What is a bow tie?
A: The bow tie is a type of necktie.
A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot,
which is also called what?
A: The bow knot.
It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the
collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner, so that the two opposite ends
form what?
A: Loops.
There are generally what three types of bow ties?
A: The pre-tied, the clip on, and the self-tie.
Pre-tied bow ties are ties in which the distinctive bow
is sewn onto what?
A: A band that goes around the neck and clips to secure.
Some "clip-ons" dispense with the band altogether,
instead doing what?
A: Clipping straight to the collar.
The traditional bow tie, consisting of a strip of cloth
which the wearer has to tie by hand, is also known as what?
A: "self-tie", "tie-it-yourself", or "freestyle" bow tie.
Bow ties may be made of any fabric material, but most
are made from what?
A: Silk, polyester, cotton, or a mixture of fabrics.
Some fabrics (e.g., wool or velvet) are much less
common for bow ties than for what?
A: Ordinary four-in-hand neckties.
Where did the bow tie originate?
A: Among Croatian mercenaries during the Thirty Years' War of the 17th
century.
The Croat mercenaries used a scarf around the neck to
do what?
A: Hold together the opening of their shirts.
This was soon adopted (under the name cravat, derived
from the French for "Croat") by whom?
A: The upper classes in France, then a leader in
fashion, and flourished in
the 18th and 19th centuries.
The most traditional bow ties are usually of a fixed
length and are made for what?
A: A specific size neck.
Fixed-length bow ties are preferred when worn with the
most formal wing-collar shirts, so as not to what?
A: Expose the buckle or clasp of an adjustable bow tie.
Adjustable bow ties are the standard when the tie is to
be worn how?
A: With a less formal, lie-down collar shirt that obscures the neckband of
the tie.
"One-size-fits-all" adjustable bow ties are a later
invention that helps to do what?
A: Moderate production costs.
Popular perception tends to associate bow tie wearers
with particular professions, such as what?
A: Architects, finance receipt collectors, attorneys, university professors,
teachers, waiters, and politicians.
Why do pediatricians frequently wear bow ties?
A: So infants cannot grab them the way they could grab a four-in-hand
necktie.
Bow ties do not readily droop into places where they
would get what?
A: Soiled or where they could, whether accidentally or deliberately,
strangle the wearer.
Who sometimes uses an oversize bow tie for its comic
effect?
A: A clown.
Bow ties are also associated with weddings, mainly
because of what?
A: Their almost universal inclusion in traditional formal attire.
Bow ties, or slight variations thereof, have also made
their way into what?
A: Women's wear, especially business attire.
The 1980s saw professional women, especially in law,
banking, and the corporate world, donning what?
A: Very conservative tailored suits.
