# Bow ties: Yea, or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446 "2016-04-07T14:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/21 "2016-04-07T17:10:34Z")
Personally, I feel silly in one, but they make me smile. I own one but wouldn’t wear it unless I actually had to go to a black tie event, which hasn’t happened yet. I had a law professor who wore one every day, and got the whole class to wear them in his honor on his birthday. I think my general belief is that if you wear them, it should be _your thing_ - i.e. you wear one every time a tie is called for. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/22 "2016-04-07T17:11:32Z")
I have it on good authority that bow ties are cool. So are fezzes. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/23 "2016-04-07T17:14:22Z")
I wore one to work yesterday. My wife says it makes me look like an old fuddy-duddy, which I call “truth in advertising”. I acquired the bow tie when I went out to buy dress pants. Bow ties were on sale, so I bought one. Then I came home and modeled my new purchases for my wife and daughter. My daughter turned to my wife and said, “See what happens when we let daddy go shopping by himself?” Darn kids. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/24 "2016-04-07T17:16:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So are fezzes. I found my fez a few months ago. It looked better on me 20 or so years ago when I was younger and lighter. After a couple of decades the tassel is shot, but I never wore it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/25 "2016-04-07T17:17:26Z")
Selected “other” because one thing women should never have to wear is any kind of necktie. (Sorry, Tootsie.) They look great on certain guys. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/26 "2016-04-07T17:28:43Z")
I like them, and own a few myself. Wish I had more occasions to wear them. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/27 "2016-04-07T17:39:50Z")
Ties are Lawful. Bowties are Chaotic. But both are Evil. ---
**Author:** ![inedible\_knapsack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/49beb7/32.png) [@inedible\_knapsack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inedible_knapsack)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/28 "2016-04-07T17:41:15Z")
Voted like and would wear. I believe they look classy and sophisticated with a fine black suit and only in black. Other colors and/or worn without a jacket looks, I don’t know, folksy and a little goofy. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/29 "2016-04-07T17:49:09Z")
I wear one daily to work, but then again I have to wear a tuxedo. We have a few members (customers) that can pull off the look and a few more that cannot. I see one member at least three times a week, he always wears a bowtie. I have never seen him same tie twice. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/30 "2016-04-07T17:55:56Z")
There are certain people who have the right, I don’t know, build? look? face? whatever that makes them look great in bow ties. My friend James is like that. He has a bunch of bow ties and makes it work. Some people just look awkward. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/31 "2016-04-07T18:08:18Z")
I like bowties, but not the ones that actually have to be tied. I’ve made several for various holidays, takes about 30 minutes. The completed bowtie is attached to a piece of elastic, to make it easier to wear. It’s fun to snap it. Oh-vody-oh-doh!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/32 "2016-04-07T18:23:25Z")
If you’re going to wear a bow tie, you might as well go ahead and [wear this bad boy](http://www.stupid.com/spinning-bow-tie.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&k=SPINBOW&gclid=CM7_o7GS_csCFRMlgQodaYwAqw). ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/33 "2016-04-07T18:27:44Z")
Bowtie wearers need to add suspenders to their ensemble to truly look iconoclastic (in a weirdly old-fashioned and mildly perverted way). ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/34 "2016-04-07T18:44:00Z")
They remind me of Sen. Paul Simon and Tucker Carlson. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/35 "2016-04-07T18:59:11Z")
I don’t wear any type of tie very often - just occasionally to church or special occasions. I have one or two bow ties that I will sometimes wear. I kind of like them, but I feel like a necktie does a better job of hiding my belly. 🙂 My 11 year old son loves bow ties, wears one to church every week, and once a week or so to school. My theory is a girl complimented him on it once. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/36 "2016-04-07T19:11:36Z")
I have worn one, and will do so again. Just got a nice red paisley for my curling club’s closing dinner. Just need to find an appropriate pocket square. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Pretty much the same way most people tie a shoelace. Yeah, but what’s easy on your foot becomes a lot trickier under your chin. It takes me a couple tries to get it right. Which leads me to this… > [@quiltguy](#): > > I like bowties, but not the ones that actually have to be tied. I’ve made several for various holidays, takes about 30 minutes. The completed bowtie is attached to a piece of elastic, to make it easier to wear. It’s fun to snap it. Oh-vody-oh-doh!!! 😃 No, no, a thousand times, no. If you’re gonna wear a bow tie then own the bow. None of this clip-on, snap-on shit. Besides, at the end of the evening you can do that thing where you untie it and just let the ends hang down, classic cool. So, my answer to the poll is “yes, but only a real, properly tied, bow tie.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/37 "2016-04-07T19:13:12Z")
> [@quiltguy](#): > > I like bowties, but not the ones that actually have to be tied. The Seahawks tie is the only one that’s pre-tied. All of the others are self-tie. Compliments also include being able to tie a bow tie. > [@Scumpup](#): > > If you’re going to wear a bow tie, you might as well go ahead and [wear this bad boy](http://www.stupid.com/spinning-bow-tie.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&k=SPINBOW&gclid=CM7_o7GS_csCFRMlgQodaYwAqw). Only with a tux. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Bowtie wearers need to add suspenders to their ensemble to truly look iconoclastic (in a weirdly old-fashioned and mildly perverted way). I bought some suspenders because I have to cinch my belts too tight to keep certain trousers up. Never put them on though. The president of our company wears suspenders (but no bow tie) and I don’t want him to think I’m copying him. > [@Skammer](#): > > feel like a necktie does a better job of hiding my belly. 🙂 I feel a bow tie draw attention away from my belly. 😉 I’ve shared this before, but [this is me when I was three years old](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/johnny/johnny8.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/38 "2016-04-07T19:46:54Z")
It is now obvious to all (even I have figured it out!) that my life will never include a real Formal Dinner. But, just once, I’d like to try on the White Tie attire. A kinda (almost) grown-up version of “Playing Dress Up” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/39 "2016-04-07T19:47:01Z")
Bowties and/or suspenders always impress me as an affectation. Might as well add a boater, and a seersucker suit in the summer! Even if I didn’t think they look silly, I’d dislike them because they can’t be loosened. I have to wear a tie pretty regularly in my work (well, there’s no dress code but I feel it appropriate for the job), but I never have my top button buttoned and the tie snugged. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446/40 "2016-04-07T20:17:58Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > They remind me of Sen. Paul Simon and Tucker Carlson. And Les Nessman. That said, I say go for it (well, you ARE going for it but in general). You wear a bow tie for a day and people say “Huh?” Wear it for a month and skip a day and people say “Hey, where’s the bow tie? You look so weird without it!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bow-ties-yea-or-nay/751446.md?page=3)