The Case for Bow Ties
We encourage gentlemen to dress well and with an eye for detail when going forth for the day. This includes wearing a tie. Our current inventory includes silk neckties and knit neckties. Another type of tie that is less common these days is the bow tie.
In the history of necktie evolution, bow ties date back further than neckties. These are the ties that evolved directly from the Croat or cravat in the 17th century. They have been a mainstay of classic menswear ever since, although their use has declined since the 1930s. It can be hard to find bow ties for sale in stores now.
A Matter of Practicality
There are distinct advantages to wearing a bow tie over a necktie. A bow tie avoids having a large piece of fabric extending down the wearer’s shirt front. It's also a matter of professional practicality. People who serve meals in restaurants want to keep their ties out of customer's food, both to avoid touching the food and to avoid getting food on their tie. For that matter, customers want to keep their own ties out of their soup. Those doing tasks on worktables can avoid getting their ties caught up in the task at hand. Family doctors who want to wear a tie in their practice can avoid getting their ties in their patient’s faces as they tend to them. And young children would love to yank on that bright fabric hanging down in front of them.
A famous bow tie wearer is none other than Bill Nye the Science Guy. He tells the story of working for an engineering company. The dress code was jacket and tie. When the engineers arrived at work, they would take off their jacket and tuck their neckties into their shirt fronts to keep them off the worktable. He realized it would be more convenient to wear bow ties and avoid altogether dealing with ties getting in the way. He has worn bow ties ever since.
It does point to an issue, though. Always wearing bow ties makes you the “bow tie guy” and it can become part of your persona. We should not have our clothing define who we are. Rather we should choose our clothing to highlight the persona we want to display.
The most common form of bow tie sold is pre-tied. Most bow tie experts say one should wear a self-tie bow tie. Then it looks like you tied it yourself rather than had your mother tie it for you. For many, this is a daunting part of wearing a bow tie – tying the bow. It seems difficult but with some practice, it is actually quite easy. This may point to another advantage of bow ties. There are many ways to tie a necktie. Different collar styles call for different knots. There is only one knot with bow ties. It can be tightened to get different effects, but just one knot.
Dare to Be Different
It can be daunting going out wearing a bow tie because it is so much less common these days. You will stand out and likely get comments. It may not be for the faint of heart or the socially introverted. This has proven to be my biggest barrier to wearing a bow tie…social acceptance. It seems there are always comments and I don’t like to stand out.
Few will want to wear bow ties every day but having this as an option will broaden the range of options for daily apparel. It’s worth considering having a few bow ties in your wardrobe. Dare to be different, at least a little.
