Spring Forward

We had the great pleasure of meeting L.A. based blogger, Francis Kenneth, at the Fremont Sunday Market last fall.  Francis bought a pastel plaid bow tie, which he featured in a recent post on his awesome blog!  Here are just a couple pictures.

Francis paired the tie with an awesome linen sport coat and dark vest:

Francis has an amazing ability to may uptown preppy look so downtown cool.

Francis was a fan of our packaging, which made us extra happy.

You can check out the whole post here.  And keep your eyes peeled for more partnerships with Francis in the future.

Poplin

We're super excited that our friends at Poplin were able to feature Winslow in a recent post.  You can check out the post here.  And thanks to Kevin for modeling for the shoot!

Shop Update: New Neckties and Bow Ties in Stock Now!

We have been busy in the studio lately putting together a new selection of neckties and bow ties, and the first set of finished products are now up and ready in the shop. Hop on over and have a look! There are several new linen neckties (our favorite) in stripes, solids, and chambray. Not to mention the always classic plaids. 

Also check out the small handful of new neckties in stock, with more on the way. We've brought back one of our all time favorite blue floral fabrics for summer, plus a new to us black pinstripe that would work perfectly for a more formal occasion (wedding season anyone?).

Last Sunday we had the most fabulous weather of the year so far here in Seattle. We celebrated by taking one of our new striped linen neckties out for spin. It was glorious!

Winter Wedding Style

Elyse at Two Sisters Events & Design recently invited us to be part of a winter wedding photo shoot.   We couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out!  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Our red flannel bow tie worked perfectly!

It's almost enough to make me wish for snow.

Plaids

Just got a couple new plaids that I can't wait to work with.

This is my favorite -- it's a pure cotton flannel.  I think it's going to look great on a necktie.  New ties are coming soon at the Tarboo store in Seattle and our online shop --- we'll keep you posted.

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?