First Time Bowtie Advice

Lionheart · Jul 7, 2008

Hi Folks,

I'm about to take the sartorial plunge into bowties. I've never owned one before, and I would like to hear from the regular bowtie wearers who may be able to offer advice on what I should look out for, and which manufacturers I should/shouldn't buy from. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks for your time!

Edward · Jul 7, 2008

Can't offer much help on what you're looking for there as to date I've only ever worn them for black and white tie, but that aside... if you're not used to them, always make sure and leave yourself plenty of time to tie it as it takes a little while to be able to do it quickly. After you've got the hang of it, though (and it's really not much more challenging than a regular necktie, I just find you have to judge the lengths a bit better), they're grand. FWIW, I've always found a real bow tie to be much more comfortable than the clip-on / pre-tied options.

CharlestonBows · Jul 7, 2008

Buy bows like you would any other tie -- whatever fits your personality and daily dress requirements best. The first few should be versatile in both pattern and color -- but bows should never be boring.

Maybe start out with a bar stripe (Red/Navy is a good one), a Churchill dot, and another pattern.

Carrot & Gibbs (makers of Charleston Bows

) are probably the best bows out there, even compared to the stratospherically expensive ones, and should run anywhere from 50-65 bucks, depending on the bow.

Hanauer is a decent line of bows, with many trad styles to choose from, and Randy is a good buddy (and fellow South Carolinian).

Others here have mentioned Beau Ties, Ltd. and Bowtie Club, both online, but I've had very little experience with them, and the quality seems to be average. Not a bad start for the money. Same with Piatelli bows, which should not run that much, and make for decent bows. I'm personally not that crazy about the quality of Ben Silver bows, but they do have a decent selection of stripes.

If you have a great necktie that you would rather be a bow, check out Tie Crafters in NYC.

Vintage bows, just make sure the condition is good and (IMO) that it's silk.

Just remember, when you tie it, the bow should never, ever stick out farther than the edges of your face. It's okay to be a bit smaller, but if you go wide, you'll become Bozo.

Hope that's a good starting point.

Mike in Seattle · Jul 7, 2008

I've just taken the plunge again as well, and I went with a sort of muted red with small gray diamond with purple center design, plus similar muted red (not a burgundy, but not Christmas or Valentine's Day red) regimental striped with gold & deep blue (almost black) stripe. I went with those because I could wear them with browns & tans plus blues & grays. Later on, as I'm more used to them, I thought I'd go for ties in brown tones and others in blue tones. I freely admit it - I'm "one of those" who doesn't like mixing earthtones with blue, gray & black, or vice versa.

Highlander · Jul 16, 2008

Well, I like to feel it and make sure it's somewhat substantial. But that aside, I put it on and tie it. If it ties nice, and holds it's shape, I am happy with it.

Not-Bogart13 · Jul 16, 2008

Hemingway Jones is an ace about bowties. If he doesn't poke his nose in here, drop him a PM.

Lionheart · Jul 22, 2008

Thanks to everyone for the advice - I wound up purchasing my first bowtie from Beau Ties of Vermont. It took about 20 minutes to figure out how to tie it, with some help from a youtube video. I will definitely be purchasing more from them in the future.

http://www.terenzioshow.com/images/loungebowtie.jpg

Hemingway Jones · Jul 22, 2008

Not-Bogart13 said:
Hemingway Jones is an ace about bowties. If he doesn't poke his nose in here, drop him a PM.

Thanks! Looks like he is all set though. Post a pic!

Edward · Jul 22, 2008

Lionheart said:
Thanks to everyone for the advice - I wound up purchasing my first bowtie from Beau Ties of Vermont. It took about 20 minutes to figure out how to tie it, with some help from a youtube video. I will definitely be purchasing more from them in the future.

Hope you don't mind....

to get the image to show up as a picture you just need to put

around the URL.

Tie looks great - and I very much like the co-ordinating but not identically matching pocket square - much classier looking than an identical matching set IMO.

Highlander · Jul 22, 2008

Great looking tie, and a very nice knot.

Brett McKay · Jul 22, 2008

Edward said:
Hope you don't mind....

to get the image to show up as a picture you just need to put

around the URL.

Tie looks great - and I very much like the co-ordinating but not identically matching pocket square - much classier looking than an identical matching set IMO.

Great looking tie! I'm going up to Vermont in two weeks. I'll have to see if I can swing by the factory for a tour and picke up tie in the process!

Not-Bogart13 · Jul 22, 2008

Lionheart said:
Thanks to everyone for the advice - I wound up purchasing my first bowtie from Beau Ties of Vermont. It took about 20 minutes to figure out how to tie it, with some help from a youtube video. I will definitely be purchasing more from them in the future.

http://www.terenzioshow.com/images/loungebowtie.jpg

Where did you find the pocket square. All I ever find are solids and white with colored edges.

David Conwill · Jul 22, 2008

Not-Bogart13 said:
Where did you find the pocket square. All I ever find are solids and white with colored edges.

Hmm, the places I've purchased ties online frequently offer pocket squares cut from the same material. When my wife made my seersucker bowtie she had enough left over to do the same.

-Dave

Lionheart · Jul 22, 2008

Edward said:
Hope you don't mind....

to get the image to show up as a picture you just need to put

around the URL.

Tie looks great - and I very much like the co-ordinating but not identically matching pocket square - much classier looking than an identical matching set IMO.

Thanks for the tip on posting a pic - and thanks for your compliments!

Lionheart · Jul 23, 2008

Not-Bogart13 said:
Where did you find the pocket square. All I ever find are solids and white with colored edges.

I got the pocket square at a local chain called "Syms" - specifically, in Peabody Massachusetts. It's Ralph Lauren. If I ever see them at Syms, I usually buy them all. I've also seen them at the Ralph Lauren factory outlets.

lairddouglas · Jul 23, 2008

Fantastic Knot

Is that a club collar shirt or spread you are wearing with that fantastic yellow bowtie? I simply love yellow bowties ... It makes the day just a little brighter.

Orgetorix · Jul 23, 2008

Good job, Lionheart. I like the tie, and I like the pocket square, but together I think they look like they're competing for attention. If I were you, I'd go with a white linen square for that outfit, or a solid silk in one of the minor colors from the tie (or shirt).

CharlestonBows · Jul 23, 2008

Orgetorix said:
Good job, Lionheart. I like the tie, and I like the pocket square, but together I think they look like they're competing for attention. If I were you, I'd go with a white linen square for that outfit, or a solid silk in one of the minor colors from the tie (or shirt).

:arated:

Lionheart · Jul 23, 2008

lairddouglas said:
Is that a club collar shirt or spread you are wearing with that fantastic yellow bowtie? I simply love yellow bowties ... It makes the day just a little brighter.

It's a Brooks Brothers club collar shirt - I managed to stumble across it at an outlet.

Lionheart · Jul 23, 2008

Orgetorix said:
Good job, Lionheart. I like the tie, and I like the pocket square, but together I think they look like they're competing for attention. If I were you, I'd go with a white linen square for that outfit, or a solid silk in one of the minor colors from the tie (or shirt).

I wouldn't put a linen square in the same outfit as a silk bowtie (or ascot, or necktie). I would have gone with a solid silk if there was one available, so I suppose for this particular picture, it was really an issue of practicality.

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