The Renaissance of the Bow Tie and How to Make it Chic Instead of Geek

Your writer of this article is going to assume you were searching the net for how to wear a bow tie because you don't consider yourself scholarly in any shape or form. Now I'm going to take all of you under that category over to a corner where I'll make a prediction. The chances are good that those scholarly men who already fuss over bow ties and know everything there is to know about them aren't joining you on your trip here. You're likely one of those people who, less than a few years ago, thought the bow tie meant dressing akin to the Nutty Professor--or, at best, a relatively studious student sporting his tuxedo and about to pick up his girlfriend to attend a prom.

Then you noticed a few of the hip and very non-scholarly in pop culture wearing one casually and wondered how it managed to cross the line.

Most recently, as of this writing, the controversial entertainer Chris Brown was seen wearing one on Larry King Live while attempting to atone for his sins of beating Rihanna. While it might have been a kneejerk thought to think that the bow tie suddenly became fashionable because the guilty wear one on TV to change the opinions of the viewing populace, it's unfair to think a bow tie couldn't manage to become hip on its own merits.

Based on limited evidence, the bow tie was already making a comeback in the world of higher fashion before Chris Brown appeared on Larry King Live. That particular evidence comes in modeling shows around the country where male models sported them, however in arguably a novelty way instead of seriously. When it comes to modeling shows, deciding what they consider serious fashion and what isn't has always been one of the biggest worldwide mysteries to ponder. But finding the evidence for growing bow tie popularity doesn't have to start there.

Just in the last year, upscale men's clothing stores have been selling bow ties for the business male who's never stood in front of a lectern at Harvard in his life. You'll usually find these bow ties sitting in a display window matched with business suits as a sign that even the scholarly look is starting to become popular in the businessman who wants to send a more daring message. Nevertheless, most people who sport bow ties nowadays will tell you that if you still don't want to be mistaken as a professor from an Ivy League school, you should always mix a bow tie with hipper clothes.

Before you get to that stage, however, you'll need to learn which type of bow tie works with those clothes and whether you can go out on the town wearing one that's freestyle, pre-tied or clip-on. The same can be said of the tie's width.

Why the freestyle bow tie never fails to impress...

No matter what someone might tell you, a bow tie you tie yourself is always going to look better on a person who decides to mix bow tie fashion with hipper clothes. On a catwalk during a fashion show, the models sometimes wear a freestyle tie untied, which easily gives a connotation of insouciant cool. Since you'll be wearing a bow tie with non-scholarly clothes, your tie is going to stand out more in the places you go. The people who notice it are going to be more than a little astute to whether it's a freestyle bow tie or merely a clip-on.

Believe me, most people can tell the difference. A general compromise is buying a pre-tied bow tie that can sometimes fool people based on the end of the strap being visible behind your neck. A more astute view of one's bow tie, though, will give off nuances of whether you tied it yourself or cheated with the pre-tie. The clip-on tie should only be worn in a room where every single person attending knows little or nothing about fashion.

Of course, tying a bow tie can be a complicated art, especially if you're left-handed as I am. It's much like tying a shoe. Once you get the hang of it, the bow itself can sometimes display a stylistic gesture on its own.

Tying the bow tie, deciding the width and what to wear once the tie is tied...

Since tying a bow tie is best learned through a visual approach, I recommend looking at the second source link at the end of this article for a page demonstrating the procedure. Describing it textually, the easiest part is in the beginning as you create a crossed-over upside-down V-shape with each end to get started. After that, it's right flap over the loop and then taking the left side and folding it horizontally in the shape of a rectangle. Next, the right flap (moved to the front of the rectangle fold) is folded flat. With that, take hold of each side of the rectangular fold to make the knot.

There, you have a bow tie that might come out looking crooked on first try. You nevertheless can still make it look a little off deliberately to prove you're not overly studious, especially while worn with chic clothes. A slightly crooked bow tie will also prove that you tied it yourself and set a better fashion statement.

Tying your bow tie might be more of a challenge depending on the width. Obviously, a bigger width bow tie gives you more length to work with while tying. Yet the width of a bow tie is always going to be dependent on matching up with all your natural features, just as it is with hats. I'd recommend not wearing a large bow tie with your more fashionable clothes, merely for obvious reasons. A standard width or even a slim (or straight edge) bow tie will work better in this scenario.

It's the type of hipper clothes you wear with the bow tie that will determine whether it was worth forwarding this new fashion statement for the male species. A lot of recommendations say that wearing one with a Prada jacket seems to work well. Although keep in mind the general fashion law is saying that any clothing you have that stands out prominently will help on balancing out a bow tie in hipper environments. You can also do the same when attending a stuffier event.

Consider that because Chris Brown and overpaid models experimented with this first in front of the masses, you won't have to end up appearing to be a fashion maverick that didn't use proper judgment. Choose wisely and you'll help forward the bow tie as a trendy new way for men to dress without getting automatic assumptions you're somebody you're not.

Sources:

http://www.kottydesign.com/bowtiestwi.html

http://www.kottydesign.com/howtotiebowtie.html