A Bow Tie is a Bow Tie — NOT!

     Have you ever spotted a fella across a room and thought … “now there’s a guy who shouldn’t be wearing a bow tie?”

For years men’s magazines, blogs and books on style have pondered bow tie wearers. What sort of personality wears them best? Can men with long faces and tall bodies pull them off? Do not so tall pudgy guys look like Humpty Dumpty? And so on….

The fact of the matter is… if you have the desire to wear a bow then there’s absolutely no reason not to.

But here’s the trick… You MUST wear a quality bow tie because wearing a cheap bow tie is where most men fail.

There is so much more to a properly tied and worn bow tie than the print, color or design. The real key to a great bow tie is the tie’s materials, shape, and make.

You’ve seen the guy who looks like he’s wearing a pre-tied, out of a crackerjack box bow. His tie has no flexibility, no personality and is flat and pointy.

Then there’s the man who is comfortable in his tie and looks like he wears them all the time and has for years. What’ya bet – his is a quality bow?

So how do you identify a quality bow tie? Start with the skin. Is the material soft, natural (silk, cotton, wool or linen) and pliable? Are the patterns or stripes tasteful with stylishly coordinated colors?

Then check the shape. Traditional bow ties are 2 ¼” wide with an inverted triangle shape at each end. Larger or smaller bows may not be appropriate for all users and each emits different character.

The most important ingredient of a quality bow tie is the make which is easily tested. Gently grab the front and back of your tie. Do they separate? If so, this is a well made tie with a floating inner lining. This type of tie is more difficult to create, is almost always handmade and will bend, roll and dimple creating a tie with life and personality. Unless you want to be “that guy who shouldn’t be wearing a bow tie”…avoid bows that do not separate or that feel rigid, stiff or boardy.

Wearing a bow tie does require a bit of self-confidence. But fear not. After receiving the first couple of compliments on your dapper look… you’ll be beaming with assurance and looking forward to the next opportunity to wear a bow tie!