The New Neckties

The temperature is in the 90s and humidity in the 50s. Wanna wear a necktie?

No? You sure?

Some of the new ones are cool, in the literal sense of the word. I have one in my freezer right now.

The freezer style consists of three parts: a long, narrow tube that freezes solid; a similar tube stuffed with a gel that chills but doesn't freeze; and a terry cloth covering. You push the ice and gel tubes into the cover and clip it around your neck with the soft gel side next to your skin. It keeps you cool until the ice melts. Then you have to pop it back into the freezer for an hour or so.

Here's a more popular style, no freezer required. It starts out as a narrow, baby blue strip of cloth that is perfectly flat. You dip it into a bowl or basin filled with water and watch the back section swell for a minute or two. It thickens, but isn't too thick to fit inside a man's shirt collar. Then you give it a quick wipe with a dry towel so the ends won't drip and tie it on like a jaunty, slim scarf.

Whole offices and factory floors are populated by men and women wearing these. One company president I know keeps a box of the scarf style on his desk, handing them out to visitors and staff like Halloween candy. They are a boon when electrical power for air conditioning is in short supply.

Ingenuity--the new electricity!