Bow ties

WHY, WHEN & HOW TO WEAR A BOW TIE

Bow ties are always fun, refreshing and make you stand out from the crowd. A bow tie is a great choice if you think ties are conventional. Its canvas being much smaller than the tie's you can also allow yourself more in terms of color and pattern. The bow tie's place below your chin is right in the spotlight and safely out of the way of staining or getting stuck. Any occasion can be a bow tie occasion, but most people will come across them at weddings, New Year's, or at black tie events. But bow ties are viable for all formal, semi-formal and casual situations dress codes. Nights out, birthday parties, Friday tie day, grand openings, intimate family feasts, you name it – a bow tie works. But unless you're planning to make it your trademark look, don't use one too often – keep it special! In more delicate situations, like funerals, first dates or job interviews, this quite high-profiled fashion accessory is probably better avoided.

The most common backdrop for the bow tie is a two-piece suit or a three-piece suit. If you want to be stylistically safe, always choose a self-tie (or freestyle) bow tie, which is the original version. Tying it yourself displays your ability to handle yourself fashion-wise. Adding a well-chosen pocket square will further boost the overall appearance.

TIEROOM'S BOW TIES ONLINE – STYLES, colorS AND PATTERNS

Tieroom is Europe's TOP forum for bow-tie shopping. Online, around-the-clock access to a massive selection, in plenty of materials, colors and patterns, always with a choice of pre-tied bow ties or self-tie bow-ties. A good place to start is our collection page. All our bow-ties bear Tieroom's own designer label Notch, and the premium range is called Notch Como. The shopping experience is smooth and seamless – from amazing customer service, to quick delivery and easy returns. The bow-tie selection process typically starts with a color or pattern, and our web shop makes it easy. Blue bow ties, with pink, green and red bow ties in second, third and fourth place. Lighter-hued colors count as more casual, common in spring and summer, whereas darker shades are generally seen as more formal. The outdoor season opens up for stronger colors – we have many orange, yellow, purple and turquoise bow ties as well, if you don't mind standing out. Low-key beige or grey bow ties are often considered very sophisticated. The black bow tie is a chapter of its own. In short, you'll find every color imaginable, and all color combos in between.

The pattern range is just as wide as the color range – naturally single-colored bow ties are most popular, so the solid bow tie category is the biggest one. Our category for floral and paisley bow ties, are more outdoorsy and summery, which is great for weddings and parties. A bow tie with a more unexpected or a topic-based motif often sparks up a conversation. We have more than one bow tie with an alternative pattern that will do the trick. We also have many striped, dotted bow ties and checkered neck accessories imitating the butterfly.

HOW TO FASTEN THE BOW TIE – PRE-TIED AND SELF-TIE BOW TIES

Nowadays, contrary to ties, there’s really only one way to tie self-tie bow ties. It's not brain surgery, but you'll need to practise if you want a good result. And yes, we have a video showing how to tie a bow tie to help you get there. From the first stumbling attempts to knot what was then more like a cravat into a bow tie, many (sometimes elaborate) techniques have now funneled into one. If you’re not up to the handywork and prefer getting a perfect result every time, not to mention being ready in no-time, pre-tied versions are available in all Tieroom's designs. Both freestyle bow ties and already tied bow ties are adjustable to neck size. Some fashionistas prefer self-ties with fixed length – it eliminates fastening devices, which adds to the accessory’s refinery.

ONCE UPON A TIME – A LITTLE BOW TIE HISTORY

The bow tie's origin is identical to that of the necktie – Croatian mercenaries that fought for the French king in the Thirty Years War. The scarves they used to fasten their shirt openings appealed to the vain French king and his royal court. It was remodeled into a cravat (the name in honour of the Croats), and elaborate, carefully composed knots for the cravats increased their popularity. With French nobility as starting point the fashion spread across the upper classes of Europe, and gradually turned into a bow tie by the way it was knotted. And at some point it also transformed into a tie – which one came first is not altogether clear. The fact that this fashionable menswear garment is named after the butterfly in many languages is especially fitting considering the metamorphosis from cravat, to bow tie and tie, whatever the order.

Bow ties' popularity steadily increased all the way into the first half of the 20th century, when it was somewhat outmanoeuvred by the necktie around the time when the three piece suit became the fashion staple of men's fashion. Bow ties were a part of everyday wear for the upper classes. Modern use usually marks a special event, both with ties and bow ties.

Historically bow ties is an exclusively male affair. But in the late 20th and early 21st century women have actually started to wear bow ties to some extent, mostly as part of business attire. Women's bow ties are often bigger, more lavish.

Whatever the occasion, or whatever style you're looking for you'll find something suitable in Tieroom's huge bow tie selection.