Bow Ties

[AntonAAK]

Let's hope so - my bow tie today looks like it was tied by a baboon :-(

I don't know why but I couldn't help hearing that in Rowan Atkinson's voice.

 

[Whizz for Atomms]

I don't know why but I couldn't help hearing that in Rowan Atkinson's voice.

I'm optimistically hoping it sounded more Blackadder than Mr Bean...

 

[AntonAAK]

Definitely Blackadder...

 

[Mid-fogey]

Let me run something up the ol' flagpole and see if anyone salutes.

I think it's a mistake to strive for a "perfect" bow tie. If you want perfection, get a pre-tied one!

A bow tie is a very individual thing and allows a person a bit of leeway in how the tie looks. Besides that, it is a lot easier to get it "close enough" than to spend too much time. I have found that I get to a "close enough" stage, and then try and go further to get it "just right" and then things fall into a heap.

I guess it depends on what you are wearing. With black tie or with a more formal suit, I don't want my bow all over the place. With a sportcoat or blazer, I don't care as much.

Part of "getting it perfect" is time. Once you worn them hundreds of times, you get a feel for getting them right.

 

[John in Covina]

I guess it depends on what you are wearing. With black tie or with a more formal suit, I don't want my bow all over the place. With a sport coat or blazer, I don't care as much.
Part of "getting it perfect" is time. Once you worn them hundreds of times, you get a feel for getting them right.

There is a learning curve to tying a bow tie just like a regular tie. I wear a long tie nearly every Sunday for church and I still screw it up about half the time. It's too long / too short.

 

[David Conwill]

There is a learning curve to tying a bow tie just like a regular tie. I wear a long tie nearly every Sunday for church and I still screw it up about half the time. It's too long / too short.

Heh, that’s half the reason I’ve been wearing bows more frequently as of late; I find it much easier to adjust the width of the bow than the length of a long tie. This has become especially important as I’ve dropped a little weight and my pants don’t want to stay at my waist anymore, so a tie that’s the right length in the morning winds up too short by the afternoon.

-Dave

 

[Espee]

I started wearing bow ties under the influence of Janet Klein (chanteuse.) I'd noticed that she occasionally provides bow tie-adjustment for fellows in need of it, before or after her shows. But I was just thinking the other day, to this point I've apparently never done mine badly enough!

 

[Whizz for Atomms]

Heh, that’s half the reason I’ve been wearing bows more frequently as of late; I find it much easier to adjust the width of the bow than the length of a long tie. This has become especially important as I’ve dropped a little weight and my pants don’t want to stay at my waist anymore, so a tie that’s the right length in the morning winds up too short by the afternoon.

Time to invest in a pair of braces perhaps? I find with a belt I often have to adjust my trousers during the day, braces however keep everything exactly where they should be.

As a bonus when coupled with a bow tie they also seem to provide almost unlimited amusement for co-workers... but your mileage may vary with this bit ;-)

 

[David Conwill]

Time to invest in a pair of braces perhaps?

I've been meaning to, I just haven't felt flush enough to make the investment in equipment and tailoring yet.

-Dave

 

[Dan'l]

Here's one that I found last month in an antique store. I wasn't sure how well I would be able to tie a knot with a smaller tie but it really wasn't hard at all. In fact, it went better than my larger ties. Although, I have been practicing tying that knot

 

[MikeBravo]

I've been meaning to, I just haven't felt flush enough to make the investment in equipment and tailoring yet.

-Dave

You just need a pair of braces and 6 buttons. You can sew can't you?

I know braces sit better with the "fish tail" pants, but buttons on standard ones work well too

 

[Warden]

I read in the Metro London newspaper yesterday, the chappie who plays the Dr Who character was surprised when the bow tie did not become a fashion trend after his character started wearing one

 

[Edward]

Oh, I saw that too. The answer is obviously because he spent the last series wearing a tacky clip-on rather than a real bow. He did appear to be wearing the real thing in the Christmas Special, though: there is hope!

 

[Mid-fogey]

I wouldn't be holding my breath. It's getting so you have to go a while before you see a tie, much less a bow. I only see another bow around here about every other or third year.

On the subject of the bow being irregular, showing a certain joie de vivre - or maybe lack of experience in tying - I should note something else. The material of the bow has a lot to do with how straight the it stays. I always tie them the same way, but some of mine stay pretty straight and some don't. The one I have on today stays almost as straight all day as a clip on. I have others that I fiddle with all day.

 

[Wally_Hood]

For this week's Bow Tie Friday it was a cardinal tie with smallish gold polka dots, white shirt and blue suit. Received a complement on the tie; not that my self-worth is bound up in getting complements, but I mention them in the context that folks like the bow tie enough to make a nice observation.

 

[Edward]

I wouldn't be holding my breath. It's getting so you have to go a while before you see a tie, much less a bow. I only see another bow around here about every other or third year.

True, alas. I'm one of the few in academia that wears them outside of black tie nowadays.

 

[IndianaWay]

Looking through the JC Penney advertisement in the local newspaper today, there was a man in a sportcoat and bow tie. Yellow tie with blue stripes, I believe. I showed it to my wife - let's just say she wasn't encouraging me to rush out and follow suit. But having a bow tie in an advertisement was an interesting step in itself, I thought.

 

[Espee]

I previously noted that some Burlington stores around L.A. have Haspel bows. A very few have shown up in... er... either Marshalls or TJMaxx. And the Burlington in Torrance has bows which are packaged like the Haspels but have no obvious brandname showing-- a paper inside the plastic sleeve has a how-to-tie demo with a cartoon figure.
I bought one of the Haspels and the odd thing is, I had to put the t-hook into the notch for 14 1/4, when for me it should be at 16 1/2. There were only three more notches left beyond that! Maybe that's how these ended up in outlet-type stores for $7.99.
I first thought this one was a solid color with patterned texture, but there are two shades of blue in the high spots vs. the low spots.
UPDATE: Now Burlington in Fullerton CA has Nicole Miller self-tie bows. They're all smooth texture, solid color (including teal, magenta, salmon pink) so they might not go with any of your fedoras (aimed more at the formal market I guess.)

 

[Wally_Hood]

Bow Tie Friday for today saw a conservative grey suit, a white shirt, and a subdued red tie with scattered box design. Got a couple of nice comments, which made me devise a theory: I have worn the suit and shirt combo numerous times, but with a regular tie. When I wear a bow tie, folks smile and give out with the complements. It's the sizzle, not the steak...

 

[Espee]

One of the displays in the Avila Adobe near downtown L.A. is a history of the early water system. There is a contemporary quote that the large wooden water pipes were carrying many fish and snakes, "which are said to be of superior quality." There is a cartoon drawing of fish and snakes popping up in the water, all wearing bow ties.