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Style: Bow TiesWhat was once nerdy is now more hip than everby Staff on Feb 04, 2010WHEN DID the bow tie find its way back into style? In its heyday, this alternative to a necktie or neatly constructed Windsor knot could be spotted mostly on neighborhood geeks, Orville Redenbacher popcorn boxes and Tucker Carlson circa Crossfire. The infamous Steven Q. Urkel branded the image of the bow tie in popular culture—a look that didn’t necessarily catch on outside the realm of bottle-cap eyewear and elastic suspenders. The bow tie was an uncommon accessory for the fashion-savvy male for decades, with a few exceptions, whose embrace of the bow tie was meant as a statement of sartorial defiance. That has changed, however, because the bow tie has been showing up in magazines and advertising campaigns all over the place. The bow tie has piggybacked on the popular retro trend, which itself gave the idea of looking smart a certain air of appeal. Andre 3000, member of the hip-hop duo Outkast, is in many ways the embodiment of this newly embraced style. He and Kanye West have been seen on more than one occasion matching this neckwear with a fresh-looking pair of polyester chinos. Fashion designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Rag & Bone, Conference of Birds and Alexander Olch are incorporating this preppy-meets-urban style into their lines. What used to be a one-dimensional tuxedo accompaniment is nowadays an apparel must-have. H&M clothing has been dressing its male models in faded jeans and white dress shirts beneath fitted blazers, all topped off with plaid bow ties. The look somehow achieves harmony by taking these nerdy qualities and proclaiming them to be contemporary. Part of what has made bow ties so popular this season is the eclectic patterns and color combinations—like plaid laced in blue and white or grape with silver striping and polka dots. In 2010, the Urkels and Redenbachers of the world were quite effective at helping to create a trend out of the most unconventional fashion element—the bow tie. by Staff on Feb 04, 2010 |
 NERD ALERT: Haute couture designer Dolce & Gabbana featuredbow ties heavily in their recent men’s collections. |
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