# So, bow ties: dressy or done? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925 "2012-11-13T22:55:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/21 "2012-11-14T02:50:49Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > As a midwesterner, I feel I must speak up for my people. We don’t believe you’re gay if you don’t dress like a man, but only gays will _associate_ with you. > > And we do have our basic tolerance. If a man wants to dress in drag, we’ll understand and reserve judgment. But if a man wants to dress _piss elegant_, we have nothing but contempt for him. Have you thought about why you and “you’re people” feel this way? There is literally nothing piss elegant about wearing a bow tie. Maybe if you wore a monocle with it, you would have a point. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/22 "2012-11-14T03:15:09Z")
Too jaunty. mmm ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/23 "2012-11-14T03:29:13Z")
The bow tie does not look good on anyone and is completely unacceptable in any social situation, with the exception of those requiring a tuxedo. Wear it at your peril. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/24 "2012-11-14T19:15:07Z")
Around here a bowtie is pretty much ultra-formal. Not seen outside of weddings and formal dances. Though I expect I could probably go to the local college and find a one or two being sported in the instructor’s lounge. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/25 "2012-11-14T19:21:52Z")
A tie is a phallic symbol. Bow ties are yonic. Don’t wear one. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/26 "2012-11-14T19:29:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > A tie is a phallic symbol. Bow ties are yonic. Don’t wear one. More yonic or less yonic, would you say, than a [garrison cap](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_cap)? Would wearing both at the same time result in a critical mass of yonicity? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/27 "2012-11-14T19:35:27Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > Have you thought about why you and “you’re people” feel this way? There is literally nothing piss elegant about wearing a bow tie. Maybe if you wore a monocle with it, you would have a point. To me, it’s about not appearing pretentious. Tailored suits, for example, are a tough call. I have a blue double breasted chalk stripe that I wouldn’t dare wear to anything less serious than a wedding. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/28 "2012-11-14T19:50:17Z")
I had been toying with the idea of wearing a bow tie at this year’s company holiday function, but there’s a pretty strong negative view of them being taken here, so I am having second thoughts. What about a [bolo tie](http://washingtonexaminer.com/talk-of-bolo-ties-sweeps-nation/article/2507276) ? My grandfather wore one, and lived in western NY his entire life, so it can’t be purely a western thang. But is it “too cowboy” for Georgia? ---
**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:** [November 14, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/29 "2012-11-14T19:54:18Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Bow ties are so common in the South that I don’t even particularly notice them. They go so well with seersucker suits–or seersucker sports coats. Architects sometimes wear bowties to add a bit of whimsy to their business attire. Some gentlemen have style. Others just follow fashion. (Then there are the slobs who won’t even wear a suit occasionally.) ETA: Bolo ties? Not unless you live quite near the Border. Not the Canadian one, either… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/30 "2012-11-14T19:55:24Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > I had been toying with the idea of wearing a bow tie at this year’s company holiday function, but there’s a pretty strong negative view of them being taken here, so I am having second thoughts. > > What about a [bolo tie](http://washingtonexaminer.com/talk-of-bolo-ties-sweeps-nation/article/2507276) ? My grandfather wore one, and lived in western NY his entire life, so it can’t be purely a western thang. But is it “too cowboy” for Georgia? I wore a bolo tie to work last week and received a lot of compliments on it from co-workers and students. Mine is a pretty simple black onyx cabachon. If you start getting really ornate like some of the turquoise and silver monstrosities I’ve seen, you might seem rather too cowboy. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/31 "2012-11-14T20:01:27Z")
I wear bow ties occasionally, and I live in the midwest. As far as I know, no one has presumed that I’m gay or effete, however being 6’4" tall and 235 pounds they may have hesitated to mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/32 "2012-11-14T20:06:10Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > I had been toying with the idea of wearing a bow tie at this year’s company holiday function, but there’s a pretty strong negative view of them being taken here, so I am having second thoughts. > > What about a [bolo tie](http://washingtonexaminer.com/talk-of-bolo-ties-sweeps-nation/article/2507276) ? My grandfather wore one, and lived in western NY his entire life, so it can’t be purely a western thang. But is it “too cowboy” for Georgia? I’m in Atlanta. I see bow ties daily. They look good on the right person. Bolo ties are for costumes. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/33 "2012-11-16T05:02:12Z")
> [@Raza](#): > > I had been toying with the idea of wearing a bow tie at this year’s company holiday function, but there’s a pretty strong negative view of them being taken here, so I am having second thoughts. Dude, I say go for it. Esp. if there’s a strong negative view of them. That, my friend, is what separates style from sheep. That being said, it takes something that I can’t quite define to pull the look off. My brother can do it, and come off like some GQ model. I cannot. Can’t say for sure. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/34 "2012-11-16T05:13:49Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Bow ties are so common in the South that I don’t even particularly notice them. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I’m in Atlanta. I see bow ties daily. Really? I’m in the general vicinity and I very rarely see them. Are either of you members of the Nation of Islam? ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/35 "2012-11-16T08:42:36Z")
There are many places out here in the western U.S. where bolo ties are definitely **not** considered costume – no more than any tie is a costume. I usually wear a standard tie, but I have bow ties and bolo ties, and I wear whatever I want according to my mood and the occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/36 "2012-11-16T12:05:38Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Really? I’m in the general vicinity and I very rarely see them. Are either of you members of the Nation of Islam? Both of those quotes are mine. I see them at work (financial industry), every time I darken the door of our church, and at social functions. I live in town, which typically has a more southern flavor than a lot of the suburbs. Not sure if that’s the reason. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/37 "2012-11-16T15:14:33Z")
The only people who should wear a bow tie are college professors or clowns. If you’re not in either of those professions, avoid the bow tie. Paul Simon is dead. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/38 "2012-11-16T15:24:34Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Both of those quotes are mine. Sorry. I see that now that I’m sober enough to focus on my iPhone screen. At least I was right that there were actually two quotes. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/39 "2012-11-16T15:27:40Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The only people who should wear a bow tie are college professors or clowns. If you’re not in either of those professions, avoid the bow tie. Paul Simon is dead. It cracks me up that the Midwestern folks are united on this front. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925/40 "2012-11-16T15:28:24Z")
No he’s not. That’s Neil Simon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-bow-ties-dressy-or-done/640925.md?page=3)