I think he had me at "fuzzy frogs": Mark Simonson of Gilbert writes: "In the early ’80s when I was growing up, my mother found some bright orange fabric with fuzzy frogs and flies all over it. She thought it was pretty sweet at the time, so she decided it would look good as a necktie. Don’t you agree? This hideous but sexy tie, which doesn’t match anything on the planet, has been the conversation piece whenever I have risked wearing it in public."Simonson can look on the bright side, though: "I feel fortunate to have it … who else can look down at their neckwear and pet fuzzy little amphibians?" (I gave you a close-up a left.)Do you think this is the worst of the lot? Take a look at the other contenders after the jump — and leave your comments!(And remember: You’ve got only one more day to enter your own ugly tie for a chance to win 14 new ones from designers including Ermenegildo Zegna, Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Ike Behar. The instructions are at the end of this post.) The perils of the novelty tie! John Frederick writes: "My Australian-born wife bought me this tie for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. I wore it faithfully on the flights" — he’s a pilot — "and happily while at the Games, but what on Earth do I do with it in Arizona? All my friends laughed every time they saw me wear it. My wife even laughs at it now and said I could do with a new one."How did Leonard Frederick of Chandler end up with so many heinous floral ties? (Another of his entries is further down.) "I don’t know how long I wore this one I purchased in the early ’90s," he wrote. "Until I realized it didn’t suit much of anything." John Pecoraro of Tempe stopped by with two possibilities for the Ugly Tie Contest. The one at left he found at a vintage clothing store in California — it’s from 1947 and handpainted. (He also bought a similar one that has a woman wearing, ahem, a bit less.) The one at right he bought when he was student-teaching and needed a green tie, and this was the only one in the store.Leonard Frederick’s other floral fantasy. "Back in 1980 I bought this tie for a family reunion," he wrote. "Now look how it fits." (The crop doesn’t let you see how short it is now.)John Frederick’s second entry — also a floral! — has matching suspenders, too. (To see the full effect, click here.) "My daughter from Oregon sent it … to me for Father’s Day several years ago," he says. "She thought they were wonderful so I couldn’t disappoint her and wore them often." Thane Walton of Mesa entered all three of these ties. Of the one on the left, he says: "Can you believe I actually purchased this for my engagement photo in 1981? Luckily for me the photographer vetoed it." The center tie: "Sometime in the ’90s I saw this and wore it with pride for about three years before my senses caught up with me." The one on the right: "I thought all the various color schemes would match anything I had."Click here to enter our Ugly Tie Contest for a chance to win more than a dozen new ones from makers like Nautica, Bird Dog Bay, Ike Behar and Ermenegildo Zegna. (Photos and descriptions of the prize ties are on the form, too.) The deadline is June 8. I’ll continue to post the entries; the winner also appears on the cover of our Arts & Life cover on Sunday, June 17 (aka Father’s Day).

The Fredericks are back with one more entry each in our Ugly Tie Contest. Do you think these are the worst of the lot? The other contenders are after the jump. (And remember: You’ve got only three days to enter your own ugly tie for a chance to win 14 new ones from designers including Ermenegildo Zegna, Kenneth Cole, Nautica and Ike Behar. The instructions are at the end of this post.)But on to the newest ugly entries:The perils of the novelty tie! John Frederick writes: "My Australian-born wife bought me this tie for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. I wore it faithfully on the flights" — he’s a pilot — "and happily while at the Games, but what on Earth do I do with it in Arizona? All my friends laughed every time they saw me wear it. My wife even laughs at it now and said I could do with a new one."How did Leonard Frederick of Chandler end up with so many heinous floral ties? (You can see another of his entries after the jump.) "I don’t know how long I wore this one I purchased in the early ’90s," he wrote. "Until I realized it didn’t suit much of anything." John Pecoraro of Tempe stopped by with two possibilities for the Ugly Tie Contest. The one at left he found at a vintage clothing store in California — it’s from 1947 and handpainted. (He also bought a similar one that has a woman wearing, ahem, a bit less.) The one at right he bought when he was student-teaching and needed a green tie, and this was the only one in the store.The latest contender in our ugly tie contest: Leonard Frederick of Chandler’s floral fantasy. "Back in 1980 I bought this tie for a family reunion," he wrote. "Now look how it fits." (The crop doesn’t let you see how short it is now.)Does this count as double? John Frederick of Chandler’s entry has matching suspenders, too. (To see the full effect, click here.) "My daughter from Oregon sent it … to me for Father’s Day several years ago," he says. "She thought they were wonderful so I couldn’t disappoint her and wore them often." Thane Walton of Mesa entered all three of these ties. Of the one on the left, he says: "Can you believe I actually purchased this for my engagement photo in 1981? Luckily for me the photographer vetoed it." The center tie: "Sometime in the ’90s I saw this and wore it with pride for about three years before my senses caught up with me." The one on the right: "I thought all the various color schemes would match anything I had."Click here to enter our Ugly Tie Contest for a chance to win more than a dozen new ones from makers like Nautica, Bird Dog Bay, Ike Behar and Ermenegildo Zegna. (Photos and descriptions of the prize ties are on the form, too.) The deadline is June 8. I’ll continue to post the entries; the winner also appears on the cover of our Arts & Life cover on Sunday, June 17 (aka Father’s Day).

John Pecoraro of Tempe stopped by with two possibilities for the Ugly Tie Contest. The one at left he found at a vintage clothing store in California — it’s from 1947 and handpainted. (He also bought a similar one that has a woman wearing, ahem, a bit less.) The one at right he bought when he was student-teaching and needed a green tie, and this was the only one in the store.Do you think his ties are the worst of the lot? The other contenders are after the jump.

The latest contender in our ugly tie contest: Leonard Frederick of Chandler’s floral fantasy. "Back in 1980 I bought this tie for a family reunion," he wrote. "Now look how it fits." (The crop doesn’t let you see how short it is now.) His competition is after the jump.

Does this count as double? John Frederick of Chandler’s entry has matching suspenders, too. (To see the full effect, click here.) "My daughter from Oregon sent it … to me for Father’s Day several years ago," he says. "She thought they were wonderful so I couldn’t disappoint her and wore them often."

Thane Walton of Mesa entered all three of these ties. Of the one on the left, he says: "Can you believe I actually purchased this for my engagement photo in 1981? Luckily for me the photographer vetoed it." The center tie: "Sometime in the ’90s I saw this and wore it with pride for about three years before my senses caught up with me." The one on the right: "I thought all the various color schemes would match anything I had."

Click here to enter our Ugly Tie Contest for a chance to win more than a dozen new ones from makers like Nautica, Bird Dog Bay, Ike Behar and Ermenegildo Zegna. (Photos and descriptions of the prize ties are on the form, too.) The deadline is June 8. I’ll continue to post the entries; the winner also appears on the cover of our Arts & Life cover on Sunday, June 17 (aka Father’s Day).

Only five days left until we pick the winner of our Ugly Tie Contest … and so far the pickings are slim. (Shame on you, lazy readers!) All you have to do is send us a picture of your ugliest tie for a chance to win 14 new ones from makers like Ermengildo Zegna, Ike Behar and Nautica. Our four — count ‘em, FOUR - entries (and full instructions on how to get in on the action yourself) are after the jumpDoes this count as double? John Frederick of Chandler’s entry has matching suspenders, too. (To see the full effect, click here.) "My daughter from Oregon sent it … to me for Father’s Day several years ago," he says. "She thought they were wonderful so I couldn’t disappoint her and wore them often." Thane Walton of Mesa entered all three of these ties. Of the one on the left, he says: "Can you believe I actually purchased this for my engagement photo in 1981? Luckily for me the photographer vetoed it." The center tie: "Sometime in the ’90s I saw this and wore it with pride for about three years before my senses caught up with me." The one on the right: "I thought all the various color schemes would match anything I had." Click here to enter our Ugly Tie Contest for a chance to win more than a dozen new ones from makers like Nautica, Bird Dog Bay, Ike Behar and Ermenegildo Zegna. (Photos and descriptions of the prize ties are on the form, too.) I’ll continue to post the entries; the winner also appears on the cover of our Arts & Life cover on Sunday, June 17 (aka Father’s Day).

Maybe you thought I was exaggerating when I said the winner of our Ugly Tie Contest would win more than a dozen new ties. Photos and descriptions of each of the prize ties are after the jump.A reminder: You’ve got a little more than a week to enter to win them: You need a photo of yourself and the worst tie you’ve got. Click here for all the info. And to see the entries so far, click here.First up, three "high-roller" ties. From left: (1) Usually I have to go through manufacturers to wrangle prizes, but the staff at Neiman Marcus in Scottsdale offered this Ermenegildo Zegna tie, $155, of their own volition. (Thanks, Lisa and Katie!) Too bad the web isn’t more interactive, because you should feel how soft and smooth it is. This style is only available in-store, but click here to see other Zegna ties sold on the NM web site. (2) Online retailer Bird Dog Bay let me pick which one of its ties I thought would make a perfect summer tie — and what better than one with "summer" in its name and floating seed pods in its pattern? Summer Wind tie in violet, $75. (3) I think Ike Behar’s grid tie is a year-round classic: conservative but not boring. It’d work well with either a navy suit or a brown corduroy blazer. $85 at At Ease, Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Nautica sent us six — SIX! — ties from its spring/summer collection. (My favorite, I have to admit, might be the most staid of the six — the banker’s blue one at top middle. The one to its right is a close second, though.) Each is $39.50 at Dillard’s. Palm Beach-based Belisi let me pick one tie — the Arabian Starburst at left — and also included the Palm Beach Palace style, center, too. Each of their patterns, $43, is also available in pocket squares, something that makes me want to become a lot more natty. If only it weren’t so hot right now, a blazer and pocket square would be my new uniform. Instead, I’ll settle for adding designer and founder Peter Belisi to my MySpace page. The Kenneth Cole Reaction tie, right, makes a fine addition to the brown family. It’s $39.50 at stores like Macy’s and Dillard’s, or find other Kenneth Cole Reaction ties here. And now some with a little whimsy! Our photographer loved the Vicky Davis flip tie (below left) in the Dog House pattern — Scotties on the front, tiny houses on the back — and was sad to learn that Davis had died in September 2006. Now her designs are only available on Web sites like Absolute Ties. … will they become collector’s items? What better symbol of Tommy Bahama lifestyle than a palm tree (below right)? How about dozens of them? If you can’t get away to the islands, you can wear a piece of them. Find the tie for $89.50 at the Tommy Bahama emporium at Kierland Commons, the outdoor shopping center that straddles the Phoenix/Scottsdale line.

Starting May 27, log onto the Tribune site here to enter our Ugly Tie Contest for a chance to win a dozen new ones from makers like Nautica, Bird Dog Bay, Ike Behar and Ermenegildo Zegna. (Photos and descriptions of the prize ties are on the form, too.)I’ll post the photos of the entrants here, so you can see the worst of the worst. … Thane Walton of Mesa entered all three of these ties. Of the one on the left, he says: "Can you believe I actually purchased this for my engagement photo in 1981? Luckily for me the photographer vetoed it." The center tie: "Sometime in the ’90s I saw this and wore it with pride for about three years before my senses caught up with me." The one on the right: "I thought all the various color schemes would match anything I had."Does this count as double? John Frederick of Chandler’s entry has matching suspenders, too. (To see the full effect, click here.) "My daughter from Oregon sent it … to me for Father’s Day several years ago," he says. "She thought they were wonderful so I couldn’t disappoint her and wore them often."

When I moved to Arizona and took a job at the Tribune, one of the first things I did was get rid of most of my neckties. They’d been required at my last job (the dress code also said: "If trousers have belt loops, belts must be worn") but it was a whole different beast at Get Out — and that beast never wore a tie. In the nearly 10 years I’ve been here, I could probably count the number of times I’ve worn a tie on two hands — weddings, funerals, one day just to freak out my co-workers. ("Do you have a job interview?!")Many men aren’t that lucky. Their careers require ties, which makes neckwear one of the go-to gifts at holidays like Father’s Day. Many of those ties are very, very ugly.The impending of Father’s Day got me thinking: Which Tribune reader has the ugliest tie in the Valley? And how did it end up in their closet?So we’re running an ugly tie contest: Starting May 27, we’ll have a link on the Tribune web site that will allow you to send in a picture of yourself with your absolutely ugliest tie, and a brief explanation of how it came to be in your possession. Gift? Inheritance? Shopping while under the influence?The winner (as chosen by me, with a little help from the guys on the Tribune staff) will receive a wardrobe of new ties from manufacturers like Ermenegildo Zegna (from the generous staff at Neiman Marcus), Nautica, and specialty manufacturers Bird Dog Bay and Belisi. (A full list, with photos of all the prize ties, will be online May 27.)You’ll have two ways to enter: online, by attaching a JPG image, and through traditional mail, as long as the envelope is received by Friday, June 8. So start searching and snapping photos.

Another reader giveaway! I’ve got two bottles of Call Me, a bright orange from the Vinyl collection of trendy seasonal shades by former Valley resident and nail entrepreneur Deborah Lippmann. (The Vinyl line is available only at Bath & Body Works stores.)To enter, click on this link and send me a message with your name, mailing address and the subject line VINYL, plus the answer to this question: Name the recording artist who made "Call Me" a hit in the 1980s as the theme to the Richard Gere movie "American Gigolo." I’ll draw two winners from the entries received by noon Friday, May 18.UPDATED: Congratuations to Sarah Hinz-Bridger of Chandler and Kay Klingler of Mesa, whose names were drawn at random out of the entries received.(Or should I say, out of all five of the entries received. Come on, people, the question wasn’t that damn difficult. Get those fingers more active — all you have to do is fill out a form.)By the way, the answer was Blondie.

Kiss my what?! My Great Stuff column this Sunday talks about the new Foot Scrub and Foot Creme from the all-natural skin care line Kiss My Face, and I’ve got one pair of products to give to a reader.To enter, click on this link to send me an e-mail that includes your name and mailing address, the subject line KISS MY FACE and also the answer to this question: The sassy waitress Flo on the old sitcom "Alice" used to tell people to kiss her what?(And keep in mind the answer is not a dirty word — if you try to send me a message that has THAT word in it, our spam filters at work will probably block it, anyway.) I’ll pick one winner from the entries received by noon Friday, May 18.UPDATE: Congratulations to Wanda Gunn of Scottsdale, whose name was drawn from the entries with the correct word, which was "grits."

A limited-edition Yummy Mummy gift pack, to be exact. The instructions are after the jump.The folks at Lush sent me a Yummy Mummy gift kit that includes a cocoa- and honey-scented Ma Bar bubble bar slice and a Honey I Washed the Kids Soap specially designed for the kit. To enter, click on this link to send me an e-mail with your name and mailing address, along with the subject line YUMMY MUMMY. And since these goodies smell so sweet, include the sweetest thing someone ever said to you.I’ll draw one entry from those received by Friday, May 4. Good luck! (And if you don’t win, you can pick up the kit at the Scottsdale Fashion Square store or at the Lush web site.UPDATE: Congratulations to Sue Dangelser of Mesa, whose winning entry included this: "A little girl told me I smell like Downy fabric softener. That still makes me smile."