There comes a point in every presidential campaign when the candidates are closely scrutinized by a curious country with a single question: What does your necktie say about you? Barack Obama has said he doesn’t like neckties and is frequently seen without them, even when wearing a suit. When he does wear a tie it’s usually muted, a solid pale gray or blue, or one with slim stripes. John McCain is more necktie-friendly. He wears all manner of striped ties (albeit subdued) and sometimes opts for bright colors such as yellow or orange. Since we’re going to be seeing a lot of them, we’ve rounded up some nice ties that might give the candidates a few style points. Starting at the higher end, Armani Collezioni’s navy tie with thin light blue stripes is natty for $140. A more conventional striped tie from Charvet can be had in red and white stripes on a blue background ($185). Salvatore Ferragamo’s red, white and blue striped necktie is a little more striking, and if you’re rich, snap up the Stefani Ricci silk striped tie with a dominant red tone for $210 (pictured, left). A pair of ties that don’t scream American but would work for either candidate are the Armani delicate striped red tie, or Ermenegildo Zegna’s lovely Italian silk blue tie with tiny white dots. A little more down-to-earth, pricewise, is the Calvin Klein deep red “digi square” tie for $69.50 at Dillard’s, or the blue “microbead” striped tie, also $69.50. Also very striking and a lot less costly is Target’s Merona houndstooth blue tie for $20. Some serious but excessively patriotic ties include Krisar’s American flag tie for $10, a stars and stripes look from Sterling Apparel for $18 or Jos. A. Bank’s boldly striped tie on sale for $30. A tad wackier is the waving American flag tie at Wild Ties for $15, their tie festooned with presidential portraits for $35, and Zazzle’s ties dotted with the presidential seal. We even found an Obama tie for $17 on Wild Ties, but try as we might, we could not find a John McCain tie, although there are lots of nice apparel options from his website (like a snappy navy windbreaker). We did stumble upon a tie that might tickle a gung-ho GOPer (pictured, above), and for the racier Republican, there’s one decorated with a picture of a young Sarah Palin for $30.

For every Olympic games, there are Olympic pins. For collectors, the buying, trading and selling of them is  as competitive a sport as any beach volleyball game, and it’s been going on since 1896. The pin trade, an obsession for some, is labeled the “unofficial Olympic sport.” In Beijing, pin sellers have set up shop at the Olympic Expo in the Beijing Exposition Center and in the Coca-Cola sponsored pin-sales center. There are new pins and old ones from previous games, common pins that are handed out by sponsors to anyone and more valuable pins, such as those given to athletes and officials. Most pins are inexpensive - $4 to $10. Now you can join the frenzy by getting some Beijing pins. A page on the Beijing site gives the history of the pin frenzy and describes the “pindemonium” going on there now. The official U.S. Olympic Shop has an assortment of pins for sale, such as a ceramic Beijing logo pin or a YingYing mascot pin, each for $7. NBC’s Olympic online shop has pins, like a gymnastics mascot pin for $8 (pictured) and a rickshaw pin for $6. The Olympin Collector’s Club site has lots of advice and pin facts: there’s even a club member blogging from Beijing. After the official sites, you’ll have to turn to pin-selling retailers, such as Greekshops.com, Collectpins.com (where a USA/China flag Beijing pin is running $8.95), Discountpinstore (they’ve got a set of opening and closing ceremony pins for a pricey $24.89) and Athenspincollection, where you can find individual sports pins, such as a soccer pin for $8.95. When the games end, start looking on Craig’s List and eBay for the special pin you covet.

All TV stations will broadcast only in digital starting Feb. 17, 2009. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need an analog-to-digital converter box for your TV, but your parents or grandparents or elderly friends who still rely on rabbit ears or rooftop antennas do. And they may not even know it (a January report said 36 percent of all Americans - predominately Hispanics - didn’t know about this impending change). Another report earlier this year said there are a little more than 14 million households - 13 percent of all households with TVs - that will lose their signals if they don’t buy the boxes (which cost from $40 to $70). The government’s TV converter box coupon program Web site answers most all questions, but that doesn’t help if the person doesn’t have a computer. You can help them apply for two free coupons worth $40 each at the Web site, or they can call (888) 388-2009. or mail an application to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, Ore. 97208-2000 (download the application here.) The coupons must come from the government, not retailers. The coupons (which look like plastic gift cards) expire 90 days after they’re mailed. Don’t assume all retailers will accept the $40 cards, so check first. More information is available from the Federal Trade Commission. Some words of caution: retailers are not allowed to charge tax on the government-funded portion of the boxes (the $40 coupon). Also, do not toss the antennas: They can still augment the signal. A Washington Post story several months ago warns of the “digital cliff” - digital signals are more easily interrupted and lost because of hills, trees and weather. The government site lists all the retailers (big box, online and telephone) who sell the boxes, but we found some discrepancies. A visit to BestBuy.com offers information, but they don’t sell the boxes online: you have to go to a store. This page shows you the three kinds they sell, at $60 each. Sears.com has a box on their Web site about the change, but clicking it takes you to the FCC site, and it appears Sears doesn’t sell the boxes (despite the government site saying they do). Target.com has one type that must be purchased in stores for $50.

You may already know that Nike created the shoes for the U.S. Olympians (and also China’s Olympic team). A visit to the part of the Nike Web site about these shoes is a veritable encyclopedia/laboratory of custom shoe-making. They offer close-up views and detailed explanations of the design process for every sport’s footwear. Not just running and basketball, but field hockey, BMX, archery, wrestling, badminton, weightlifting and all 28 sports in the summer games.  They first show off their “flywire” technology, which uses cable to function as “synthetic tendons” that wrap around the foot. The development has reduced the shoe’s weight by 50 percent, they say.  A click over to their “lab” profiles the way every shoe was made for each sport. The Ballestra, for example, is for fencers. It has a traction pattern on a flat sole for balance, and extra foam because fencers put seven times their weight onto their front foot with every lunge.  The Grigorios for kayakers are sleek water shoes with split toes that are as close to being barefoot as possible. Equestrians wear the Ippeas, black boots modernized with zippers , lighter heels and a small titanium spur. You can even watch a video conversation with the designer of each shoe. But the best part is that you can buy some. Even if you don’t play badminton, you can check out the shoe and get a pair for $90, or grab a pair of the wildly patterned BMX shoes for $220 (pictured). You can’t buy the custom footwear for every sport, but there are plenty to pick from.

After the overwhelming spectacle of the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics came the time-honored tradition of critiquing our nation’s style statement. The U.S. team marched into the stadium looking dandy, clad in head to toe Ralph Lauren classic preppy attire. Toss in the white shirt, white pants and red, white and blue ties and scarves and, well, it was an ”off to the yacht club for a toddy” look.  According to USA Today, the athletes were even given pamphlets to tell them how to tie their ties and otherwise make the outfits look spit-spot. The iconic piece was the blue blazer with Olympic rings logo (and a none-too-subtle Polo pony). Do you want one? Too late. Lauren’s online store had 200 for sale at $695 each, but they sold out in the blink of an eye (quick, there’s one for sale at eBay). If you are now sartorially smitten with the blue-blazer look, Lauren has others, like a mesh fleece one ($165), a snappy wool 3-button that you can wear atop your shorts for $1,095 or a classy Savile Row cashmere blazer on sale for $1,350. Or be a rebel and get yours from Brooks Brothers. Now that you’re thinking preppy is your next style statement, jump into the deep end. Go for the Polo plaid tartan vest ($170) atop bright red knee-length logo-swathed shorts. Or grab a “vintage” wool cardigan ($265) and dream of Dartmouth. If you have simpler tastes, and just want something that says “Olympic,” check out the entire collection at Ralph Lauren, or shop the NBC Universal Olympic store and the official U.S. Olympic store.

Teens and tweens went wild for Miley Cyrus’ new release Breakout, sending it to the top of the Billboard charts last week. Then, of course, there’s Disney’s wildly popular Hannah Montana TV series. We’re willing to bet Cyrus gear just might be at the top of, oh, we don’t know, just about every young girl’s back-to-school shopping list. Kids can snuggle up in a Hannah Montana comforter after a long night of homework ($30) or facilitate sweet dreams of Cyrus with the “Secret Pop Star” reversible pillowcase ($4.50). Musical talent or not, your tween can rock out with the Hananh Montana guitar-shaped bag ($20) or play it a little safer with the floral guitar backpack ($12). The Hannah Montana four-piece school set contains a pencil, eraser, ruler and organizational pouch — perfect for keeping your elementary school student’s gear organized ($3.50). Jumbo ballpoint pens with Cyrus’ mug are another nice addition to the school backpack ($7). HM/Miley Cyrus clothing is available on just about any mainstream superstore Web site, but Wal-mart features a range of online-only apparel. The Disney Hannah Montana cinched top with chains (pictured) is an online exclusive with a bargain price ($11). The Hannah Montana metallic stripe branded T-shirt looks cute with black skinny jeans or shorts and is equally easy on the wallet ($10). Good news: You can get the Cyrus style without wearing gear emblazoned with “Hannah Montana.” Sears’ Hannah Montana line features a cute sequined top with matching shrug ($17) and plaid Bermuda shorts ($19) — no Hannah Montana signature in sight.