# Are bow ties professional enough to wear at the office? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189 "2009-03-12T13:17:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/21 "2009-03-12T16:12:09Z")
One of the very senior partners here (law firm) wears a bowtie frequently. He’s a wonderful guy, in his 80s, and a bowtie “works” on him. He doesn’t wear a suit most of the time, the bowtie is matched with a dress shirt, slacks and jacket though. Definitely a cut above “business casual”. I am in my late 30s and aside from my high school prom have never worn a bowtie, I think that I’d look a bit silly wearing one with anything other than a tuxedo. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/22 "2009-03-12T16:15:26Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Technically, she didn’t say anything about him having a desire to adopt a “signature” anything. She only said it _is_ his “signature” style. One can have a signature style without going out of the way to develop it.\* I dunno. Surely as this guy buys clothes and goes about his business he realizes that a miniscule percentage of men wear bow ties. I suggest it would take more intentional effort to acquire and wear bowties than to do as the overwhelming majority do. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/23 "2009-03-12T16:15:55Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I have no problem with bow ties. But I think it was really funny when Jon Steward asked a guy, “How old are you?” > > The answer: “33.” > > Steward: You’re 33 and you’re wearing a bow tie? > > It’s not like he was at the Academy Awards. > > If you want to imitate George Will you have some serious problems. Heh. The guy in question was Tucker Carlson. It was Stewart’s appearance on Crossfire. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/24 "2009-03-12T16:17:09Z")
Damn, I used to have to go to a weekly work meeting at an ungodly early hour. Everyone but the boss hated those meetings, and they were so damn early that nobody but the boss wore a tie at the meeting, although ties were required throughout the day. Anyway, the boss made ties mandatory at the meeting, so we all showed up with ties loosely draped over our shoulders. Then he made a rule that a “draping” a tie does not count as “wearing” a tie. We all should have gotten clip on bow ties at that point … just to wear at that damn meeting. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/25 "2009-03-12T16:53:41Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > My boss, who is very old-school, wears them to court and other occasions when he wears a suit. Real old-school is wearing [tabs](https://peacock.rainyday.mb.ca/cgi-bin/productshow.pl?database=gaspard;currency=CA;productNm=162) to court. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/26 "2009-03-12T16:55:27Z")
John Paul Stevens wears bow-ties. In _The Brethren_, there’s a story about one time when he was still a lawyer, and was arguing a case in court. His opponent made some comment in his submissions about clip-on bow-ties, to pull his chain. During Stevens’ submissions, he untied his bow-tie and re-tied it, all the time arguing his case to the judge. ---
**Author:** ![accidentalyuppie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@accidentalyuppie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/accidentalyuppie)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/27 "2009-03-12T17:02:46Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Before we went to business casual, several of us wore bow ties just to be different. Some wore bolo and string ties as well. I know a salesguy that wears bow ties on sales calls, he does it in an effort to make himself memorable. I’ve seen him tell potential customers “I’m the bow tie guy” in order to reinforce the postion. I think it has a certain usefulness, the nature of our business is that the customer may not have a need for the product until months or years after you make your presentation and it helps to be memorable. I always had the “easy on the eyes female” thing going for me in this regard but the guys are not so lucky. He actually makes a point NOT to dress that way at professional events and conventions, I think he wants to show that he actually ahs a sense of style. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/28 "2009-03-12T17:07:02Z")
They were actually in style back in the early '90s. If you like them that much, just hang on. They’ll probably come back. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/29 "2009-03-12T17:21:59Z")
If you are trying to be torn jeans cool, do not try it. If you are trying to be hyper-cool, old money dapper, go for it. The bow tie is like the suit with a vest: only those who know what they signify will benefit from the wearing thereof. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/30 "2009-03-12T17:35:07Z")
I wear a bow tie every once in a while, though the occasions at which I must wear a tie are few and far between. There are a couple of key things about bow tie wearing: 1. For god’s sake, get a real bow tie. Wearing a clip-on (the kind that comes with a rental tux) is ludicrous. You wouldn’t wear a clip-on necktie, would you? There’s a bit of a trick to tying them, but it’s not actually that hard. Which leads into… 2. Tie it well. Yes, it does take a bit of practice to get both sides balanced and straight, and to get the loop in front of the end on both sides. But once you figure it out, it’s a snap. 3. The real key to it all: be comfortable with it. Your attitude is, “I’m wearing a bow tie. So what?” not, “Oh my god, I hope they don’t make fun of my bow tie.” Yeah, it’s a little old-fashioned, but it’s not like you’re wearing a cravat and a frock coat. Relax and let the full-windsor-tying fools make fun of you if they must. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/31 "2009-03-12T17:47:40Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Real old-school is wearing [tabs](https://peacock.rainyday.mb.ca/cgi-bin/productshow.pl?database=gaspard;currency=CA;productNm=162) to court. 🙂 I think I would pay money to see him wearing those. 🙂 Unprofessional would be the guy I saw wearing a Daffy Duck necktie to court. For an asylum merits hearing. REAL classy. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/32 "2009-03-12T17:48:06Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Not really. At any given wedding I go to I’ll see 3 or 4 young guys in bow ties. The vast majority of them pull it off well. Those are the groomsmen. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/33 "2009-03-12T18:00:44Z")
I remember reading someplace (I think it was in one of those old Wilson Bryan Key subliminal advertising books from the 70s) that the bow tie is a symbol of repressed sexuality. Even though a lot of his ideas were pretty out there, it made a strange sort of sense to my teenage mind–neckties are long and phallic, while bow ties are tied up. He even pointed out why tuxedoes feature bow ties: because the occasions that they’re generally worn also include women in evening gowns, which usually reveal a lot of skin. Therefore, the “tied up” sexuality of the bow tie is to make a psychologically “safe” environment for women to reveal themselves without fear. Hey, I didn’t say I believed it. I just thought it was an amusing theory. And knowing some of the guys I’ve met who habitually wear bow ties…I’m not 100% certain it’s off the mark. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/34 "2009-03-12T18:38:14Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Real old-school is wearing [tabs](https://peacock.rainyday.mb.ca/cgi-bin/productshow.pl?database=gaspard;currency=CA;productNm=162) to court. 🙂 The Solicitor General, and the Attorney General on the rare occasions when he appears, wear morning coats before the U.S. Supreme Court: > **[Redirect Notice](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fmedia3.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Fphoto%2F2008%2F03%2F25%2FPH2008032503471.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2008%2F03%2F25%2FAR2008032500324.html&usg=__qxyJ6UHWbShxhPkuW0X17nSASVw=&h=266&w=350&sz=79&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=nvl_l3jdCHWQxM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=120&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3D%2522solicitor%2Bgeneral%2522%2B%2522morning%2Bcoat%2522%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den)** But maybe not for long: > **[Time to do away with morning wedding attire at the high court.](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/01/time-to-do-away-with-morning-wedding-attire-at-the-high-court.html)** > > Barack Obama's nomination of Harvard Law School's dean, Elena Kagan, to be his solicitor general has been met with near-universal acclaim. In addition... ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/35 "2009-03-12T20:03:41Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I think I would pay money to see him wearing those. 🙂 > > … a Daffy Duck necktie to court. For an asylum merits hearing. Too! Damn! Funny! The main thing that kept me from ever trying bows was that you can’t loosen them and unbutton your top button as with a normal tie. As rare as the occasions are that I need to wear a straightjacket and tie, it is generaly only a brief portion of those times that I need to keep the top button fastened. _(I HATE things that tight around my neck!)_ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/36 "2009-03-12T20:12:53Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > _(I HATE things that tight around my neck!)_ I respectfully suggest that you’re buying your dress shirts with the neck size too small. I had your problem, and ever since I went up half an inch, they’re much more comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/37 "2009-03-12T20:15:48Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I respectfully suggest that you’re buying your dress shirts with the neck size too small. I had your problem, and ever since I went up half an inch, they’re much more comfortable. Naw - went the other way last time around and bought them 1/2 inch too large! Still prefer the top button unbuttoned - same way I prefer V-necked Tees to crew, etc. I agree, much _more_ comfortable than too tight, but still not my opinion of comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/38 "2009-03-12T20:58:00Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > My boss, who is very old-school, wears them to court and other occasions when he wears a suit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wear a regular necktie. It’s sort of his “signature” attire. And trust me, he’s been practicing law as long as I’ve been alive, he’s one the best in his field, nationally, and so nobody is ever going to say a word about what kind of tie he wears to court. My [intellectual property litigation professor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Lee) tells a story about when he was starting out, and his mentor always wore a bow tie to court. He said it helped the jury keep straight who was who in the courtroom if they could remember that the defendant’s lawyer (or plaintiff’s) was the one with the bow tie. My professor dutifully wore a bow tie for his first four trials, before he realized that he was the only Asian American trial lawyer in Boston and the jury never had any trouble remembering which one he was. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/39 "2009-03-12T21:00:31Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > It is acceptable if you are a college professor or a circus clown. And if you’re a clown college professor, you get to wear two at once. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189/40 "2009-03-12T21:08:06Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > My [intellectual property litigation professor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Lee) tells a story about when he was starting out, and his mentor always wore a bow tie to court. He said it helped the jury keep straight who was who in the courtroom if they could remember that the defendant’s lawyer (or plaintiff’s) was the one with the bow tie. My professor dutifully wore a bow tie for his first four trials, before he realized that he was the only Asian American trial lawyer in Boston and the jury never had any trouble remembering which one he was. That’s interesting. Now that I think of it, the bow tie might also help a lawyer appear to be more “old-fashioned” and therefore more knowledgeable and reliable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bow-ties-professional-enough-to-wear-at-the-office/489189.md?page=3)