How My Love Affair with the Bow Tie Started
Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my mom and dad getting us all dressed and ready for church. This was more than just them observing their religious Sunday practices; it was also an opportunity to temporarily ship their kids off to God, in hopes that we would return transformed human beings and not the little Gremlins they prayed to love.
A big part of that ship-to-church process was dressing us up like gifts no one asked for, complete with colourful bow ties that even made me believe I was God’s gift to the world. I mean, how could I not be? All good gifts in life come properly packaged and tied with a bow.
How Bow Ties Followed Me Into Adulthood
You know what they say, “Once a bow-tie boy, always a bow-tie man.” Said by who, though? None other than yours truly! There is just that aura of confidence and personality that announces your presence when you enter a room in your intentionally fitted bow tie. I say “intentionally” because, as you can see in my selfie pictures taken while at work—not doing my job—I’m sporting a cinnamon-brown long-sleeve shirt paired with a similarly coloured patterned bow tie, with strong black accents to soften the brown and keep the patterns from clashing with the shirt.
The black in the bow tie also goes with my black Dockers pants. I even played around with accessories like the bracelets and watch to help set the cool brown dress theme I was going for. One thing I did not plan, though, was the subtle brown-dyed tips of my locs, which just happened to fall nicely into the dress theme.
Feedback I’ve Received on My Signature Bow Ties
If I had collected a $50 bill for every bow tie compliment I’ve received, I would be a wealthy man. At work, I even realized that I helped build other guys’ confidence to accessorize their outfits with bow ties because, once you’ve mastered it, you just feel like a million bucks—or like a gift Santa left neatly tied in a bow beneath the Christmas tree.
I kid you not when I say that simply putting on a bow tie changes my mood and confidence and helps me feel ready for work. To my surprise, the company’s HR team even did a newsletter feature on me that was shared Cimpress-wide, in which I spoke at length about my fashion sense and professional work ethic.
Yes, I do actually work—when I’m not at home admiring my stack of bow ties.
Want to Explore More Personal Style Stories and Fashion Tips?
The Way I Wear It: Personal Style, Fashion Stories and Everyday Confidence
This article is part of my growing collection of personal fashion experiences, favourite accessories and everyday styling lessons. Discover the other outfits, creative experiments and stories behind the looks that make my style uniquely mine.
Could a Bow Tie Be Your Next Signature Look?
Sometimes all it takes is one small accessory to completely transform an outfit. If you decide to give the bow tie a try, let me know how you styled yours—and more importantly, how it made you feel!
