Well gents...for those who wear bow ties (especially pre-tied bows which I like immensely), I was reading this article in the today's NY Times about bow ties that I couldn't pass it up not to post and share it with you. 
By David Coleman - 10 Oct 12
"It's hard to believe that, in a world that once dismissed the bow tie as an accessory fit for fops and nerds, the newly popular bow tie has its own snobbish code. To wit, the T.I.Y. bow (known in industry parlance, a bit confusingly, as “self-tied”
is manlier than the too neat, pre-tied kind, thought to be the province of all-thumbs arrivistes and Chippendales dancers.
That sentiment is detailed, nose up, at Ben Silver, the gentlemanly retailer in Charleston, S.C., which offers bow ties in hundreds of patterns, not one of them pre-tied. Per the store’s Web site: “A bow tie makes a statement of individuality, and nothing contradicts that statement more readily than having it pre-tied.” A bow tie how-to video from Details magazine is even blunter: “There’s no excuse for a pre-tied bow tie.”
Now, though, that attitude is changing, along with the ties. No less a style icon than Jay-Z wore a pre-tied black tie with his tux at an opening night party for the Barclays Center. And while the bow tie renaissance has been driven by neo-traditionalists who prefer their whiskey, their whiskers and their neckwear old-fashioned, some tie makers are finding that, for reasons practical and aesthetic, the pre-tied bow is, noble or not, the way to go.
For one thing, if you think tying a traditional silk bow tie is difficult to master (despite Lucky Levinson’s instructional video), try tying one made of velvet, corduroy or leather. (Here’s a tip: Don’t.)
Mike Mogul of Newark, who recently started ModernDayMogul.com to sell bow ties, grants that the self-tied bow may have a well-earned élan but that it limits your options. Some of his pre-tied styles, including one covered in safety pins and one made of mink, would be impossible to tie by hand. “I’d say that 90 percent of the velvet bow ties that are so popular for black-tie events are pre-tied because you can’t tie that fabric,” Mr. Mogul said. “Personally, I prefer pre-tied because it holds the form better. It’s a better bow.”
When Anna Gudmundsson, at 23 possibly the country’s youngest bow-tie maker, started her men’s accessories site, AnnaRuna.com, most of the requests she received were for the T.I.Y. style.
“It’s funny,” she said of the curious pride associated with tying the tie yourself. “It’s like you have to earn the right to wear it by learning to tie it.” But as the popularity of bow ties has grown, she is getting more requests for pre-tied bows, the style she prefers. “I can manipulate the shape exactly as I want so the customer doesn’t have to spend all that time trying to get it right,” she said.
A busy part of Ms. Gudmundsson’s business is supplying grooms and ushers with bow ties. Come wedding day, the sight of 10 perfect bows is appreciated by all, especially the wedding photographer.
One drawback: when the party begins to loosen up, your pre-tied tie cannot, and its ends can’t dangle George Clooneyishly around your neck. For that moment, the truly style-obsessed will have an ace up his sleeve: a second, untied bow tie".
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/f...gain-a-fashionable-following.html?ref=fashion
Clockwise from top: Lanvin blue silk bow, $135, and blue silk grosgrain bow, $130, both at mrporter.com; Dolce & Gabbana burgundy wool and silk bow, $325 at mrporter.com; Lanvin black velvet bow tie, $135, silver grosgrain bow, $150, knitted green silk bow, $155, burgundy velvet bow, $135, all at mrporter.com; Tartan and Clan black checked wool bow, $29.99 at tartanandclan.com.
Clockwise from top: Tartan and Clan green wool plaid bow and green and pink plaid bow, each $29.99 at tartanandclan.com; Alexander McQueen black silk skull bow, $170 at mrporter.com; Modern Day Mogul red and black cotton fringe bow, $50, blue cotton-poly polka-dot bow, $25, red leather bow, $25, black velvet safety pin bow, $55, red and blue cotton star bow, $25, all at moderndaymogul.com.
Clockwise from top: AnnaRuna yellow cotton floral bow, brown cotton print bow, black and white cotton wheel bow, red cotton polka-dot bow, black and tan chevron bow, yellow and gray cotton print bow and white-red-gray cotton zigzag bow, all $30 at annaruna.com; Tartan and Clan wool plaid bow, $29.99 at tartanandclan.com
Clockwise from top: Bosie New York black satin bow, $175 at shopbosienewyork.com; tan cotton sateen bow, white silk cotton bow, navy silk bow, Bosie New York and white cotton silk bow, all $125 at shopbosienewyork.com; Alexander McQueen burgundy silk bow, $170 at mrporter.com; Cor Sine Labe Doli black ceramic bow and white ceramic bow, each $310 at openingceremony.us.
"Bow ties satisfy modern man's desire to dress in art". Harry Anderson
By David Coleman - 10 Oct 12
"It's hard to believe that, in a world that once dismissed the bow tie as an accessory fit for fops and nerds, the newly popular bow tie has its own snobbish code. To wit, the T.I.Y. bow (known in industry parlance, a bit confusingly, as “self-tied”
is manlier than the too neat, pre-tied kind, thought to be the province of all-thumbs arrivistes and Chippendales dancers. That sentiment is detailed, nose up, at Ben Silver, the gentlemanly retailer in Charleston, S.C., which offers bow ties in hundreds of patterns, not one of them pre-tied. Per the store’s Web site: “A bow tie makes a statement of individuality, and nothing contradicts that statement more readily than having it pre-tied.” A bow tie how-to video from Details magazine is even blunter: “There’s no excuse for a pre-tied bow tie.”
Now, though, that attitude is changing, along with the ties. No less a style icon than Jay-Z wore a pre-tied black tie with his tux at an opening night party for the Barclays Center. And while the bow tie renaissance has been driven by neo-traditionalists who prefer their whiskey, their whiskers and their neckwear old-fashioned, some tie makers are finding that, for reasons practical and aesthetic, the pre-tied bow is, noble or not, the way to go.
For one thing, if you think tying a traditional silk bow tie is difficult to master (despite Lucky Levinson’s instructional video), try tying one made of velvet, corduroy or leather. (Here’s a tip: Don’t.)
Mike Mogul of Newark, who recently started ModernDayMogul.com to sell bow ties, grants that the self-tied bow may have a well-earned élan but that it limits your options. Some of his pre-tied styles, including one covered in safety pins and one made of mink, would be impossible to tie by hand. “I’d say that 90 percent of the velvet bow ties that are so popular for black-tie events are pre-tied because you can’t tie that fabric,” Mr. Mogul said. “Personally, I prefer pre-tied because it holds the form better. It’s a better bow.”
When Anna Gudmundsson, at 23 possibly the country’s youngest bow-tie maker, started her men’s accessories site, AnnaRuna.com, most of the requests she received were for the T.I.Y. style.
“It’s funny,” she said of the curious pride associated with tying the tie yourself. “It’s like you have to earn the right to wear it by learning to tie it.” But as the popularity of bow ties has grown, she is getting more requests for pre-tied bows, the style she prefers. “I can manipulate the shape exactly as I want so the customer doesn’t have to spend all that time trying to get it right,” she said.
A busy part of Ms. Gudmundsson’s business is supplying grooms and ushers with bow ties. Come wedding day, the sight of 10 perfect bows is appreciated by all, especially the wedding photographer.
One drawback: when the party begins to loosen up, your pre-tied tie cannot, and its ends can’t dangle George Clooneyishly around your neck. For that moment, the truly style-obsessed will have an ace up his sleeve: a second, untied bow tie".
Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/f...gain-a-fashionable-following.html?ref=fashion
Clockwise from top: Lanvin blue silk bow, $135, and blue silk grosgrain bow, $130, both at mrporter.com; Dolce & Gabbana burgundy wool and silk bow, $325 at mrporter.com; Lanvin black velvet bow tie, $135, silver grosgrain bow, $150, knitted green silk bow, $155, burgundy velvet bow, $135, all at mrporter.com; Tartan and Clan black checked wool bow, $29.99 at tartanandclan.com.
Clockwise from top: Tartan and Clan green wool plaid bow and green and pink plaid bow, each $29.99 at tartanandclan.com; Alexander McQueen black silk skull bow, $170 at mrporter.com; Modern Day Mogul red and black cotton fringe bow, $50, blue cotton-poly polka-dot bow, $25, red leather bow, $25, black velvet safety pin bow, $55, red and blue cotton star bow, $25, all at moderndaymogul.com.
Clockwise from top: AnnaRuna yellow cotton floral bow, brown cotton print bow, black and white cotton wheel bow, red cotton polka-dot bow, black and tan chevron bow, yellow and gray cotton print bow and white-red-gray cotton zigzag bow, all $30 at annaruna.com; Tartan and Clan wool plaid bow, $29.99 at tartanandclan.com
Clockwise from top: Bosie New York black satin bow, $175 at shopbosienewyork.com; tan cotton sateen bow, white silk cotton bow, navy silk bow, Bosie New York and white cotton silk bow, all $125 at shopbosienewyork.com; Alexander McQueen burgundy silk bow, $170 at mrporter.com; Cor Sine Labe Doli black ceramic bow and white ceramic bow, each $310 at openingceremony.us.
"Bow ties satisfy modern man's desire to dress in art". Harry Anderson
