Blog

New Madras Bow Ties and What Else Should We Make?

Today was new fabric day. I picked up a few bolts of fabric at the store, we received an order I'd placed online and we also filtered though swatches to choose new fall fabrics. We are inspired.

As soon as Carlee (our resident seamstress and illustrator in her spare time) was so excited, she started snuggling up with it.  Then immediately cut it up to make ties saying, "It's time for me to be in my happy place".

So what now? Obviously we'll make bow ties but tell us what else you would like to see from us now and in the future. More pocket squares? Lapel flowers? More Emblematic Bow Ties? Neck ties? Scarves? Ascots? We love your feedback. Please write a comment or fill out THIS FORM to submit your feedback to us.

And if you tell us what you like, there's a good chance we may name it after you. The really good ideas might even get a freebie of some kind.  So don't be bashful.

Cheers,

Ellie

Interview with Keikari.com

I thought I’d share with you this interview. It’s ironic that they removed the questions from the published interview format, because now it looks like I’m just providing answers to no questions at all! But I assure you, they supplied questions, and I answered them in their order. Ha.

They asked me about The Cordial Churchman, about what I wear, about how I got interested in clothing, about what it’s like to have a small business, about where I’ve been educationally and vocationally, and about what really gets me going.

I hope you enjoy. Read here.

-Andy

Bowties, Violins, and Casey

Albert Einstein said, "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?" We hope he said that while wearing a bowtie. Today we wanted to introduce you to one of our models, Casey. He is such a sweetie!

Recently Casey needed to have his head shots updated. He is an amazing violinist who lives here in Rock Hill! He not only plays concerts, but also teaches lessons. We recommended Virginia McAllister {www.studioVLM.com} and the photographs turned out really nicely. Of course he was wearing his Cordial Churchman bowties!

Now we need to get him a table, a chair, and a bowl of fruit. Thanks, Casey for sharing your pictures.

Cheers,

Audrey

Pocket Squres: Compliment - Not match

Incase you are wondering how to rock the pocket square with your bow tie, the word is coordinate, not match.

Here's some combos we love from our upcoming summer collection (Available May 1)

Yellow Madras (Coming Soon) with Navy Gingham

Navy Dot Linen (Frederick) with Salmon Madras

Pink Gingham with Light Blue pinstripe Linen

White Pique, Navy Blazer, Blue and yellow striped bow tie and a yellow seersucker pocket square.  When wearing one of our lapel flowers, we think its best to go as subtle as possible with your pocket square.  The White pique is one of the best pocket squares because it adds interest and texture but can go with everything.

How To Tie a Bow Tie

I am loving everything about this commercial.  Especially the look on the Jay Bilas' face as he's trying to tie his son's bow tie.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mchWkU5R_zc]

One of our customers is a teacher and when his students ask him how he ties his bow tie he says it is just like tying a neck tie while being strangled and 10 minutes late.

I think it is easiest to learn while in front of a youtube video and a mirror.

Here is one of my favorite videos that is actually teaches us how to tie one by our favorite science guy, Bill Nye

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlP_KniNQHw]

And my other favorite is this one produced by a wonderful gentleman's shop in Columbia, SC.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJv4Qh7zR3E]

Milk and Sugar

Since this week has quickly become seersucker week after selling more seersucker bow ties than we thought possible, I thought I'd share a little about this special fabric.  Maybe I'm a geek, but I think it is pretty cool.  Here's what Wikipedia has to say:

Seersucker is a thin, puckered, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped or chequered, used to make clothing for spring and summer wear. The word came into English from Hindustani (Urdu and Hindi), which originates from the Persian words "shir o shekar", meaning "milk and sugar", probably from the resemblance of its smooth and rough stripes to the smooth texture of milk and the bumpy texture of sugar.

During the British colonial period, seersucker was a popular material in Britain's warm weather colonies like British India. When Seersucker was first introduced in the United States, it was used for a broad array of clothing items. For suits, the material was considered a mainstay of the summer wardrobe of gentlemen, especially in the South, who favored the light fabric in the high heat and humidity of the summer, especially prior to the arrival of air conditioning.

The fabric was originally worn by the poor in the U.S. until undergraduate students in the 1920s, in an air of reverse snobbery, began to wear the fabric.  Damon Runyon wrote that his new habit for wearing seersucker was "causing much confusion among my friends. They cannot decide whether I am broke or just setting a new vogue."

Making Old Things New - Turning an old necktie into a bow tie.

One of the things people love us for is how we can turn a neck tie into a bow tie. And to be honest, it is a little magical.

Nearly every day, we receive packages with neck ties from all over the country. We rip them open and check out what is inside.

We take out the seams and press them out.

We add our own interfacing and sew them up.

And just like that.

Its Magic.

Voila!

We get to make something new again - and we love it.

If you're interested in purchasing this, you can do it through this link.

*the really good photos - #2 through #5 in this post were taken by our customer and friend and fellow artist, Joe Jackson.  Thank you, Joe for making it look so cool.

Win a Free Bow Tie

All you have to do is head over to my STORE and choose your favorite and post it in the comments section below!  I will close comments on Monday August 23 at 11:59pm.  Bonus entry if you blog the above photo with a link to my store - Just post the link of your blog post in a separate comment.  

I will be approving all comments so don't worry if it doesn't show up right away.

Good Luck!

A Tartan Conversion

"Last year you crafted for me a plaid bow tie out of a necktie with a small hole in it. I've attached a photo taken during one of last February's snowstorms. It looks marvelous! I've worn it in place of a necktie and it's attracted all sorts of compliments. I look forward to surprising my father's (Scottish) side of the family with it at our next get-together. "

Chambray Bow Tie

Here’s another new bow tie I’ve just added to the Store - Chambray. It makes for a beautiful versatile and casual look. I’m a big fan. This bow tie is in the straight/batwing style which looks fine, but I’m thinking butterfly may be best style for this fabric. What do you think?