January 13, 2012

366 Bow Ties: Day 12

When we first started, it was summer and we did seersucker bow ties because we didn't think anyone had done that before. We were wrong, but they were nowhere on the sartorial radar. That first winter of 2009, we still hadn't figured out how to source necktie silk, so we thought we'd try wool, thinking (again incorrectly) that we were doing something utterly unique. I was far less convinced that wool bow ties were a good idea than I was that seersucker was a brilliant innovation. In particular, I didn't care much for this very fabric. It turns out that the customer is smarter than the merchant. The William not only became a best seller, but one of my favorites. Wool in general not only turned out to be the thing for The Cordial Churchman in the winter, it proved to be the very place neckwear was going in the last few fall/winter cycles.

We spent the week in Flat Rock, NC, among people who, as usual, thought Ellie was was cooler than me--since she runs a bow tie business. I'm just the goober who, in an effort to try to capture some of her coolness, childishly decided to wear a bow tie every day for a year. Confidence, Andy--confidence!

I enjoyed playing djembe for a fireside service we did at the end of our church planter retreat. Everything is better with fire.

As any bow tie wearer knows, the late evening undoing of the bow tie is one of the most gratifying things about wearing this peculiar piece of neckwear. This nonchalance is more dignified by far than the undone necktie, and it demonstrates conclusively that this bow tie is indeed a tie-it-yourself piece. I kind of enjoyed the way the William tucked itself into my pullover.

Grab the William in any cut for the time being -- like the classic butterfly pictured here.