I have been riding this bow tie wave for a few years now and normally when I am on something early I fall back when it starts to pick up steam but in this case I honestly think that men should dress like gentlemen and from time to time a bow tie adds that little extra to your outfit that makes it stand out.
There was a time in our history that men would get dressed up in suits when they went out, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Neckwear in general were almost second nature for some and being clean consisted of more than a new pair of athletic shoes and a nice button front shirt.
Diggy Fresh In A Bowtie And Matching Sperry x Band of Outsider Deck ShoesToday however, style has changed the way it will until the end of time but I am all for the movement of getting men to take some time and get dressed up every now and then. I'm not implying that you should wear slacks and hard bottom shoes every day but also realize that just because you have on a high end pair of sneakers does not mean you are fresh. Your top half counts for a lot and I have been know to dress up a pair of Nikes with a nice sweater and a tie or bow tie from time to time the same way I dress up a pair of Lanvins. If you have EVER seen me in a club you would be able to vouch for me.
Bowties can also look great dressed down.I'm also definitely not saying that anyone should go out and wear a bow tie just to fit into my mold of what I think looks "fresh" but every now and then throw on a tie or tuck in your shirt or even wear a shawl neck sweater or blazer instead of a regular crewneck. When you look good, chances are you feel good and when you feel good your day goes much smoother. Some guys only dress up for church and special occasions and I completely understand that, but as long as when you leave your house in the morning you feel as though you are as sharply dressed as you are going to get that day then by all means, rock out. I never understood the concept of not getting dressed up because you are "not going anywhere." Remember this, You never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. As a minority it is especially important for us to remember that it makes us look better as a people when we can be seen as presentable and well dressed on 1st impression. Even though you may not be in a shirt, blazer and tie does not mean you should not take pride in how you look on a daily basis
There are too many things wrong with this for me to explain but the ridiculously sized clip on bow tie doesn't help at all.There is however one thing about this bow tie trend that I find to be amazingly annoying and corny at the same time and that is the dreaded "pre-tied" bow tie. Why on earth do some men feel that its not okay to wear a pre-tied tie and yet the pre-tied bowtie is okay. Its not. Grow up and learn how to tie the thing hanging around your neck. First of all a pre-tied bow tie has no movement, it looks like a silk covered piece of cardboard is laying across your throat. Second of all most of them are either too big or have some type of obnoxious pattern on it that has no choice but to call attention to itself. Unless of course that was the look you were looking for and you managed to make it look good. But chances are you look like a schmuck. Cut it out. Look at any real men's fashion magazine and you will see that if there is ever a bow tie that is showcased it is never pre-tied. I understand a bow tie is different, it doesn't tie the same way but I can assure you that once you know how to tie one it is much easier to do than getting that perfect knot on a regular tie. This is not to say that a pre-tied bow tie could not look good, I just think that to some extent its cheating. Its like wearing lace locks on your Air Jordans because you don't know how to tie your shoes. If you want to wear a shoe with laces you should know how to tie them and if you want to wear a bow tie then you should know how to tie it. Otherwise just wear a regular tie and stay in your lane. It positively compliments your outfit either way.
Brad from "The Rachel Zoe Project" always looks good in a bow tie. The Ralph Lauren blazer helps out too. Very Fresh.So gentlemen the next time you are standing in front of your closet and have no idea what to wear for the day try wearing a shirt and tie for the day and see how the opposite sex treats you and how much more approachable you will seem to be that day. You may not like it when you first try it out but if you do it after reading this post then I can almost bet that you will end up thanking me.
As a Queens native and connoisseur of all things Fresh, Carhartt holds a special place in my Hartt, therefore here are images of the latest spring/summer carhartt brand book.
