He looked quite pale and rather untidy, with his tie undone and his hair ruffled.

He was wearing a grey suit, his tie undone at the throat.

Beyond them, the maître d', his tie undone and his shirt cuffs rolled back to show his hairy wrists, was talking with the bartender.

Loud, laughing, jackets open, ties undone.

She was busy pulling his tie undone, chattering without stopping.

"This isn't a good place to be at this time," said Mr. Kruglick, looking haggard, his tie undone, as he fielded a barrage of telephone calls.

Mr. Karmazin, though, "wore the wide lapels and the hair going out in 18 different directions, his tie undone," this executive said.

"I don't know where I'm going," said Mr. Gilpin, his head caked in ash, his coat slung over his shoulder, his tie undone.

They each seem sick of the other and sit with their ties undone and seem to welcome the fleeting distraction of me walking by.

Men languished, smoking cigars, their feet up on coffee tables, bow ties and cummerbunds undone.