Bowties

[av8or234]

I just got into wetshaving about 3 weeks ago and it got me thinking. This is a classic, time honored way of shaving. Very "romantic" if you will. But this forum is not just about wetshaving. No, classic scents abound, and grooming in general. To me this is a forum of class.

Along those lines I was thinking about boties(hence the name of the post). The bowtie has received a bad name in the last many years. Now basically relegated to those who are "nerds" or just plain weird. I now see this as very wrong. Churchill wore one, Roosevelt as well. And we still know it be as much a part of the tuxedo as ever. In fact as I age(age, ha I'll be 26 in October), I find myself more and more fascinated with the bowtie. So much so in fact that I have considered buying one and learing to tie it. The problem is, my office is business casual and I don't go to many formal events.

Enough rambling. Does anyone currently own or wear a bowtie other than with a tux? Just checking to see how many might feel the same way.

[ada8356]

Someone here is/was and avid bow tie guy... I'll have to search and find that post for you...

[ada8356]

Ok, so that was a lot easier than I thought it would be:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3902&highlight=bowtie

Ask Michael (LeisureGuy) about it...:smile:

[rossination]

I am a musician, and often have need to wear a tux, which I enjoy doing immensely. My tux isn't super nice or expensive (it cost me around $500), but as a college student, it's the nicest thing I own. I have a hand-tied bowtie, which I wear mostly because I feel like a tool getting all dressed up in a tuxedo and not tying my own tie.

That having been said, no, I don't wear them in any other situation, and I doubt that I would. I think that it takes a certain body type (slim) and demeanor (very self confident) to pull off the bowtie without looking like you're going for some sort of comedic effect. Unless, of course, it's being worn with a penguin suit.

[rtaylor61]

Bowties belong with a tux, but otherwise, I think of PeeWee Herman.

Randy

[jduffy]

I used to go to martial arts tournaments a lot several years ago. Two guys were fighting and they were getting pretty chippy about how much contact they were receiving from one another. Well some friends of the one fighter started yelling out to their buddy, "Kick him in the bow ties."

That's the last time I heard bow ties until reading tonight's thread.

[BGog]

This is probably a product of my age(31) but with the exception of a tux I just think they look kind of goofy. It's really odd because I think they are awesome with a tux. However I'm guessing my opinion is just because I don't see them everyday. If people started wearing them often I'm sure I'd get used to them.

If you like them, why don't you just go get one. Nothing wrong with treating yourself once and a while. Speaking of treating myself, I think I'll go with the Taylor's Lavendar today. :biggrin:

[fuerein]

In high school we were having a career day and the guy who came in representing engineering came to the front of the classroom wearing a white shirt, blazer and as I recall bright red bowtie. He claimed that he wore bowties because engineers were a different breed of people, so to speak, and thus he used the bowtie to mark that difference. As if some people I know didn't think engineers were odd enought o begin with, he has to add bowties to the arena!?

[MJB]

If I could tie the darn things I might just switch. They did a study once and doctors ties are actually quite germy. So a bow tie still has some panache yet keeps more out of the way dangling onto germy places--in theory. I don't know that they proved that bowties are less germy than other ties.

[Quagmire]

I like bowtie pasta! Does that count?http://www.smiley-channel.de/grafiken/smiley/zunge/smiley-channel.de_zunge024.gif

[Jim]

I like bowtie pasta! Does that count?http://www.smiley-channel.de/grafiken/smiley/zunge/smiley-channel.de_zunge024.gif

I would count that!

GMC has a bowtie engine block!

:biggrin:

[jfm]

They go great with seersucker suits!

[msandoval858]

I just don't like the way a bowtie looks on me. I have a huge neck and it just looks goofy. Even with my tux I still wear a regular tie.

[Suzuki]

They go great with seersucker suits!

And how many guys av8or wear these.

If you want to wear a bow tie with a tux, then the only classy option is a hand-tied one (vs. those nasty ones with the adjustible strap).

Outside of that - wear whatever you like, just be aware that it will send various messages to different people - some of which could include that you are:

1) someone who is secure enough to do his own thing;
2) trying to hard to be different;
3) odd/wierd/nerdly/a clown, etc;
4) someone with no fashion sense;
5) this guy is a fop.

I could go on, but you get the picture. I suspect that someone your age wearing a bow tie will engender more negative than positive impressions/comments form others. Having said this, do whatever the hell you want - its your neck!

[jfm]

And how many guys av8or wear these.

I am a southerner! :biggrin:

[ada8356]

You could just go with the ASCOT (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bensilver.com/style04/art/knots/ascot6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bensilver.com/style04/knots_ascot.htm&h=145&w=200&sz=27&hl=en&sig2=0XWNs3t0KDDOadqfDqFizQ&start=30&tbnid=yBkaHzjoH7D2XM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=104&ei=0vj2RL3xJL6cigG5qMiHBA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dascot%26start%3D21%26ndsp%3D21%26svnu m%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN) for a change of pace.:biggrin:

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!

[Suzuki]

I am a southerner! :biggrin:

'Nuff said:biggrin:

[mark the shoeshine boy]

Bowties belong with a tux, but otherwise, I think of PeeWee Herman.

Randy

....in a dark theater......:thumbup1: ........:sneaky2:

[mark the shoeshine boy]

i wear a hat all year long now....nice monticristi's in the summer and fedora's in the winter....you think i get some comments ??? In a ballcap society ?

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

mark tssb

[JohnP]

If you're gonna wear one, go for one you tie. They tie not unlike the way you tie your shoes, and in those few formal occasions a bow-tie seems appropriate, are more comfortable than a regular tie, to boot. When I was around 12 and had just learned to tie one, I wore it to church a few times because I thought they looked cool when you untied them after...I was wrong of course and ended up looking like a nerd. Lesson learned. Still...the ones you tie are the only way to go.
John P.

[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 (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bensilver.com/style04/art/knots/ascot6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bensilver.com/style04/knots_ascot.htm&h=145&w=200&sz=27&hl=en&sig2=0XWNs3t0KDDOadqfDqFizQ&start=30&tbnid=yBkaHzjoH7D2XM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=104&ei=0vj2RL3xJL6cigG5qMiHBA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dascot%26start%3D21%26ndsp%3D21%26svnu m%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN) for a change of pace.:biggrin:

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???:biggrin: :biggrin:

[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-ass 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.:wink:

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...:thumbup:

mark tssb


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

[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-ass 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 !!!! :biggrin:

[mark the shoeshine boy]

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



:cursing: :cursing: :cursing:


that was a cheap shot.....:sneaky2:



well deserved....but cheap....:thumbup: :a14: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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.:tongue:

[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.

EdOK, 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? :laugh:
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

[Austin]

Gents, this morning while looking for a tie I came across my small collection.

http://www.badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=3523

[thestubblefactory]

I'm already weird enough. Adding a bowtie to the mix would probably land me in the looneybin.

[Phog Allen]

Gents, this morning while looking for a tie I came across my small collection.


Andrew that paisly bowtie is awesome. Can anyone say "Yeah baby! Shagadelic." LOL. Actually, it's very classy and paisly prints are some of my favourites. The rest of them are very understated and classic/classy. Good pics.

Regards, Todd