New Ties

We've been working away at a collection of new ties for Tarboo.

We re-drafted our bow tie pattern for an extra sharp diamond point.  The pattern is pairing nicely with cool-colored plaids and stripes.

There's also lots of new neckties in fabrics that'll carry nicely from winter into spring... which seems like an eternity away!

Thank You!

We had so much fun at this year's Urban Craft Uprising.  Thank you to everybody who came by our booth to say hi.  

Our booth featured new hankies, many in coordinating fabrics.

We managed to take home a few goodies for ourselves as well, including caramel corn from Pinkleton's.

By the end of Sunday, we were pretty much out of ties, but here's a shot of our lovely booth before the crowds started coming:

We can't wait for this Summer's UCU!

Urban Craft

Have we mentioned we'll be participating at this year's Urban Craft Uprising?

We are super excited about the event, which will be held on December 6 and 7 at Seattle's Exhibition Hall.    There will be a ton of awesome vendors there, including our friends at Alchemy Goods.    Urban Craft Uprising will be the perfect place to pick up a ton of holiday gifts, not to mention a couple goodies for yourself as well.

Can't wait to see you there!

Linen

We love linen.  In fact, it may just be our favorite fabric at the moment.  Linen has great texture, holds its shape, and is often the perfect weight for neckties and bow ties.    So we got to thinking about where linen came from….

Linen is made from the flax plant and is named after the latin name of the plant – “linum.”    

Yup, that's really what Flax looks like!

The word "line" comes from linen after its stiff, straight threads.  The word "lining" also comes from linen because garment linings were traditionally made from the fabric.

Linen has been around for a very long time… and may just be the oldest textile in the world.  Linen has been used for all sorts of things, including wrapping mummies and decorating mummies’ tombs.   When the tomb of Tutankhamen was opened, the linen curtains were found to be intact.

The features that make linen so great for ties – its texture and inelasticity – arise from the fact it is made from flax.  Flax thread is not stretchy, and also often has “slubs,” or small knots which occur randomly along the length of the thread.

Linen is also used for many, more surprising uses.  Linen is a favorite textile for oil paint canvases.  It’s also used by bakers, who use the cloth to hold dough in place during rising.  In the middle ages, it was used for shields and body armor because of its strength.   And for this same reason, it is still used for printing money – American paper currency is printed on paper that is 25 percent linen.

(Good for that kinda dough, too!)

Here’s how we’re using linen these days!

Intstagram Love

We've been extra busy these last couple weeks gearing up for the fall at the Fremont Sunday Market, and this winter's Urban Craft Uprising, and we're having fun capturing some of the business in Instagram.  Here are a couple of our favorite recent pictures.


For fall, we are incorporating lots of texture and deeper colors.  Here are a couple neckties that are available now on our Etsy shop.

We are also bringing some of the darker colors into pocket squares.   Here's a close-up:

(The top one is definitely my favorite!)

A couple weekends ago, we sold for the first time at the Fremont Sunday Market.  Despite some harrowing rain and winds, we had a blast!   Here's jamie modeling a red flannel bow at the Market (and mixing prints and patterns like a pro).

Winslow will be at the Fremont Sunday Market again on Sunday, October 13th.   Pop by and say hi!

Etches and Sketches

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting John Saling, a wonderful artist and family friend, at his studio in Portland, Oregon.

John makes truly breathtaking prints, my favorite of which may be his portraits.   John's work has been displayed all over the world and is included in the permanent collections of many museums, including the Portland Art Museum.  


While wandering around John's studio, this sketch immediately caught my eye.

Here's a closer look...

What's that?  A bow tie?!  

Turns out, the sketch is from a photograph in John's father's 1928 Flathead High School yearbook.  (Flathead is a county in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park.)  John showed me the yearbook, which was full of pictures of dapper young men in bow ties (and lovely young ladies with the most amazing bob hairdos and drop-waist dresses.)

Here's the subject himself, who apparently was a star member of the Flathead Debate Team and 1928 reigning district champion for oration.  Not bad!

I returned home after my visit to John's studio even more excited about our new bow ties, especially those in wool plaids like the ones sported by the Flathead High School class of 1928.

Weddings

We were super excited to make ties and pocket squares for a couple of weddings this summer.  The official photographs aren't finished, but here are a couple previews! 

Richelle and Ben were married at a marina in Olympia, Washington.  The lovely couple left the ceremony on a sailboat.  Here they are waiving bon voyage to their guests!  

Ben looked great in a light-gray suit and Winslow navy tie and gingham pocket square.

Lea and Kyle were married at Suttle Lake near Sisters, Oregon.  The ceremony was perfect -- and both bride and groom looked stunning!  (Kyle and his groomsmen sported light yellow linen ties and pocket squares.)

Congrats to both couples!  

The Bow Tie

Bow ties are officially back in vogue.  Case in point...

And in case J.T. isn't your personal beacon of style...

All this got me to wondering where the humble bow tie came from.

And the answer is...   

Croatia, of all places.

Back in the 1600s, Croatian mercenaries used tied scarves to hold the necks of their shirts closed.   

The style was adopted by stylish blokes in France, and the cravat (French, for Croat) was born.  Over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the cravat evolved into the bow tie, which then later gave rise to the more common necktie.  

Nowadays, bow ties are often associated with various occupations, such as professors, accountants, and pediatricians.  (The latter favored bow ties because infants couldn't grab them them as they could a necktie.)     And of course, bow ties are the go-to for any formal occasion.  

But if Beckham can wear a bow tie with jeans, why can't we all?!  I love this post from The Sartorialist.  And this one too.

Check out what we've got for Fall -- we're adding new bows every week.  

Flannel

Summer's great, but there's also something great about the advent of fall.  Yeah, the days are shorter, but when else do you have the perfect excuse to spend way too much money on fancy office supplies?  (Who says you actually have to be in school to partake in some back-to-school shopping.)

Nothing makes me think of fall more than flannel.  Flannel was originally made out of wool -- mostly carded or worsted yarns -- but is now commonly made out of cotton as well.  What is so great about flannel is how soft it is, which comes from the fabric being brushed after it is woven.

Bears love flannel too.

Flannel originated in Wales, where it was used to make tartan clothing and blankets.  It was also a popular textile for sporting pants, or should I say trousers.

Flannel is now commonly made out of synthetic fabrics, as well as cottons and wools, and has become a popular fabric for outdoor recreational clothing.   

And before we wrap up...   how could a post about flannel (from Seattle) be complete without a reference to this guy:

And these guys:

Check out how we're incorporating it into some bow ties, available  on our Shop.

Instagram Love

Here are a couple of our favorite shops from our latest wedding custom orders.


Blue gingham pocket squares for Richelle and Ben.

Neckties, bow ties, and pocket squares  for Lea and Kyle. We also made some lavender sachets for Lea out of the yellow gingham and linen.

Packing up the ties.

Working on these orders has been a blast!  

New Ties Coming Soon!

We're getting excited about our knit ties for fall.  Repurposed wool balled and ready for use.

Jamie's been working on a couple ties, including this one, in a lovely soft gray

We're also really liking the bandana bow ties (which pair nicely with champagne, we discovered!)  Keep your eye out for a couple bandana bow ties in navy blue, and maybe even red, coming to our Etsy shop soon!

Bandana Bow

Nothing says summer like a bandana or an unstuffy bow tie.  So we're stoked that this bow recently found its way to Ian, in Brooklyn, NY.

Ian sent us a picture of himself, sporting the tie on his bike commute across the Williamsburg bridge.  Nice!   

Next up for Winslow -- bandana bow ties in the traditional navy blue, or maybe red?  

Blue Linen

Jamie scored this awesome blue linen last weekend.  It's similar to a chambray except for that it is woven from linen - i.e., made from flax - instead of cotton - i.e., made from, well, cotton.    (Turns out, though, that chambray was originally made from flax before folks switched to weaving it out of cotton in the 1800s.)

I can't wait to see what this fabric looks like as a bow tie.  Maybe something like this?

Available on our Etsy shop here.

Girls In Bows

We've taken to sporting our own wares, with great success.

Here's Jamie looking awesome in a blue floral bow. 

  I'm partial to the broad navy stripe myself.

Maybe tomorrow I'll go with the seersucker bow to celebrate that summer's finally arrived in Seattle!

Introducing Winslow on Zaarly

Check out our new storefront on Zaarly -- a great store to find locally-made goods!    We'll be expanding our product offerings on the storefront soon!

The Real Cost of Clothing

Wow.  This book (Overdressed, by Elizabeth Cline) totally changed the way I look at clothes... I may never be able to walk into a Gap or Banana Republic store again.  Suffice to say, it's a must read for anybody who spends money on clothes..... meaning everybody.

Most impressive to me was Ms. Cline's discussion of what clothing manufacturing and consumption was like just 50 or 100 years ago.  Just after WWI, a mid-priced day dress would sell for $16.95, or $200 today.  Most women didn't own more than 5 or 10 dresses.   Fast forward to today and you can buy a brand-new dress at H&M for $4.95 and a whole industry has sprung up to help us sort out and purge the incredible excess of clothes we now own.     Taking a step back, in 1962, the US garment trade as a whole was a $12 billion enterprise-- compare that to the annual sales for a single retailer, H&M, in 2010 -- $19 billion.  Wha?!     People are buying more and more, throwing out more and more, and manufacturers and retailers keep packing the racks with what have become disposable goods.

Ms. Cline spends a good deal of time explaining how we got to where we are.   Not surprisingly, the single biggest cause is the outsourcing of manufacturing.  Of course, outsourcing brings a long a whole host of tragic externalities, including environmental devastation in places like China, India, and Bangladesh, and inhumane working conditions (not to mention salaries)  for the people sewing the clothes we buy.  The last chapter of the book is devoted to what can be done -- namely,  buy less, buy domestic, and take care of the things you own.  

Perhaps the best way to come to understand what's wrong with being able to buy a dress for 97.5 percent less than what one cost just 50 years ago is to make a dress...  and quickly realize that the time and resources it takes to make a dress can't possibly add up to just $5.00.

Next up, debunking the myth of luxury branding.  

Richelle, Ben, and the perfect navy gingham

We are currently working on a couple custom orders for weddings --  custom orders are the most fun!  The first is for our friend Richelle's August wedding to her sweetheart, Ben.

Aren't they adorable?!

The groom and groomsmen will be wearing gray suits and requested navy accessories.  Of course, we couldn't just do solid navy -- that'd be boring!  We also wanted to reflect the fresh, nautical spirit that Richelle and Ben are bringing to their big day.  (They are getting married on the waterfront after all!) After a bit of hunting, we found two perfect navy and white ginghams.

One of the (many) great things about gingham is that the color is woven into the fabric so there is no right or wrong side-- like a damask, but less ostentatious.   Since both sides of a gingham are "the right side," the fabric is perfect for pocket squares!  Of course, it'll also be a perfect lining for the groom's navy neck tie.  

We're so happy to be able to be part of Richelle and Ben's big day!

Florals

I'm looking forward to seeing how these two mini florals look on neckties.  I'll pair this one with a light blue shirting.

And I'll pair this second one with an olive linen.

 Here's to summer florals.

Locally Made

After the recent deaths of thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh, I've been trying to learn more about foreign versus domestic clothing production.  I've long been concerned about the humanitarian and environmental impacts of low-cost, foreign garment production, but the tragedy in Bangladesh has made it much more real to me.  This recent op-ed piece in the New York Times highlights the importance of both regulation and consumer power and really struck a chord with me.


I'm also excited to read this recent book, which I have heard is eye-opening:

The heart of what we do at Winslow is respond to the epidemic of cheap, fast fashion.  Whenever I set out to make a tie or pocket square, I learn through doing how important domestic production of clothing really is, both to the quality of our lives, and the quality of the lives of people in Bangladesh and other places where clothing manufacturers outsource labor.  We'd love to hear your thoughts!