As is well-known, official City roles such as Lord Mayor and Sheriff involve a lot of dressing up, and down. Over the years, friends have realised about the only dressing up I don’t mind is putting on a Jerry Garcia tie. Yes, I am a fan of the Grateful Dead, but also feel if I’m going to wear a tie I might as well like it so I have a small collection of eight or so. Requisite attire embraces a variety of official functions, largely in the following order of increasing formality:

• lounge suit
• morning coat
• black tie
• white tie
• Old Bailey trousers
• Old Bailey breeches
• Old Bailey velvets

Sometimes you ‘relax’ in just a jacket and tie at the polo and such. On one particular day in February there were no fewer than eight changes of formal clothing – and I’m not counting pyjamas. Let alone robes:

• Robes ceremonial – scarlet
• Robes official – violet
• Robes – of state, gold
• Robes – state occasions for the monarch, crimson velvet trimmed with ermine

No wonder there is a footman, and he does a marvellous job ensuring things are cleaned, mended, repaired, polished, replaced, and prepared for lightning-quick changes (except for the time I opened my luggage in Singapore in 32ºC (90ºF) to find my ski cap and gloves available in the event of some freakish sci-fi frozen world disaster event). There is also functional wear for things such as riding horses, chopping trees, sailing boats, and picking rubbish. And a bit of fancy dress, such as Lederhosen.

Those who know me are quite aware I’m not a natural clothes horse. I can appear scruffy in anything almost instantly, and am at my most relaxed in shorts and a polo shirt (that kind of ‘relaxing’ polo). As for wearing a tie every day!!! Thus, this year did not play to my non-existent sartorial strengths.

Yet, there was an upside. I could ask about clothes from people who really care and know what they’re doing (you might start here for an historical taste, and for a swift read on the subject try Jennifer Andersen’s Domine Dirige Nos, which is a great guide to all things City). From moth prevention to arcane terms such as jabot, cap-of-maintenance, wig bag (a black rosette dangling down the back of the Old Bailey clothing – in the 18th century, wig bags originally held the queue or tail of a man’s greased and powdered wig, preventing it from dirtying the coat; later the bags became purely ornamental) there are a lot of things to learn. For example, the loop on the back of men’s ties that secures the tail is called the keeper loop or self-loop. I even learned that frayed tie edges can be repaired, if you know the right tailor shop.

So the keeper loop is something I need to remember even upon my return to normal life. When suddenly I receive some twenty keeper loops attached to some twenty of my absolute favourite ties.

The background is that Michael Larsen as Master of the World Traders has been exploring how he (a fellow Jerry Garcia tie fan) could make such a tie for the livery and raise money for charity. That brought Michael to mention to Irwin Sternberg, President of Stonehenge Ltd who have the rights to produce such ties, that the Lord Mayor was also a fan. Irwin and Michael prevailed upon Michael’s brother, Robert Larsen to bring them over and present them to me just ahead of the World Traders’ Installation Dinner at Mansion House on Thursday, 24 October. I couldn’t have been happier.

The story of how Irwin and the team raise money for many charities, and the way the ties continue to give is amazing. In addition, Irwin and Michael Mone made a special 695th Lord Mayor’s tie – along with a bow tie, cummberbund, and a briefcase. A true one-off that I wear rarely and proudly. Thanks to everyone!