Bowties

[scotrace]

I'm fond of quoting that shoe shine guy:

"Ain't you reached the age yet where you don't give a s**t what people think?"


Bowties with the right shirt and jacket are very classy. The only message you'll send is "I think for myself."
Do it right - find a Brooks Brothers store (or order online), and get a colorful, hand-tied bowtie. Wear it balls-out.

 

[Jim]

You could just go with the ASCOT for a change of pace.

Certainly unique and doesn't come with a lot of the perception associated with the bow-tie.

Personally, I just like nice 'regular' ties myself!

The last time I actually saw an ASCOT was on Thurston Howell the III
or was it Bruce Wayne???

 

[ForestryProf]

I wear a felt fedora (straw hat during the summer), drive a stick, shave with a straight, and occasionally (when my wife is out of town) wear a bow tie. She hates them, I don't give a rip one way or another between a regular tie or a bow tie. Which one I chose depends on the pattern that best matches my shirt and jacket. From my perspective, (tying) a bow tie is just another skill that has been lost in our society.

Early last semester, I wore a bow tie to lecture, one of my students made a smart-*** comment. I told him I'd give him 2% added to his entire course grade if he could tie it. Before he could answer I'd removed it and threw it to him. He made two abortive attempts before giving up (much jeering). I put it back around my neck and without a mirror did a quick and passable job of retying it in a few seconds (spontaneous applause). Over a couple of weeks I ended up giving several students a quick lesson on how to tie a bow tie. They though it was cool; what they liked about it was having a skill that few, if any, of their friends had.

Ed

 

[mrob]

I applaud ForestryProf and anyone else who likes wearing bow ties and can carry them off. Like Rossination, I'm a musician and wear a bow tie with my tux when I conduct or play--a nice bow tie looks fine with a tux, but IMO just looks silly with less formal clothing.

I think the bow tie sends a message, as all clothing does; in this case, that the wearer is not to be taken too seriously. Now, if that's the message one wants to send, that's fine.

My job involves teaching, speaking or presenting at conferences or in other professional settings, places in which I'd just as soon keep the focus on what I'm saying or doing, and not on what I'm wearing. For me, wearing a bow tie--or an ascot--or a hat--or carrying a cane--or any of the other "old fashioned" trappings of the "gentleman," would merely present a visual distraction, which would be counterproductive to my goals.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[fatt_tony]

Chris Brown the rapper had one on tonite on the MTV VMA's though it was not tied

 

[Andre]

Only with my dinner jacket, but then, I contend, it absolutely must be a tie-it-yourself model. Leave the snap-ons for the Fusion users!

(and it won't look perfect, but that's half the point!)
Andre

 

[catatonic]

Nah, I'll leave the bowtie to tuxedos. I prefer regular neckties. I don't mind the squarecut knitted ties, but I'd rather have my big fat silk ties. They just look SO good!

 

[mparker762]

If I have to wear a tie, I'll wear a bowtie. I went to private school for many years and had to wear a long tie, and that was always the first thing the other kid went for in a fight. I developed a healthy loathing for the beasts.

Bowties aren't difficult to tie, they tie exactly like you tie shoelaces but they're a lot wider which obscures the similarities. The most annoying thing is you have to get the length set right for your neck diameter so the various bulges at the end line up right, but this is a one-time task, and once you've got your first tie set up you can copy it for the rest.

I also wear fedoras to work every day, and shave with a straight, so I'm just wierd I guess.

 

[Gatorade]

for my stage act, I really considered a bow tie...to add some class to me...

mark tssb

You better get a LOT of bowties.....

 

[Tito]

The bowtie is a special breed. Not everyone can pull it off. And yes it does look great with a seersucker suit. It also goes well with a navy blazer or sport coat and a great pair of chinos. The idea here is not to dress it too uptight or you look like tool trying too hard to pull off the look. Doing a bowtie for novelty is very tough too. The few chaps that have owned up to wearing one do it with confidence and yes that is a requirement to wearing one also.

Try and wear one with confidence.

 

[javyn]

I'd be much happier if the Ascot and Cravat made comebacks, don't really care much for bowties.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

I wear a felt fedora (straw hat during the summer), drive a stick, shave with a straight, and occasionally (when my wife is out of town) wear a bow tie. She hates them, I don't give a rip one way or another between a regular tie or a bow tie. Which one I chose depends on the pattern that best matches my shirt and jacket. From my perspective, (tying) a bow tie is just another skill that has been lost in our society.

Early last semester, I wore a bow tie to lecture, one of my students made a smart-*** comment. I told him I'd give him 2% added to his entire course grade if he could tie it. Before he could answer I'd removed it and threw it to him. He made two abortive attempts before giving up (much jeering). I put it back around my neck and without a mirror did a quick and passable job of retying it in a few seconds (spontaneous applause). Over a couple of weeks I ended up giving several students a quick lesson on how to tie a bow tie. They though it was cool; what they liked about it was having a skill that few, if any, of their friends had.

Ed

i like instructors like you !!!!

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

You better get a LOT of bowties.....

that was a cheap shot.....



well deserved....but cheap....


mark tssb

 

[BroJohn]

Why stop with the bowtie? What you need to go with the bowtie, is a floor length cape, a top hat, and spats. Definitely spats. ...and a walking stick. ...and a pocket watch, chain and gentleman’s' knife. (to cut your cigar)

HTH.

-- John Gehman, TIC

 

[mrob]

Perfect.

 

[GeeQue]

The bowtie goes very well with a plastic pocket protector which includes a fountain pen and a technical replaceable lead pencil.

And if you can match it with the same color tape that keeps your eyeglasses together, then look out.

After all that...then why bother to shave ?

 

[jfm]

Doing a bowtie for novelty is very tough too.

Cough.. Tucker Carlson... Cough

 

[Joe Lerch]

I put it back around my neck and without a mirror did a quick and passable job of retying it in a few seconds (spontaneous applause). Over a couple of weeks I ended up giving several students a quick lesson on how to tie a bow tie. They though it was cool; what they liked about it was having a skill that few, if any, of their friends had.

Ed

OK, so teach us how it's done. I've never been able to make it work.

 

[ForestryProf]

OK, so teach us how it's done. I've never been able to make it work.

Joe,
It's actually so simple that when you finally get it, you'll never have to think about it again. The knot is EXACTALY like tying your shoes. Initially, it will feel very different because you're not bending over, but the first time or two it may be easier to do if you're not looking in the mirror. Your fingers know the drill, let them do it. After you realize that the knot is so simple, the only thing left to do is ensure that the loops and ends lay flat against each other and are the same length.
On second thought, this may be kinda like honing a straight. Fairly easy to do once you've done it or seen it, but confusing as all get out when it is explained to you. Maybe I should offer a demonstration on Skype?
Cheers,
Ed

 

[Phog Allen]

Here's a site I found most helpful. http://www.tieguide.com/tie.htm

I found another site that was all about ties and what goes well with different shirt and jacket types. I'm hanged if I can find it now and I was just looking at it last night. Don't ask about internet history. Today just happened to be the day I cleared the browswer cache and history. When I find it I'll post. In the meantime, this is a good site. I do feel somewhat civilised in the fact that unknowingly, I have been using the windsor and half windsor for years and didn't know it. This was from my teen days at a parochial school. Tie every day and the principal showed several different ways to do this to all of us guys. I think I was one of the few who kept the memory in my head. Man, does that make me a nerd?

Oops! No bowtie knots on that page. How's this? http://www.tie-a-tie.net/bowtie.html

Regards, Todd