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.