By: Deidra Barton
They come in all different shapes and sizes and every colour you can think of.
It’s a ribbon of fabric you tie around the neck for decoration. Silk, cotton, polyester, striped or polka dots-you name it you can find it. The bow tie is a popular neck accessory for men that is worn by all types of people for different occasions, or in some cases daily.
Former publisher for the Toronto Star, John Honderich is known for his love for bow ties and has been wearing them for over 27 years.
“I wanted a new look and then I decided bow ties were it,” he explained. “I was probably influenced by my father-in-law who’s worn them for a long time.”
John’s father-in-law was also the one to teach him how to tie a bow tie while in Calgary in front of a mirror. It did take him a few tries to master it, but now John is the one giving lessons on the technique. Today, John has a huge selection of the popular neck accessory and he stores them in a special place.
“I have between 80 to 100 (bow ties),” he said. “I have a special bow tie rack-they actually exist- you can get them and I have a little cupboard upstairs and I have several on each little hook. Assorted by colour.”
With so many bow ties, John doesn’t hesitate at all when it comes to admitting yellow bow ties are his favourite to wear.
“When it comes to bow ties yellow fits more,” he started. “Yellow goes with a lot. It goes with blue it goes with brown and it goes well with my complexion and it’s up beat. It’s jaunty, if you’re going to wear a bow tie you have to feel jaunty.”
Comparing the trend today from when he first started wearing a bow tie, John noticed that a lot more people are rocking the accessory.
“I would say I see a few more today than I used to see and ones (bow ties) that are hand tied,” he shared. “The ones that are already fixed-they don’t count.”
John isn’t a fan of the pre-tied bows because he believes if you’re going to wear a bow tie, you should know how to tie it yourself.
“I don’t think it looks as natural,” he explains.
Pre tied or not, the neck accessory can be quite expensive especially in many retail stores. Aristocrats Bows N Ties is an online men’s accessory store based in Toronto. Their prices are no more than $25 dollars and cater to men who want to look nice on a budget.
Saira Chania, co-founder of Aristocrats Bows N Ties, personally prefers bow ties on men rather than neck ties, even though a few of them might be a little insecure with a bow.
“I think that a lot of men nowadays are under the impression that they don’t think it suits them,” she says.
“A lot of them are generally afraid to try something new, or some of them might be under the impression a bow tie the first thing that they think of is it’s worn during a formal event. I think that now you can have a bow tie with a pair of khakis and a nice top and you can make that work just as well as you would with a formal attire.”
When thinking about bow ties, it’s hard to put an age group on the neck attire. Personally, we’ve seen a huge range of ages rocking a bow without it looking odd or awkward. Keira Morgan, from Handsome and Lance, believes the bow tie trend targets the 19 to 35 year olds but doesn’t judge the over-30 crowd for wearing them.
“You can definitely still pull it off,” says Keira. “There are many older guys who still have a creative edge to them so those are the ones, you know, those silver haired foxes.”
Switching it up to a bow tie says a lot about your personality than you think. Seeing a man wearing a bow tie in either casual or formal clothing, says he’s confident and up to play with his style.
“When I see a man in a bow tie,” she started. “I usually think he’s fun, loving and doesn’t take things too seriously.”
THE ROGUE 