Bow Ties!

Russell Street

Russell Street

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I am so sorry if you are scared of bow ties. Anyway, I have about seven, and they're all over ten years old. Honestly, they just cost too much for such a tiny little thing if you only wear it a few times a year. But there are many times when they are great.
Hot weather is one of those times. Who wants a belly warmer when it's sweltering? Not me.
If you want strangers to come up and chat with you, wear a bow tie. Everyone wants to know if you actually tied it. They see this as a task more complex than working a manual gearbox and you can p'shaw and tell them it's a shoelace knot.
Want to ditch the tie later? Bows fit in any pocket with ease!
And no more stains on your tie!

Anyway, colco has asked for a rule of thumb regarding bow tie widths. I have no idea. I have a strong distaste for wide butterflies and am probably in the 2" to 2-1/4" range.
New bow wearers never tighten the things enough. As with a four-in-hand, you want a tight knot and some dimpling.
Who else does the bow? Any questions? Tips?
 
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Thank you for this @Russellstreet. As I had stated in a prior thread, I only own the one bow for black tie (and struggle mightily with tying it I might add), but plan to purchase another for wear with double breasted jackets, where I feel they are most suited. I can't see owning more than two, perhaps three (black tie, one for summer and one for winter wear).
 
I mean to dig into my collection of bow ties this fall! I'll even post pics.
 
The rule of thumb is bow tie outside edges shouldn't exceed the width of your noggin. Makes sense I suppose but I see more problems with bow tie wearers than worrying about that as a priority.
 
fxh said:
The rule of thumb is bow tie outside edges shouldn't exceed the width of your noggin.
Click to expand...
If that's width, I guess I meant height. Anyway, I must throw a hat tip to the FNB bow tie thread by Chévere that is the best thesis on the matter that I've seen.
Film Noir Buff Style Forum / On bow ties.
And to beat Arnathor Arnathor to the punch,
mein bowz.webp

1. Bert Pulitzer silk regimental, probably a Marshall's purchase by my brother. Tiny.
2. Unmarked orange and black college stripe, straight in silk, presumably bought by brother at a Princeton visit.
3. LE silk foulard in burgundy.
4. Beau Ties by Jean (which may now just be Beau Ties?) pink and blue seersucker with diamond ends. This was a princely ~$20-25 around 1990, probably MTO.
5. LE silk print in navy. All LE ties were probably clearance buys for like seven bucks each.
6. LE cotton madras plaid, red multi. Just a tad shorter and narrower than most.
7. LE cotton madras plaid, peach multi.
All that have markings are made in the USA.
 
Russell Street said:
If that's width, I guess I meant height. Anyway, I must throw a hat tip to the FNB bow tie thread by Chévere that is the best thesis on the matter that I've seen.
Film Noir Buff Style Forum / On bow ties.
And to beat Arnathor Arnathor to the punch,
View attachment 8480
1. Bert Pulitzer silk regimental, probably a Marshall's purchase by my brother. Tiny.
2. Unmarked orange and black college stripe, straight in silk, presumably bought by brother at a Princeton visit.
3. LE silk foulard in burgundy.
4. Beau Ties by Jean (which may now just be Beau Ties?) pink and blue seersucker with diamond ends. This was a princely ~$20-25 around 1990, probably MTO.
5. LE silk print in navy. All LE ties were probably clearance buys for like seven bucks each.
6. LE cotton madras plaid, red multi. Just a tad shorter and narrower than most.
7. LE cotton madras plaid, peach multi.
All that have markings are made in the USA.
Click to expand...

Check out Carrot and Gibbs, they make a nice one.
 
Russell Street said:
Carrot and Gibbs Bow Ties - I always like the made-to-order aspect, so you can specify to your preference.
I can attest that just the cutting of the pieces is a big hassle, and the pinning, interlining, and that adjustable hardware do rather justify the cost. I fail to belief the that the same area of fabric gets used.
Click to expand...

Look at the math. Each piece is about 25", which is 50", a typical tie is like 55 or 56" long. Multiply that by 2 and you more or less have the surface area of the tie deconstructed. A tie uses about 15-20% more silk.
 
The finished item is maybe 8" on each end plus ~18" for neck. That's about three feet, two widths. The width is around 3". I'm getting about a foot and a half square feet net. It's all on the bias, but I assume that they cut gobs of parallel pieces. My math says that it's about 50% more cloth used in a long tie, but even that is surprising given the relative tininess of the finished product.
 
Russell Street said:
The finished item is maybe 8" on each end plus ~18" for neck. That's about three feet, two widths. The width is around 3". I'm getting about a foot and a half square feet net. It's all on the bias, but I assume that they cut gobs of parallel pieces. My math says that it's about 50% more cloth used in a long tie, but even that is surprising given the relative tininess of the finished product.
Click to expand...

The narrowness of the neck pieces don't save you any silk. It's offset by narrow end of the tie. It's also 1/2" thicker for the seams.

You're also quoting for MTM bowties. Most bowties are not MTM, they're adjustable that adds at least 4" of silk.
 
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