Anyone ever tried a bow tie?

[josepidal]

I was just curious after browsing the current Trad flame thread and watching a couple of movies set decades ago such as Fearless: Has anyone here tried a bow tie (who normally does not wear them)? With what clothes?

I don't recall seeing a lot of them in contemporary photos, and especially not on people below 40.

 

[GreyFlannelMan]

Yes. Not recently, but in the last two years. I recall I wore a striped navy/burgundy number with a white shirt and grey suit. I also recall wearing a madras bow with a seersucker jacket, white shirt and khakis.

Back in the day, I used to wear one every couple of months. And yes, I am under 40...

 

[Larry Lean]

How can I resist not saying 'Hello' here?

For me they are regulated to my few appearances in Black Tie.

What you want is the opinion of a Retro-'Trad'-Revisionist-Fundamentalist for a more balanced view.
... I'm hoping those guys might start wearing spats next.

... OK, that was a 'joke'...

Bow ties in the daytime are not for me.
But I can't say that I have any strong feelings about them.
I suspect it's a look to approach with care. Getting it right may take much more skill than many bow tie wearers might realise.
... It's all about proportion...

 

[Quirk]

I used to wear them every so often, no longer. Unless you're willing to wear them frequently enough that people no longer take note of it, it gets tiresome fielding "hey, nice bowtie!" comments all day. I don't like it when my clothing calls attention to itself; to the casual observer, the fact of my being tastefully put together should register on an almost subconscious level.

 

[Alan B.]

It is the only tie I wear these days. Great for job interviews, don't listen to idiots like John Molloy (Dress for Success). People remember you when you wear a bow tie. Sometimes for the better, others for the worse.

No soup stain worries or getting your tie snagged in something.

 

[odoreater]

I'd say that you either have to wear one every day, or not wear them at all as others have said. If you wear one everyday, then it becomes your thing and people don't really notice anymore. If you wear one everyday you look like the clown who decided to wear a bowtie today. Of course, black tie is excluded from this rule.

I also think they work better on shorter, stockier (fat, but not morbidly obese) kind of guys. On tall guys, it creates too much of an empty canvas on the shirt and too much distance between the neck and belt.

On black guys, it makes you look like you're part of the Nation of Islam.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by Alan B.

People remember you when you wear a bow tie. Sometimes for the better, others for the worse.

But what do they remember you as?

 

[dirk diggler]

disagree - I wear one about 2-4x a week and long ties the other days. I am not fat, and avg. height. I am not in the nation. People noticed the first few times, now they just accept it. interestingly, there was an interview on local tv in Detroit about the auto show next week and the spokesperson for the show was wearing a bowtie (taupe with dots I believe) instead of his usual long tie - it is coming back into style !

 

[JLibourel]

I went through a bowtie "phase" a few years ago when I wore them with some degree of regularity, may still occasionally in the future, but in the end I just concluded they weren't nearly as flattering to my face and physique as a long tie.

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

disagree - I wear one about 2-4x a week and long ties the other days. I am not fat, and avg. height. I am not in the nation. People noticed the first few times, now they just accept it. interestingly, there was an interview on local tv in Detroit about the auto show next week and the spokesperson for the show was wearing a bowtie (taupe with dots I believe) instead of his usual long tie - it is coming back into style !

ok, but still, showing up wearing them 2-4x a week is different from wearing them 2-4x a month. My post shouldn't be read literally to mean that you should wear them every single day, but I stand by the comment that you have to wear them with a great degree of regularity; otherwise, they just come off as weird.

 

[lakewolf]

I think it was the spring of ....

 

[josepidal]

Originally Posted by odoreater

On black guys, it makes you look like you're part of the Nation of Islam.
And on Asians?

 

[MrRogers]

Originally Posted by Alan B.

Great for job interviews, don't listen to idiots like John Molloy (Dress for Success). People remember you when you wear a bow tie. Sometimes for the better, others for the worse.


A bowtie for a job interview is completely inappropriate, unless you are seeking employment at barnum and bailey circus.

MrR

 

[odoreater]

Originally Posted by josepidal

And on Asians?

Not sure, never seen an Asian guy wearing a bow tie before.

 

[redtree00]

Originally Posted by josepidal

And on Asians?