Redefining 'business casual'

Here in the land of Casual Friday — and Monday, and Tuesday, and so on — who wears a necktie anymore? Well, not who you might think.

Seattle may not be much of a suit-and-tie kind of place, but that hasn't stopped demand for Ali Vogt's miniskirts made from recycled neckties. The local designer and mother of four combs thrift stores and estate sales for thousands of silk and wool ties, and then mixes and matches them in her Capitol Hill basement.

"I'd seen tie skirts before, but they always looked dowdy to me," Vogt says. "I kept these designs short and smart. ... Ties are cut on a bias, so they hang from the waist in a very flattering way."

From tweeds to pastels to stripes and polka dots, Vogt approaches the skirts "as a painter would create a painting," she says. She first made one for her daughter as an experiment and then "every mom wanted one."

Vogt's company, Fit To Be Tied (206-323-2620), now makes tie skirts — and vests, suspenders and belts — for children and adults. The skirts range from $80 to $160 and are available at The Pink Alligator in Bellevue (425-453-6704) or online at www.fittobetied.biz.

Fashion tip: Pair a tie skirt with Ugg boots or over a pair of jeans.

Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com