One of two ways to tie a bow tie

Silk bow ties with "thistle" (left) and "bat wing" (right) ends

The bow tie is a men's necktie popularly worn with formal attire, such as suits or dinner jackets. The necktie (or tie) is a long piece of cloth worn around the neck resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat Formal dress (UK and formal wear (US are the general terms for Clothing suitable for formal social events such as a Wedding, formal garden party The man's suit of clothes is a set of garments which are crafted from the same cloth Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events and is worn to many types of social functions It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. In Clothing, a collar is the part of a Shirt, Dress, coat or Blouse that fastens around or frames the Neck. Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance such that it reflects beauty or Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip. Some "clip-ons" dispense with the band altogether, instead clipping to the collar. The traditional bow tie, consisting of a strip of cloth one must tie, may be known as a "self-tie" bow tie to distinguish it. Bow ties may be made of silk, polyester, cotton, or a mixture of fabrics. Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Some fabrics (e. g. , wool) are much less common for bow ties than for ordinary neckties. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species

Origin and History

The bow tie originated among Croatian mercenaries during the Prussian wars of the 17th century: the Croats used a scarf around the neck to hold together the opening of their shirts. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by Uses and types In cold climates a thick Knitted scarf often of Wool, is tied around the Neck to keep warm A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body Originally an item of underwear worn exclusively by men it has become in American English a catch-all term for This was soon adopted (under the name cravat, derived from the French for "Croat") by the upper classes in France, then a leader in fashion, and flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries. The cravat is a neckband the forerunner of the modern tailored Necktie and Bow tie. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time The French novelist Honoré de Balzac even wrote a book on the subject.

It is uncertain whether the cravat then evolved into the bow tie and necktie, or whether the cravat gave rise to the bow tie, which in turn led to the necktie. The necktie (or tie) is a long piece of cloth worn around the neck resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat

Stereotypes of bowtie wearers

Main article: list of bow tie wearers

Bow ties tend to be associated with particular professions, such as architects, attorneys, university professors, and politicians. This list of Bow tie wearers includes famous people and fictional characters associated with bow ties

In American culture, bow ties tend to be associated with either New England idyllic preppy culture or the culture of the white aristocratic South. Preppy, also spelled preppie, is a chiefly North American adjective or noun traditionally used in relation to northeastern private University-preparatory schools

Bow ties are commonly seen in popular culture as items of sophistication, such as those stereotypically worn by professors in movies and fictional spy characters such as James Bond. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story However, they have also been adopted into the "uniform" of clowns and male strippers, and such associations have lent bowties a less serious image. Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by their Grotesque appearance colored wigs stylistic makeup, outlandish Costumes unusually A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses Therefore, the "bow tie" presents somewhat of an oxymoron or paradox to anyone trying to define a particular style to be attached to the bow tie.

Current

Although the necktie proves most prominent in today's society, being seen at business meetings, formal functions, schools, and sometimes even at home, the bow tie is making a comeback with fun-formal events such as dinner, cocktail parties and nights out on the town. The necktie (or tie) is a long piece of cloth worn around the neck resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat A cocktail is a style of Mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, Sugar, Water, and Bitters, the word has gradually Bow ties are still popular with men of all ages in the American South. It is also still much more common to wear a bow tie with a dinner jacket than it is to wear a necktie with one; the latter is sartorially incorrect. Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events and is worn to many types of social functions The necktie (or tie) is a long piece of cloth worn around the neck resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat

The dress code of "black tie" requires a black bow tie. Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events and is worn to many types of social functions Most military mess dress incorporates a bow tie. Mess dress is the Military term for the formal Evening dress worn in the Mess or at other formal occasions

A pretied bow tie

Shown on the right is one style of "ready tied" bow tie; there is also a clip-on that does not go around the neck but clips to the collar points; these are the simplest type to put on. If choosing a "self-tie" bow tie, there are usually two shapes available: the "bat wing", which is parallel-sided like a cricket bat, and the "thistle", sometimes known as the "butterfly". A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of Cricket. It is usually made of Willow wood An example of each can be seen above also. Which is worn is a matter of personal preference. Some other shapes do exist, for instance with pointed tips at both ends. Both of these are of the double-ended type, with both ends shaped; occasionally one still sees bow ties of the single-ended type, in which only one end flares out to give the batwing or thistle shape, and the other remains thin. To tie one of these requires careful consideration, to ensure the broader end finishes in front of the thinner one.

Designers

Leading designers of bow ties include Carrot & Gibbs, Charvet, Duchamp, Robert Charles and Paul Smith who are renowned for bow ties with interesting and colourful designs. Duchamp is a men's fashion accessory retail and wholesale brand known for its colourful luxury products Sir Paul Smith, RDI, (born in Beeston, Nottingham on July 5 1946 is an English Fashion designer, whose business and reputation Likewise designers Frederick Theak and CT Shirts are leaders in formal bow ties (black formal and white marcella bow ties). Within the UK, leading retailers of some of the aforementioned designers include Turnbull & Asser, John Lewis Partnership, House of Fraser, and Selfridges. Turnbull & Asser is a British clothier established in 1885 In addition to its flagship store on Jermyn Street in London, England, it also The John Lewis Partnership is a major United Kingdom retailer which operates John Lewis Department stores Waitrose Supermarkets and House of Fraser is a British Department store group with 63 stores (April 2008 across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Selfridges is a chain of Department stores in the United Kingdom. Within the US retailers include the department stores Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, as well as noted specialty shops such as Brooks Brothers. Bergdorf Goodman is a major world-renowned luxury goods Department store based in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Neiman Marcus is an upscale specialty retail Department store, operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. Brooks Brothers is the oldest surviving men's clothier in the United States, founded in 1818 With the growth of the Internet, many specialized bow retailers and mail order companies have appeared online carrying a wide selection previously seen by many traditional retailers as too broad. These include such major sites as 319 Men's "CharlestonBows. Com", R. Hanauer's "Bowties. Com", BeauTies Ltd. of Vermont's "beautiesltd. com", and the popular Ben Silver.

Bow-tie shapes in corporate logos

Some logos for popular product have incorporated bow tie shapes:

• Budweiser beer had a "bow tie logo" (looking like overlapping red triangles) in the 20th century. Budweiser is an American-style lager and is one of the most popular beers in the United States. ^[1]
• Chevrolet vehicles^[2] (wearing the "bow tie logo" since 1913)^[3]

See also

• List of bow tie wearers

References

External links

• How to tie a bow tie with extra steps to make it easier to follow along, and adjust how tight or loose the tie is. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
• wikiHow on How to tie a bow tie