press Release, as seen in Yahoo! News

NW Allen launches the next generation of protective apparel.

Skankeywear®, Inc. a Beaverton, Oregon headquartered company has launched the NW Allen brand; a range of shirts, pants and ties initially for the US and global market. The products have unique benefits that protect clothes from a number of things that can damage and stain garments. NW Allen uses C-6 technology which is a special eco-friendly chemical coating that allows the clothes to be stain resistant, water repellant, fade resistant, odor repellant, stain resistant and wrinkle free. This advanced technology has been years in development but the results have been worth the wait. Says CEO Nathan Skankey “NW Allen is the ultimate protective range of clothes for the frequent traveler and business person.” Simply put if you spill something on your clothes or have to travel with several meetings and have long lay over’s you won’t have to worry about unpleasant odors and embarrassing stains!


NW Allen clothes do not require ironing so you can shake them out after drying and immediately put them on because they are wrinkle resistant. In a world committed to saving our planet you are now part of the solution given that you can save valuable energy with NW Allen clothing.

NW Allen has a range of poplin shirts, slacks and colorful stylish ties that are fashionable as well as being protective. These products will provide a great value for the discerning consumer. In addition, for a limited time during the introduction, NW Allen will be offering lucrative discounts and value packs.

The products will be sold primarily via online portal at http://www.nwallen.com/. And will be nationally available in the spring. Over the next twelve months the company plans to expand distribution into both specialty stores and eventually to mass retail outlets.

Join us as we bring a new wave of stylish and resistant clothing to consumers.

For further details please visit us at http://www.nwallen.com/, http://www.nwallen.blogspot.com/ and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/NWAllenapparel.

Skankeywear is the nations leading provider of quality and protective apparel for a range of occasions. NW Allen is the professional and executive travel brand within the overall Skankeywear portfolio.

C-6 Technology and Cotton

Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathable, quietness, style, image and history.

The Problem:

Cotton has always lacked the basic performance attributes which lead to the rise of synthetics in the apparel market. Interestingly enough, in recent years, synthetic manufacturers have been trying hard to make, for example, polyesters feel like cotton.

prefers cottons over synthetics for style and

The negative attributes of cotton include over 100% absorption of water when wet, lack of any stain resistance, very long drying times and therefore not practically useful for the slightest weather change.

Because the consumer stillcomfort reasons, the industry has recently began to address the demand by trying to develop performance cottons - unsuccessfully.

The reasons for the lack of success have been:

• Poor adhesion of water & stain repellant chemicals to the cotton fiber due to the traditional nature of the dyeing and finishing process
• Lack of understanding the proper use of water repellant chemicals on cottons, which is significantly different than on synthetics
• Companies who try to transfer technologies developed for other industries and apply them to cottons
• Natural tendency of cotton to absorb a lot of water and stain easily whereas synthetics naturally absorb less water and also do not stain quite easily
• Technical challenges, such as inconsistent curing of current water-repellant chemical causing skin irritation on consumer

Our solution:

Due to the traditional application methods creating performance and curing issues which has been plaguing the industry for a long time, our process was specifically developed for water & stain repellant application to address and solve these problems.

We see a unique opportunity in cotton and denim. Specifically, we can use the advantages of our technology, C-6 Technology, to create a truly high performance cotton and denim that performs like a synthetic while keeping all cotton's natural attributes.

Our process is applied as a liquid performance finish; specifically, water and stain repellant finishes, to apparel after the garment has been completed. This brings added durability, flexibility in fabric type, quickness to market, and waste reduction cost to customers.

The process adds durability to any finish when applied to garments that could not be achieved in the conventional fabric finishing systems employed today. Not only is the entire garment treated and protected, but seams, embroideries, logos, zippers and pockets are also protected from outside influences of daily weather and wear.

Conventional water resistant treatments, currently on the market, are done mostly on raw fabrics. Therefore apparel manufacturers are locked into specific fabric types made available by the mills doing the treatments. However, in our process, virtually any garment made out of cotton or synthetic fabric or a blend thereof can be treated providing all of the advantages of a high performance product.

C-6 Technology treated clothing absorbs much less water making the water consumption used while washing treated clothing much less than a non-treated article of clothing, saving water. Treated clothing also dries twice as fast as untreated clothing saving on electricity making clothing treated with C-6 Technology Eco-Friendly. Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathability, quietness, style, image and history.

C-6 Technology and Cotton

Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathable, quietness, style, image and history.

The Problem:

Cotton has always lacked the basic performance attributes which lead to the rise of synthetics in the apparel market. Interestingly enough, in recent years, synthetic manufacturers have been trying hard to make, for example, polyesters feel like cotton.

The negative attributes of cotton include over 100% absorption of water when wet, lack of any stain resistance, very long drying times and therefore not practically useful for the slightest weather change.

Because the consumer still prefers cottons over synthetics for style and comfort reasons, the industry has recently began to address the demand by trying to develop performance cottons - unsuccessfully.

The reasons for the lack of success have been:

• Poor adhesion of water & stain repellant chemicals to the cotton fiber due to the traditional nature of the dyeing and finishing process
• Lack of understanding the proper use of water repellant chemicals on cottons, which is significantly different than on synthetics
• Companies who try to transfer technologies developed for other industries and apply them to cottons
• Natural tendency of cotton to absorb a lot of water and stain easily whereas synthetics naturally absorb less water and also do not stain quite easily
• Technical challenges, such as inconsistent curing of current water-repellant chemical causing skin irritation on consumer

Our solution:

Due to the traditional application methods creating performance and curing issues which has been plaguing the industry for a long time, our process was specifically developed for water & stain repellant application to address and solve these problems.

We see a unique opportunity in cotton and denim. Specifically, we can use the advantages of our technology, C-6 Technology, to create a truly high performance cotton and denim that performs like a synthetic while keeping all cotton's natural attributes.

Our process is applied as a liquid performance finish; specifically, water and stain repellant finishes, to apparel after the garment has been completed. This brings added durability, flexibility in fabric type, quickness to market, and waste reduction cost to customers.

The process adds durability to any finish when applied to garments that could not be achieved in the conventional fabric finishing systems employed today. Not only is the entire garment treated and protected, but seams, embroideries, logos, zippers and pockets are also protected from outside influences of daily weather and wear.

Conventional water resistant treatments, currently on the market, are done mostly on raw fabrics. Therefore apparel manufacturers are locked into specific fabric types made available by the mills doing the treatments. However, in our process, virtually any garment made out of cotton or synthetic fabric or a blend thereof can be treated providing all of the advantages of a high performance product.

C-6 Technology treated clothing absorbs much less water making the water consumption used while washing treated clothing much less than a non-treated article of clothing, saving water. Treated clothing also dries twice as fast as untreated clothing saving on electricity making clothing treated with C-6 Technology Eco-Friendly. Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathability, quietness, style, image and history.

Just Because

Go to http://www.nwallen.com/, at check out use the promo code:  introductory50offsecond

Get 50% off your entire purchase!  Valid through Sunday 9/26/10.

Hurray and get your shop on!

Also join our Facebook group and enter to win a free tie!

Apparel Spotlight: Ties

Some may think "Ties, whatever."  Whatever is the wrong attitude.  You don't have to be a fashionista, but if you can pick a good tie, you can look just as sharp.  Things to consider when purchasing a tie:

1)  How many outfits can this go with?  You don't need to think too long.  Look at the colors in the tie and figure out how many things these colors can work with.  Take the Yellow tie with Blue Stripes.  If you have a blue shirt, this will look amazing, try to think about how this will work with what you already own and what you may want to purchase.  If the tie can only work with the one shirt the one way, I'd advise against it.

2)  What is the real color?  It's hard to tell online sometimes and many will photoshop their products.  We try to give you the real colors.  There could be a slight variation between natural lighting and flash, so we try to make sure you can see that so you can know what it will look like on you and for all the different times you may wear that particular tie.

3)  How many times or places will I wear this?  Think about the occassions and usefulness of the tie.  Simple stripes or a nice solid pattern are great for several occassions.  Bugs Bunny may not be the best choice for an interview.  Similarly, the bold striking pattern is not the one you want to wear to a funeral.  Go with classic and verstile looks that you can wear to the funeral, the wedding, and the interview.

4)  Who cares about a tie?  You may be saying to yourself, "Wow, I'm putting a lot of thought into a tie," but any purchase should have some thought in it and I a tie is often overlooked.  Tie's are certainly the cherry on top and who would want a rotten cherry?

All NW Allen ties are all classic colors, great and simple styles, perfect for every occassion, and the cherry on top:  All treated with C-6 Technology.  No more dipping your tie in coffee or having a glass of wine ruin your look.  Check out all our line at NWAllen.com.