Choosing and Wearing Daytime Bow Tie

If there was ever a misunderstood item of male clothing, then the bow-tie is that item. Perceived as an accessory appropriate for mockery, relegated from everyday use to infrequent evening wear, the bow-tie is the symbol of a lost generation.

So many people are incapable of tying their own bow tie. A fact which, in itself, shouts of a neglect for a style of necktie which has been ridiculed as much as it has been celebrated; people are as likely to associate the bow-tie with Jerry Lewis as Winston Churchill, and this unhappy result has had a marked effect on the pride of a wearer. Once deemed to be the height of artisan sophistication, if you wear a bow-tie on any occasion other than a black-tie event, ordinary people are likely to expect you to pull a bunch of flowers from your sleeve.

I used to be afraid of the bow-tie. I have always loved neckties, but I found the everyday bow-tie to be a step too far in the nostalgia direction; something about their declining status kept me away from even considering wearing one. Now, I cannot wait to find the perfect bow.

Below I have listed some rules and guidelines about choosing and wearing the daytime bow-tie.

Self-tie

The first rule is that the bow tie you select should be one you tie yourself. No self-respecting man should buy a ready-made bow tie; they are only for children and have the intractable flaw of being too perfect. A real bow-tie is imperfect. Though the Beau spent hours trying to tie his neckwear, discarding the ‘failures’, the key with bow ties is that they should be different every time, thus making the self-tie bow tie one of the most unique accessories in a man’s wardrobe. Sometimes a little fat, sometimes a little too tight, however they are made, they are usually gloriously asymmetric in appearance. This asymmetry has the canny effect of adding an air of old world civility to the wearer. Don’t crave for symmetrical perfection because that was never the point in wearing one in the first place; when you see Churchill’s bow it is loose and characterful, not a stiff cut-out.

Pattern

The other rule with wearing a day-time bow tie is that it must be patterned. Non-patterned bow ties look like black-tie substitutes, so always shop for dots, stripes or paisley. Colours should be sober and darker in tone; forest green rather than apple green and claret rather than blood red. The reason for this is to turn the bow-tie into something which is not screaming for attention, but rather standing, silently still, ignoring the prying eyes and castigating remarks – rather like an Irish Guard on duty outside St James’ Palace. The idea of this simple revolution is to remove the comical bow-tie from the limelight of the Big Top and to forge a new association with the stylish gentlemen of the day.

I have found it rather tricky purchasing good quality silk bow ties. Nearly every shop assistant I have encountered has pointed me to the evening dress section when I have specifically asked for day-dress dickies. John Lewis had a small selection of paisley bow ties, reasonably priced at $30. However, one of the best retailers of preppy nostalgia clothing in the world, Ralph Lauren, has a wonderful selection in his stores.

When to wear it

Bow-ties look youthful when worn properly and they can brighten up almost any outfit. Wear a bow tie with a sharp, slim-fit suit for an on-trend cut with an eccentric dash. Or wear a bow tie with a casual collar and a cable crew neck for a ‘relaxed academic’ look. Bow-ties can also prep-up plain spring outfits of short sleeved shirts, tailored shorts and blazers. The key is to avoid overdoing a look with a bow tie; keep pocket squares to a visual minimum and try not to colour match too much.

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How Should Men of Style Dress for Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching and invitations to soirees are being pushed through many a door. It’s a festival that gives rise to an excuse for parties and celebrations, and many choose to enjoy the occasion by dressing up. Halloween themed parties concentrate on the spooky side of the festival; the references to literature and cinematic horror, the folklore and mysticism. I have attended few Halloween functions in recent years, but it made me wonder recently, how I would dress should I be invited to a costume party on the 31st of this month.

It is a party, and yes, dressing up is fun and is not meant to be taken too seriously. I would like to share with you why I believe despite the casual nature of such occasions, why and how I would devote time and thought to my appearance.

Choosing a character

Naturally, one of the main factors in your appearance is in deciding who you will attempt to impersonate. For the man interested in style, there will be restrictions. Firstly, as a style fan, I would not consider characters such as Frankenstein’s monster or the mummy of Imhotep. There is something lacking in their bearing and their garb for stylish men to take interest; something about the bolt and the bandages just does not seem to sit well with the well-dressed man.

Dracula is altogether a different proposition; the elegant Romanian aristocrat, wearing black from head to foot, is a wonderful, if not shamefully predictable choice, for the modish man of the metropolis. A truly stylish choice could be the Headless Horseman from Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It would be extremely difficult to walk with a covered head, but his costume would have been a late 18th century military one; very dashing.

A contemporary character to impersonate for the man of style might be Gomez Addams from the Addams Family. The dapper gentleman from the comedy series was frequently seen wearing a cravat, a velvet smoking jacket, or perhaps a natty striped suit, and had his dark hair slicked back. There was a feint air of the Count about him, but he was less of an animal than Dracula, and due to the comedic milieu of the Addams family, is probably easier to impersonate with a sardonic smile.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is perhaps a challenge because of the difficulty of presenting the duality. However, wearing a top-hat, an Inverness cape and a white shirt, white bow tie and white silk scarf, with some test tubes in the top pocket, some bright green make-up around the mouth to represent spillages of the potion, and perhaps some novelty red contact lenses may give your distinguished doctor the hint of a beast within.

Costume and make-up

A man of style should be interested in presenting the best possible version of his character; a little red make-up around the mouth and a black suit will not do. Study photographs of cinematic representations of the characters. Dracula never wore simple black tie. If any jacket is worn it has to be a long jacket. If you can manage it a tail-coat would be perfect. If not, wearing a cape or a black coat over one’s shoulders is the best thing.

Make special purchases if you wish, but it’s good to try and use as many things from your own wardrobe as possible. A scarf could double as a sash that could be worn from shoulder to hip, and a frilly-cuff shirt is unnecessary if you have a shirt that requires cuff-links – just leave them undone and voila, you have an 18th century look. The more period your look, the more genuine it seems and so adding a few vintage accessories, such as a lapel-pin, or an old medal will improve the outfit.

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Style Decade: The 1980s

The 1980s, the decade in which I came into this world, seems to be the decade everybody loves to hate. The music, most people will claim, was not music at all. The politicians were selfish, sleazy and corrupt, or so cynics say. Everything from the boxy, horrible cars to the vulgar greed culture is largely maligned as being representative of a decade of waste and ugliness that we should best learn from, and then try to forget.

It is also common wisdom that the 1980s were ten years of a style vacuum. Someone I know mentioned earlier on in the year; ‘Why is 1980s clothing suddenly fashionable? It was bad enough the first time round.’ When I was pondering this statement recently it got me to thinking about the oft forgotten benefits and high points of 1980s fashions.

For women it was an era in which outfits turned masculine. No one will forget the shoulder padded jackets, the trouser suits and the shorter hair styles; the Vogue covers presented less feminine women and it was certainly an era of male-inspired female empowerment. Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister was the figurehead for a generation of women who, in politics, work and even fashion seemed to live by the maxim: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

The diverting change in women’s fashion was all too noticeable, and it is to that revolution that the 1980s owes its reputation in fashion. For men it was a little different. If the 1960s and 1970s represented a change in style from formal to informal, the 1980s represented a return to traditional styles.

Formality wasn’t the only thing that the 1980s encouraged, but also, a cultivated sobriety of dress. Whereas the previous decade had been about contemporary cuts of suit, with flared trousers and oversized lapels, the 1980s tailoring saw a return to classic shapes and straight leg trousers. After the gluttonous fat tie of the 1970s, the 1980s tie slimmed down drastically, and patterns were more subtle and classic; gone were the psychedelic kippers and in came slim stripes, polka dots and Hermes patterns.

Shirts no longer had absurdly large collars and the cutaway collar, one of the most formal, became popular again. Jeans, recently indigo and flared, returned to the straight and slim-fits in stone washes. If it weren’t for the difference in hair styles, it would be difficult to tell between a gent from 1985 and a gent from 2005; classicism is ageless.

There was the odd peculiarity in more casual dress; jumpers seemed to be oversized, and it was popular for one’s shirt to be baggy. However, the style of the film American Psycho, filmed in 2000, shows how in 1985 men were wearing clothing in a style which today would be considered Square Mile chic. White collared cornflower-blue shirts, Hermes ties and pinstripe suits; only the 1980s technology gave away the period.

If you want to relive that classic 1980s formality, look out for bold stripe shirts, narrow ties and braces. Conveniently, all this is available nearly everywhere. Now who would have thought that 80s materialism would eventually inspire recycling?

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Shopping Vintage Clothing

I love using eBay. It’s such a wonderful world that has been opened up; the virtual portal into the salable leftovers of other peoples lives. Antiques, used picture frames, old toys and jewellery; the internet’s largest Aladdin’s cave is one of my favourite places to go for interesting and unique things.

It also reminds me of the ability of one person to see value in something that another has ceased to recognise as valuable. Vintage clothing for example is an area of second hand goods that is represented by a perfect economy of buyer and seller; used goods are sold by someone who views cash as a fair exchange. And the best thing about it? Nothing is thrown away and something is recycled.

There are limits to this Utopian market. Firstly, I would not advise the purchase of second-hand underwear. As ridiculous as the advice seems, it is illustrative of the sheer amount of unnecessary second-hand rubbish that people offer for sale.

Secondly, I would not advise the pursuit of assembling entirely vintage outfits. It can be costly and impractical to do this as it could take months of searching for appropriate pieces. I would advise, from a style point of view, to search the vintage market for pieces one cannot find in the ready-to-wear section of the high street. Vintage is, for example, a great alternative to expensive designer accessories and luxury goods. Standout accessory items like sunglasses and belts, especially if the belts are made using materials that are now contraband in manufacture, can be fantastic buys.

There are certain items, like vintage shoes, which I cannot advocate nor condemn; you should approach them on a case by case basis and always ask yourself what you expect from what you are buying.

Items available in vintage clothing shops are not junk. They are assessed for their wearability. I am interested in vintage ties and I rarely come across imperfect ties; they are simply worn with age, or are a little faded. This only adds to their character and charm.

Not every piece of vintage clothing is worth the money and the apparent ‘bargain’ of purchasing second-hand can be illusory when, in a week or so, the item begins to show the negative side of aging. However, if something is old and it’s still around, if it’s looked after properly, it’s likely to be around for some time yet. Compare what you find in your local vintage store or on eBay to what you can buy new in the shop; strict price comparisons are a little unfair, but it is well to know what is out there that competes with the second-hand product you are interested in.

Here is a short list of some of the best bargains to look for in vintage clothing.

1. Vintage suit

Suits that are made now for high-street shoppers are made cheaply and quickly and materials are not what they were. You can sometimes pick up a premium quality suit, in very good condition, from such illustrious outfitters as Gieves & Hawkes and Acquascutum for under £150. When you consider the workmanship, material and cut, the issue of whether to buy is a no-brainer. Even if the measure is a little out, it’s a suit worthy of a little tailoring.

2. Ties

I wear vintage ties all the time. On an auction website or in a vintage shop, they can cost as little as £4 or £5 and yet, the quality of the silk is always very high. I buy vintage because the high street has a shortage of ties of a narrower width in stripes and classic patterns. An old tie also has the stylish advantage of individualism; I never see anyone wearing anything like my tie.

3. Male jewellery

I’m not referring to unhygienic metal piercings. Cuff links, tie-pins, tie-clips and rings are the bejewelled accessories to which I allude. Vintage versions of these things are just, generally speaking, so much more elegant and stylish than cheap high-street options which are in some cases, when it comes to football tie-pins, novelty cuff links and tacky sovereign rings, genuinely depressing.

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Timeless Appeal of Black and White

Black and white is so simple. One is the very apex of colour, the other the complete absence of colour. The basic art of sartorial monochrome was certainly one of the most influential fashion movements of the 20th century, and it seems like designers and the public can’t get enough of the penguin palette. (more…)

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