Why I Bought My First Bow Tie

A standard tie is so common, especially in the workplace, that it’s often only noticed if it’s not there at all. You can buy a designer tie for every day of the week and still not so much as hear a “nice tie” when you’re in the office.

A few months ago, while grocery shopping, I saw an older man who had to be about 60 year old, wearing a flashy purple bow tie. I remember this because I was so drawn to his appearance. Obviously there wasn’t a physical attraction, but I did find myself a bit envious. Envious enough that I still remember this man who took up only a brief moment in my life.

He was standing in front of me in the checkout line and a conversation got started between the cashier, this man and me. We chatted for a few minutes on his choice of attire. I was curious if this was the norm for him or if it were a special occasion, or maybe he was just feeling froggy that day. He was very kind and fashion forward (or maybe fashion backward), and had a charm about him that stood out with or without that purple bow tie. He did inform us that this was pretty normal and that what he enjoyed most about wearing bow ties was the conversations it started.

As a people person, he liked that people were curious about his sense of style and generally responded positively. That day was not an exception, as I was certainly intrigued. He continued to tell us the many different reasons he chose bow ties over the standard tie. He stated that bow ties show confidence. It made a lot of sense. Confidence is something he had struggled with as a kid and as an adult he made a conscious effort to change that about himself. He wore his first bow tie in college as a way to emulate Sir Winston Churchill for a presentation in his history class. While he received a little grief from his classmates, one girl really liked the look.

He strayed away from them after that day, but not for too long. Entering the business world as an adult, he felt he needed to stick out. He remembered his presentation years before and found a way to do just that. He says that adding a bowtie to your classic button-up shirt shows that you made an effort to improve your appearance. He also noted that a bow tie shows that you are not only trying to look good, but you are trying to differentiate yourself from the masses. As the conversation came to a closing he mentioned that he doesn’t own a regular tie; he prefers a bow tie and has dozens of them. The kids in his neighborhood even call him “The Bow Tie Man.” Most of all, he just likes to feel unique.

A few days later I found myself shopping for Men’s Ties, and low and behold, I stepped out of my comfort zone and purchased a couple of bow ties. A newbie, I didn’t know how to tie one, and started to think it may be a bad purchase as I was unsure of how bold I really was.

Thanks to the Internet I found tutorials and realized that tying a bow tie was not as hard as I had expected.

Turns out the man was right, there are many benefits that go way beyond fashion. I’ve yet to get rid of my everyday ties, but I have definitely added a little bit of flair to my wardrobe.