Bolo ties

[Rusty Blade]

Also sometimes called cowboy ties. I recently purchased one and quite like it. Looks great with a crisp white shirt.

Anyone else wear these kinds of ties? Would like to see some pics.

 

[Quaznoid]

Not a thing in the East. Never understood the point of these.

 

[Jens]

My uncle would occasionally wear one ... the bolo tie reminds me of the scent of his aftershave, Aqua Velva Ice Blue ...

 

[emwolf]

I too had an uncle who loved the bolo. Even with a full suit.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Very nice I have never worn one of these, and until now have not heard of a bolo tie, but I can recall seeing them as a child. At the time there was a rockabilly revival and they were known as bootlace ties, worn with a drape jacket, drainpipe trousers, and a pair of brothel creepers. I would certainly consider wearing a bolo if I lived in the right part of the world. Where I live it would be thought a bit eccentric, which would not bother me, but it would not suit the rest of my attire.

 

[Rusty Blade]

There does seem to be a tendency to associate bolo ties with the south or west. I've been reading up on these and they seem to be creeping their way into mainstream fashion. I just think they look nice and are a change from the standard tie (bow or necktie).

 

[MrSpeedy]

I have a few of them that belonged to my grandfather; he wore them when he took my grandmother square dancing. I like wearing it with a denim/chambray shirt and tweed jacket, with corduroy pants and some Chelsea boots.

 

[Ted A]

My father wore them frequently when I was a kid.

I wish I had remembered them when HR mandated that male employees had to wear a tie.

 

[borwish]

In this part of the South if you wore a bolo or cowboy hat everyone would dismiss you as an attention seeking idiot. I've got probably over three dozen ties, but don't think I'll ever add a bolo or bowtie. Bowties are more rare but are accepted here. Bolo? Never.

 

[MrSpeedy]

In this part of the South if you wore a bolo or cowboy hat everyone would dismiss you as an attention seeking idiot. I've got probably over three dozen ties, but don't think I'll ever add a bolo or bowtie. Bowties are more rare but are accepted here. Bolo? Never.

We live in (relatively) the same part of the South and people here love seeing me wear my bolo ties.

 

[SinCityAg]

Although I have never worn one, they are somewhat popular in SW USA including Nevada. I regularly see elderly gentleman wearing western style suits, cowboy boots, and a bolo tie at some semi-formal events.

 

[TheShaun]

Not a thing in the East. Never understood the point of these.

About as useful as a regular tie.

 

[DrStrange]

Also sometimes called cowboy ties. I recently purchased one and quite like it. Looks great with a crisp white shirt.
View attachment 1866657
Anyone else wear these kinds of ties? Would like to see some pics.

About 50 years ago,
I had one with a little scorpion encased in something clear, like glass.
At that time, I recall referring to it as a Shoestring Tie.

 

[KW Driver]

They are mostly of a bygone era. My grandfather had some, but I can’t say I ever remember him dressing up enough to wear one. Western suits are a rare sight as well. Modern suits with dress boots aren’t an anachronism yet, but headed that way. Real ranchers don’t tend to dress up that much or in that manner… excepting the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which tends to be a manner of showing off and “dressing the part” of committee members who run it, who often are C Suite-ers the rest of the year. Maybe music industry types in Austin… probably not in San Antonio or DFW outside the stockyards.

Pressed and knife creased Wranglers, boots, western shirt, belt and buckle, and hat? Maybe.

Older “big wigs/fancy gentlemen” in smaller towns? Maybe

 

[Doc4]

Bolo bow tie

 

[Hercule]

Not a thing in the East. Never understood the point of these.

My grandfather, an old Connecticut Yankee through and through (1900-1985) wore one all the time when going out dressed "business casual". Most often it had a Masonic emblem on it. I don't remember the others.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I had one when I was a kid. They were quite common for men of a certain age where I grew up (South Dakota).

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I knew plenty of old ranchers and cattlemen who wore a bolo to church every Sunday. Maybe it was a great plains fashion. Most of these guys would have been born between 1910 and 1930, I'd guess.

 

[MrSpeedy]

I feel this thread encapsulates the changes that have occurred on B&B. If this thread was posted 10 years ago and you didn't like a bolo tie people would have either a) not commented, or b) simply commented "They're not for me but look great on you!". Now this thread has people dumping on those who do want like them and gatekeeping who can or cannot wear one.

I never thought I'd see this attitude come to B&B, but here we are. What a shame.

 

[Old Hippie]

So back on topic...

My dad wore them more than occasionally. I had a couple when I was a kid. Now, this was in "the West" and many years before I moved out to South Dakota. I found them most common among men like my father who were "rockhounds" or what we might call "geological enthusiasts" today. Supply houses serving those who chased semiprecious rocks used to have all kinds of findings for ear-rings, belt buckles, bolo ties, bracelets, necklaces and so forth. These guys would buy the findings and put their own polished rocks in them.

I also encountered two related concepts, the braided hatband and the keyfob. Both made with that braided leather, some kind of escutcheon with a polished stone, and the little crimp-on tips. Still got a couple of those around! The hatband is on a very ratty old straw that gets pulled out for the annual fair and rodeo here -- there's a kind of informal competition to see who can show up in the worst-looking hat.

O.H.