२४ डिसेंबर, २०२२

"Perhaps no single male fashion accessory provokes as much emotion as the bow tie."

"People who wear them fall in and out of love with them or bear them as a burden for life. People who have to look at them can find them irritating or worse. The presence of a bow tie always seems to draw comment and the phrase 'bow tie-wearing' in certain contexts can sound like a slur.... To its devotees the bow tie suggests iconoclasm of an Old World sort, a fusty adherence to a contrarian point of view. The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned, and sometimes suggests technical acumen, perhaps because it is so hard to tie. Bow ties are worn by magicians, country doctors, lawyers and professors and by people hoping to look like the above. But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think.... Another class of bow-tied men is comprised of comedians who wear them ironically, like Mark Russell [and] Pee-wee Herman.... [George] Will said he started wearing a bow tie in the 1960's as a statement 'when things started going crazy.'..."

From a 2005 NYT article by Warren St. John: "A Red Flag That Comes in Many Colors."

1. Much of that article is about Tucker Carlson, who is, like the bow tie, considered annoying. But he doesn't wear a bow tie anymore. 

2. Wikipedia has a long list of bow tie wearers — Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, FDR, "devil-may-care characters portrayed in films by actors like Humphrey Bogart and Frank Sinatra, and — later, to the discredit of the tie — "nerds and geeks, such as... Barney Fife...."

3. I ran into this topic Bob-Dylan-style, that is, by wandering about intuitively. Bob got me listening to an obscure Frank Sinatra song — "Whatever Happened to Christmas" — and then I was reading about Sinatra, mainly because commenter Lurker21 said "Whoever made the video apparently thinks that Christmas went away when Frank left his wife and kids for Ava Gardner" and I needed an answer to the question how long did Frank Sinatra stay with Ava Gardner? At some point, Wikipedia's bio of Sinatra has this: "Such was the bobby-soxer devotion to Sinatra that they were known to write Sinatra's song titles on their clothing, bribe hotel maids for an opportunity to touch his bed, and accost his person in the form of stealing clothing he was wearing, most commonly his bow-tie."

4. Did you ever wear a bow tie? I'm not just talking to the male readers. I'm talking to the female readers too. I graduated from law school in 1981, which seemed to be about the peak of the "Dress For Success" craze. The man's version of the book said not to wear a bow tie unless "you are a clown, a college professor, or a social commentator." But the women's book had us wearing floppy silk bow ties. Here's a 1989 Chicago Tribune article reporting that the magazine Mirabella had marked the death of the ''brief flirtation with laughable dress-for-success suits-and even more laughable floppy bow ties.'' The new approach was, ''a woman flies her own personal flag.''

5. Now, I'm reading about Tucker Carlson. Who were his parents? Was he some kind of rich kid? His mother was an artist, and his father, Dick Carlson, a journalist, "was born the son of college student Richard Boynton and Dorothy Anderson, 18 and 15 years old, respectively. He was born with rickets and mildly bent legs, as Anderson had starved herself to keep the pregnancy a secret. In 1943, Richard Boynton attempted to persuade Dorothy to accompany him in stealing their baby and get[ing] married; when she refused on the grounds that she was a junior in high school and nobody but her parents knew about the baby, he shot and killed himself two blocks from her house." 

6. There are people in this world — perhaps you know one or are one — whose life story inspires them to represent the aborted.

७४ टिप्पण्या:

Cappy म्हणाले...

What about spats?

Amexpat म्हणाले...

A regular tie is clearly phallic. A bow tie is clearly - something else.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

I have to wear a bow tie to the Governor’s Inaugural Ball. I’m ordering it from Ben Silver.

stlcdr म्हणाले...

“A red flag…”. When I got to that point, I assume that it’s something to do with The Patriarchy and racism.

John henry म्हणाले...

Franklin Roosevelt in a bow tie?

Just searched and got a couple hundred random images. A couple in formal wear with a bow tie.

Every other one a regular tie

John Henry

Lucien म्हणाले...

When worn by James Bond, with a tuxedo, it looks best untied.

robother म्हणाले...

In the early 80s, I fell in with a bad crowd, ended up attending various private and public black tie events (e.g., the Metropolitan Opera Ball), bought a tuxedo and actual black tie. After mastering how to tie it, I bought a few to wear with my regular lawyer suits usually on Fridays. There is a pleasure to the art of properly tying the thing, and the odd provoked reaction became another.

Jefferson's Revenge म्हणाले...

I wear bow ties occasionally. I think anti-bow tie people just don’t know how to tie one and don’t want to admit it.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

I'll never forget Jehmu Greene calling Tucker Carlson a "bow-tieing white boy" when they were arguing on TV. Tucker just ignored it, but what a jerk (Greene, that is).

Narr म्हणाले...

Ava Gardner. Rooaawwrr.

I had clip-on bowties as a kid, and wore one as best man or groomsman, but they don't appeal to me. I always think of a line in a Grisham novel about a big law firm's attorneys--conformist drones except for the occasional free spirit in a bow tie.

I had liberty, as librarian and professor, to dress pretty much any way I wanted; so I wore long-sleeve dress shirts, button-down collars, and neckties. But no sports coat or blazer with elbow patches--usually a plain overshirt/heavy workshirt if I needed more than shirtsleeves.

Did not know about Carlson's background; I do recall his Crossfire costume and am glad he grew up.

Spiros म्हणाले...

Also Doctor Who and the (science guy) Bill Nye...

rcocean म्हणाले...

Humphrey Bogart took to wearing bow ties, sometime around 1950’s.

In A Lonely Place or ’51’s The Enforcer, he went from radiating that classic Bogart vibe — that confident, half-surly, nocturnal know-it-all air (cf Casablanca/Maltese Falcon) - to something more cautious and subdued. He began to look less like a private detective and more like an accountant or a department store manager.

Every time I see a Bogart bow tie movie (they also include Deadline U.S.A., Beat The Devil, The Barefoot Contessa and The Harder They Fall) something inside me wilts.

typingtalker म्हणाले...

Some people don't have enough to worry about.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Tucker used to have a moderate Republican, clowinish, cucky image. After little Jon Stewart cut his balls off on CNN, he started to change. And he dumped the bow-tie.

Bow-ties are fine, if you're pushing a certain image. George Will looks fine in one because he looks and sounds like a nerdy professor, no matter what he does. Plus Hyer-masculine men can wear one, just like Pirates can wear an earring, because they're so tough it doesn't matter. But if you're just average man, stay away from the bow-tie.

The Drill SGT म्हणाले...

how about string ties?

Dustbunny म्हणाले...

I don’t think of the tuxedo bow tie as a bow tie, it just seems to fit the formality of that particular outfit. A bow tie with are a regular business suit feels off.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

I used to wear a bow tie as part of a uniform. I’m surprised so little mention of tuxedos—which are always accompanied by a bow tie and look great.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

One of my sons proudly wears a bow tie every chance he gets, and he ties them himself.

He only has one arm. No, I don’t know how he does it.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

A grown man in a bow tie is like a grown man in shorts or a grown man who still uses the diminutive form of his given name ("Tommy" Lee Jones, "Billy" Bob Thornton, etc).

This New Yorker profile of Tucker Carlson details why he finally gave up bow ties, his relationship to the frozen-food Swansons, and his most embarrassing secret, that he once voted for John McCain.

BG म्हणाले...

I have just been reminded of the professor I had in a poli-sci class at UW-Mad, maybe around 1973? Abrahamson, I think his last name was, but don't quote me. He always wore a bow tie. He ended up getting chosen by then Governor Lucey to be something or other.

MadTownGuy म्हणाले...

Don't forget the Paul Simon Freeway Bow Tie signs. The Illinois Senator, not the other Paul Simon.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

Only with a tux.

With my tux I have a bow tie and a regular version.

If you make it your 'look' like George Will, it's a mistake.

Tucker ditched his bow tie years ago and look where he is now.

Coincidence? I think not...

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

'Humphrey Bogart took to wearing bow ties, sometime around 1950’s.'

If it was in a movie, it wasn't his choice...

n.n म्हणाले...

Pants on the ground

gilbar म्हणाले...

???
What about Assless* Chaps???

Assless* Yes! i KNOW, but; you Know what i mean

Lawnerd म्हणाले...

Why does the reference to George Will give me such a violent negative reaction? All those votes for Bushes that I wish I could take back.

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Ava Gardner was Frank’s forever love. Somebody stop that woman!

Temujin म्हणाले...

We have a family member, who is a contrarian, and a doctor, and a professor. He's all of those, plus more. If I had to pick a guy who would fit into a bow tie, he would be it. And no- he doesn't give a fuck what any of us think about it. So instead of giving him shit, we buy him additional stylish bow ties.

I, for one, could never and would never wear one except with a tux. It has to fit one's character. You can't fake it. If you're wearing a bow tie, but it's not a fit for your personality, it shows.

Political Junkie म्हणाले...

Recently saw someone on tv wearing a bow tie with a pull over sweater. Just seemed wrong.

YoungHegelian म्हणाले...

"Man in a suit with bow-tie neck
Wanna buy a grunt with a third-party check"

Stanza from Frank Zappa's Willy the Pimp (Vocals by Captain Beefheart)

Michael K म्हणाले...

Pediatricians used to wear bow ties to prevent babies from puking on their tie. Now they have mostly gone casual. I used to wear bow ties when I was teaching. A couple of times students have given me bow ties which I then wore. I haven't worn a tie for years but I have a closet full of them if an emergency ever occurs.

Michael म्हणाले...

The article is from 2005. Carlson capitulated some years ago and substituted rep ties which he wears with his Mercer Shirts. Ultra preppy, conservative. As to bow ties one has to be careful to choose the appropriate style since an over large butterfly can make one look very stupid indeed.

Anthony म्हणाले...

I only wore them in a couple of weddings. All clip-on except that for my brother's wedding I bought my tux (wore it once *sigh*) and a regular bow tie and learned how to tie it. Never since.

But yeah, it looks best undone, with a martini in one hand.

hombre म्हणाले...

Kind of fun, if pretentious. Dean of my Law School, who clerked for Douglas and was a national moot court finalist, wore bow ties.

Not for me, except at the prom.

loudogblog म्हणाले...

"But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think..."

What an awful thing to say. It suggests that the person is not wearing a bow tie because they like it, but is wearing a bow tie to offend people. (And that they should dress the way that other people want them to dress.) I often wear odd things, like hats or t-shirts with funny graphics on them, but I do it because it's fun. (I even have a pair of spats.)

I have worn bow ties (mostly in the acting that I've done) and I will say that they are hard to tie. So that's why I also have some clip on bow ties. Plus, isn't wearing a tux with a bow tie supposed to be the high point formal dress?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

“ Stanza from Frank Zappa's Willy the Pimp”

There’s also

“ Bow tie daddy dontcha blow your top
Everything's under control
Bow tie daddy dontcha blow your top
'Cause you think you're gettin' too old
Don't try to do no thinkin'
Just go on with your drinkin'
Just have your fun, you old son of a gun
Then drive home in your Lincoln”

boatbuilder म्हणाले...

The senior partner in my law firm, a short, jolly irishman, always wore a bow tie and looked great.

I think that bow ties work better on short guys. On tall guys the big expanse between the neck and the belt looks awkward. (The tux being the exception).

boatbuilder म्हणाले...

I remember the press making a huge deal about Reagan getting a colonoscopy.

R. Emmet Tyrell commented that the doctors found no polyps, but did find a bow tie.

Heh.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Tucker's stepmom, though, was one of the heirs to Swanson Frozen Foods fortune and he went to ritzy St. George's School in Newport. I usually agree with Tucker now on issues, if not on his presentation, but I keep in mind his "bowtie boy" days.

Tom Oliphant, a Boston Globe columnist, always wore bowties and had some strange mannerisms. This led Howie Carr, a columnist at the rival Boston Herald to dub the Globe staffers "the bowtied bumkissers on Morrissey Boulevard." Bow ties suggest effeteness, privilege, and eccentricity. They're okay for little boys and for white tie/black tie occasions, otherwise they are kind of ridiculous.

Bogart looks cool in a bowtie when he's wearing a tuxedo, otherwise not. George Will ruined bowties for everyone. Before Oxford, Will went to Trinity College (the one in Connecticut). Tucker also went there. Must be something in the water there.

rehajm म्हणाले...

Black tie only for me but those surrounding my profession in economics seem attracted to wearing them...

Here in the south some lads go for those bow ties made of feathers...

n.n म्हणाले...

men in shorts h/t Althouse

Estoy_Listo म्हणाले...

Back in the day, butchers and your friendly service station attendants wore bow ties to avoid trouble with knives and fan belts. That bow ties provided less purchase by an adversary in a fight was an added bonus.

dbp म्हणाले...

The last few formal events, I've worn a bow tie. They have some advantages, and some disadvantages as well.

1. A bow tie stays out of things--it doesn't hang down and get caught in a fan belt, or gravy.

2. If you wear a sweater or vest, you can still see the tie, which is kind of the point of wearing a tie.

3. I think that a man who is short looks shorter with a standard tie. If you have a broad chest or wide shoulders the horizontal bow tie accentuates this feature. A vertical tie accentuates your lack of height.

Disadvantage:

1. A bow time doesn't provide an excuse to wear my Marine Corps tie-clip.

Douglas B. Levene म्हणाले...

My late father was a doctor, and he wore bow ties because they didn’t fall onto patients’ faces when he was examining them. Back when I was practicing law, I occasionally wore bow ties just for variation, but I ultimately concluded that a Hermes necktie looks best.

Balfegor म्हणाले...

I used to wear bow ties to the symphony/opera, and wore one to a Christmas party a couple times, but that was about it. I haven't been back to the symphony since the pandemic yet, though, so I might resume.

TickTock म्हणाले...

Agree with Jefferson's revenge. An astonishing number of men who know how to tie their shoes, don't know how to tie a bow tie.

Whiskeybum म्हणाले...

Some people love them

Whiskeybum म्हणाले...

I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera" - Paul S.

ndspinelli म्हणाले...

Bow tie = Asshole.

Creola Soul म्हणाले...

FFS, it’s just a tie. It is easier to keep clean though and there is a certain art in being able to tie it well.

bobby म्हणाले...

Used to love bow ties in the law office. They never drag in your soup.

Howard म्हणाले...

Not to be pedantic, but a plain white tank top evokes way more emotional response than a bow tie.

Beasts of England म्हणाले...

I own a dozen or more. And they look damn good on me. :)

FWBuff म्हणाले...

About 10 years ago, one of the younger attorneys in my section of the law firm started wearing a bow tie every Thursday. Soon, “Bow Tie Thursday” became a thing for our practice group, and we usually had 10 or so of us participating each week, including a couple of our women partners who sported their floppy bows from the ‘80’s. It was fun for section morale, and I even had the old-guy privilege of teaching some of the younger lawyers how to tie them. Alas, COVID killed that tradition, and very few of us transactional lawyers wear a long tie any more, much less a bow tie.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Debi Mazar plays Ava Gardner in the Spanish comedy series, Arde, Madrid (Burn, Madrid). Bad casting? The show is something of a travesty of poor Ava, but she was something of a free spirit, and as movies used to put it, "no man could tame her" -- not Mickey Rooney, not Artie Shaw, not even Frank Sinatra. Playing Lady Brett in The Sun Also Rises didn't help her reputation much either.

Frank had some "old fashioned" ideas about men and women, but also major FOMO. That could explain Ava, and then Mia. YOLO.

~ Gordon Pasha म्हणाले...

Wore one when I was an internal medicine intern and resident. Looked ok and never flopped on a patient (or other awfulness that can exist in hospitals).

Lucien म्हणाले...

Douglas B. Levene reminds me of the possibly apocryphal story that doctors' ties were vectors of disease because no one ever cleans a necktie. (Hermes ties are OK, but not compared to Brioni, Zegna, or Charvet.)

n.n.'s pants on the ground reference brought to mind "The Penguin" from "Ally McBeal".

maherlaw म्हणाले...

While a first year law student, I worked as a bartender at Hoexters Market an upscale bar on the upper east side. I was required to wear a bow tie. I decided if you have to wear a tie, which seems a ridiculous thing, go all the x way and make it a bow tie. I haven’t worn anything but one since my 40s and I am always complimented for them. I like being different I guess.

Narr म्हणाले...

I only know one way to tie a necktie, much less how to do bowties. And I'm so out of practice that I'm not sure I could tie a regular one on my first attempt.

The doctor/butcher/mechanic practicality argument is the best one in favor of the bow. When my work required similar considerations, and it often did, I just took off my tie (if not my shirt, which also happened quite a bit) or tucked it inside my shirt between two buttons, army-style.

The most memorable bowtie wearer I ever knew was a history prof, a genuine campus character. If he hadn't been wounded in Germany in 1945 and become a wheelchair-bound paraplegic for the rest of his life (d. circa '92) he would have stood about 6'4". Rolling around the campus with his booming voice, raising cane in his nice suits and carefully pressed shirts, the bowtie made him more serious and more formidable.



Narr म्हणाले...

I only know one way to tie a necktie, much less how to do bowties. And I'm so out of practice that I'm not sure I could tie a regular one on my first attempt.

The doctor/butcher/mechanic practicality argument is the best one in favor of the bow. When my work required similar considerations, and it often did, I just took off my tie (if not my shirt, which also happened quite a bit) or tucked it inside my shirt between two buttons, army-style.

The most memorable bowtie wearer I ever knew was a history prof, a genuine campus character. If he hadn't been wounded in Germany in 1945 and become a wheelchair-bound paraplegic for the rest of his life (d. circa '92) he would have stood about 6'4". Rolling around the campus with his booming voice, raising cane in his nice suits and carefully pressed shirts, the bowtie made him more serious and more formidable.

[Did I already post this?]

Just an old country lawyer म्हणाले...

I started wearing bow ties at the start of my career in the 70's when I spent most of my time as a title lawyer wanting to keep my tie from getting caught in the enormous deed books. Got out of the deed room, but kept wearing them. I was six feet, medium build, former rugby player, sole practitioner, didn't give a shit about other people's opinion, and I think they were dashing, especially with my double breasted seersucker suit.
And what's this "hard to tie" nonsense? If you can tie your own shoes you can tie a bow tie. Just let your fingers do it and don't look in the mirror until it's done. Never try tying one while reading directions. Merry Christmas!

Steve म्हणाले...

My Crim Law professor told us that if you want to get out of jury duty wear a bow tie. They are an unknown quantity so neither defense or prosecutor want you on the jury.

Balfegor म्हणाले...

Re: loudogblog:

What an awful thing to say. It suggests that the person is not wearing a bow tie because they like it, but is wearing a bow tie to offend people.

I think you're being a bit uncharitable. For example, if I dressed completely without regard for other people, I'd probably wear a lot more suits in loud checks (or would have in my 20s -- as I have aged, my tastes have turned more towards plain textured taupes, browns, and beiges for my casual suits). But I think we all should be conscious of other people when dressing. What we wear and how sends a message to others (sometimes overtly as with T-shirts with text on them) even if that's not the main reason we pick our clothes. And if the clothes we send the message "fuck you," then we should think about pulling back a bit if we don't want to send that message. To take a silly example, some Irish Americans apparently get offended if you wear orange on St. Patrick's day, on account of the colour being associated with the Unionists and Britain. Sure you can wear whatever you like, but it's communicating something to others, whether you want to or not.

Brick Rubbledrain म्हणाले...

If I want to get out of jury duty I’ll wear a t-shirt with “guilty” on the front and “not guilty” on the back. And any tie is a symbolic noose and a constriction of the neck. I swore I would never again wear one on my last day of high school in 1970, and I never have.

Wilbur म्हणाले...

After reading some books on men's fashion in the early 80s, I made a point of dressing well at work (State prosecutor for 37 years). I went through phases where I would wear bow ties for a few weeks, then went back to the regular ties, always receiving a lot of compliments on my choice of ties of all sorts. I loved the bow tie look on me.

It helps when you're 6-2 and of slender build - everything looks good on you. Life ain't fair, and it would be foolish to not take full advantage of whatever edge genetics grants you. My clothes and bearing made a good first impression, and exuded a look of manly confidence and competence, very useful characteristics when dealing with law enforcement personnel and the public in general. No brag, just fact.

Lawnerd म्हणाले...

Interesting thread of comments. Until now I didn’t realize that 95% of Althouse readers were lawyers. Either that, or us lawyers just have to comment on bow ties.

Narr म्हणाले...

Steve mentions bowtie immunity from jury duty.

I've read that academics are also shunned as jurors, bowtie or not: they ask too many questions. If I am asked to serve in the future, I'll wear a bowtie and be sure to tell them I'm a retired academic who has a lot of questions.

William म्हणाले...

Ah, the good old days when all you had to do to make a statement was to wear a bow tie or grow your hair a little longer. The plus side of such choices was that you could go back to vertical ties or get a haircut. Now you need a nose piercing or tattoo to indicate that you march to a different drummer. I would discourage any resident or law student from getting a Maori facial tattoo, but I don't understand our current era. Maybe such a feature would help him establish trust with his patients or clients....Ava Gardner wasn't a particularly gifted actress but she had such a beautiful and expressive face that she stole every scene she was ever in. Who wants to look at great acting, when you can look at Ava Gardner.

Left Bank of the Charles म्हणाले...

“An astonishing number of men who know how to tie their shoes, don't know how to tie a bow tie.”

You can tie a bow tie the same way you tie your shoes, but you would be doing it wrong.

Michael K म्हणाले...


Blogger Lurker21 said...

Debi Mazar plays Ava Gardner in the Spanish comedy series, Arde, Madrid (Burn, Madrid). Bad casting? The show is something of a travesty of poor Ava, but she was something of a free spirit,


Ava's memorable comment about Frank was "He may be only 100 pounds but 80 pounds is cock."

Steve Pitment म्हणाले...

Perhaps George Will wore his tie a little too tight for an extended period of years and the sad result of prolonged oxygen deprivation to his brain was just coincidental to the rise of Donald Trump.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

When I went away to college at age 18, my father took twenty minutes to teach me how to tie a bow tie, which he assured me would be extremely helpful in the future. Well over 50 years later I can confirm his advice. I still go to a half dozen black tie (and one white-tie) events every year. Every time I tie that tie, I think fondly of my father.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

I found lots of FDR pictures with bow ties--often wearing seersucker suits. But the real champion of the bow tie was Winston Churchill, whose endomorphic stature didn't go well with standard tie lengths.

Readering म्हणाले...

Wore a bow tie to sing in college, where a clip on did the trick, so never learned, even though I had been tying regular ties 6 days a week since 8.