Rocking A Bowtie At Church This Morning

**Phog Allen** · 07-22-2012, 08:14 PM

Good evening gentlemen. As a newer convert to the bowtie I have taken a few opportunities to wear them to church. First let me address the faithful. The title of the post is in jest. I do NOT attend church to gain accolades for sartorial choices. I simply enjoy dressing nicer these days and the folks at church appreciate it (particularly elder members) when anyone under the age of 50 puts forth the effort.

The gist of it is I was more than surprised to find that most people are VERY supportive the choice. More than that I was taken aback by the younger men and their positive feedback. No one made any nerd or old fogey jokes. I wore a pleated natural linen trouser with a light blue Jos. A. Bank fitted dress shirt. The tie is essentially a regimental pattern of navy blue and Kelly green. I am not sure if regimental ties should have equal sized colour bands to meet the requirement but this one is more like 5/8 inch navy stripes and 3/16 inch gteen stripes. It workrd quite well and drew such nice compliments. Get out the bowties lads. They work better than you think.

Cheers, Todd

JM · 07-22-2012, 08:23 PM

I wear bow ties, when I wear a tie anywhere, to church as well. People either love them or hate them. I like them and wear them proudly. The Tie Bar is a good place to buy or the Cordial Churchman.

Out of curiosity, not wanting to start any debate at all, which denomination? I'm a Baptist of the Strict and Particular type. (aka Reformed)

**Stevew443** · 07-22-2012, 08:27 PM

I wear a bow tie to work every night even though only 3 or 4 people see me. The response has been all positive. In fact one gentleman from another department comes out of his area every night just to see what tie I am wearing and how I co-ordinate with my shirts. Tonight I lived dangerously but pulled off what many consider a co-ordination triumph by wearing a plum colored shirt with a pastel pink and blue checked tie... it really does work, and it works very well.

Wearing a bow tie 5 nights a week does take a bit more commitment than wearing one only one day a week though. I have to keep purchasing ties every now and then to keep things fresh.

**Phog Allen** · 07-22-2012, 09:13 PM

Gurnall, no problem. Southern Baptist. A fine bunch in our congregation I might add.

Interestingly I have not run into a hater yet but I am sure I will. Thanks for the link. I had heard of that store awhile back but forgot about it.

Steve. Good on ya for wearing the bowties. I like bows and regular ties equally but must admit there is a certain panache to the bowtie. Jos. A Bank carries a nice selection but Brooks Brothers has more. At BB prices I think I may entertsin the bespoke variety. My daughter works at a Jos A Bank factory store and it makes pricing very attractive.

Cheers, Todd

**Commander Quan** · 07-23-2012, 10:52 AM

At this point I have about 20 bowties almost all of them from the tie bar.

**Austin** · 07-23-2012, 10:58 AM

Good on you Todd! I still dress for church but I notice the majority of Parrishners wearing shorts and jeans. Not my church when I was growing up and we were expected to wear suits or blazers.

**Face&Head** · 07-23-2012, 11:15 AM

Bravo!

**Phog Allen** · 07-23-2012, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Austin

Good on you Todd! I still dress for church but I notice the majority of Parrishners wearing shorts and jeans. Not my church when I was growing up and we were expected to wear suits or blazers.

I notice this too. Mind, we are not there for show and tell. Yet most mistake the simple act of "dressing your best" for church as a status indicator. In reality most who stand to the tradition are trying to show they do it out respect for the institution. And even for each other. Again, no judgement on anyone. The poor you will have with you always.

Cheers, Todd

JM · 08-09-2012, 10:27 PM

Do you think adding a boater hat would be over doing it? lol

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**Cochese2323** · 08-09-2012, 10:35 PM

Well done. I wore my own real bowtie for my wedding last weekend instead of the lame clip-on one. Wish I had to dress up more often because the bowtie is pretty sweet.

**DrumDawg** · 08-10-2012, 07:44 AM

I own one; but do not know how to tie it; How do you learn how to tie a bowtie (I mean i understand the BASIC concept, BUT....)

**Agravic** · 08-10-2012, 07:51 AM

I switched to wearing bow-ties exclusively 3 months ago. No regrets. Many compliments from others, both men and women.
Self-tie is the way to go - YouTube has several informative clips - I like this one in particular for its simple yet effective method - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJv4Qh7zR3E

**Commander Quan** · 08-10-2012, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by DrumDawg

I own one; but do not know how to tie it; How do you learn how to tie a bowtie (I mean i understand the BASIC concept, BUT....)

Best video on the net, and believe me I've watched all of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEjF-MzzqaE

**Taproot** · 08-10-2012, 09:07 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJv4Qh7zR3E This was the one that got me to figure it out- I found that last pulling through the knot step to be the most confusing and the side-view helped me. I wear a Bow Tie all the time to avoid transmitting diseases to patients while still meeting dress code standards during rotations. As a medical student I still have standardized patient labs where I'm assessed in how I do exams and the like and you wouldn't believe how much crap the SP's give me about wearing a Bow Tie.

**Neognosis** · 08-10-2012, 09:09 AM

Gotta be said: I think they make a man look creepy.

And that's about all I got to say about that.

**Rivguy** · 08-10-2012, 09:19 AM

Good for you Todd, you have inspired me to break out some of my bow ties. It will take some practice but I hope that it will come back to me without wearing out a tie.
I wore ties to work for year and even in the field. That was common practice and expected in the profession at the time. If I wore a long tie I had to tuck it in my shirt around machinery and almost all plant settings. (Nothing like standing in a foundry watching them during a pour in full dress) A bow tie was much more practical.

I am one of a dwindling number in church who still dress in suit or sport coat and tie. I do it not out of habit or to display a sartorial preference. The only reason that I do it is out of respect for Him.

Regards,

Doug

**Austin** · 08-10-2012, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Neognosis

Gotta be said: I think they make a man look creepy.

And that's about all I got to say about that.

Your post is creepy.

**The Nid Hog** · 08-10-2012, 11:13 AM

I am not a fan of the bowtie for less than formal wear, but I can understand its appeal. Ben Silver has an excellent selection of ties, and virtually everything is available as a bowtie:

http://www.bensilver.com/