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366 Bow Ties for Haiti: Feeling the Fall

Usually we can't get them to be happy and be in bow ties. Owen's favorite line is "Lame. I don't want to dress like Papa." He's a pre-teen at age 4. But this time around, they both decided they wanted to be magicians, so they needed a bow tie and a cape to go with their wands. Okey Dokey.

Today was the first day for tweed. Great to get my favorite Donegal out, with the elbow patches and all.

And Day 270 called for a straight batwing silk repp stripe X gray velvet reversible.  It's really one of my favorites of the year. Yours for $29, all of which goes to Haiti. Grab here.

The other great thing about Autumn is that it's now sock season.

Yesterday's bow was actually also one of autumnal Donegal, but this time in the bow tie. Half of it, anyway. Check out this gorgeous tweed with a reversible cotton plaid in diamond point. Grab it here.

More autumnal awesomeness: boots. Wolverine 1000 Mile boots, to be more precise.

And scruff, too.

Saturday night I got to see and hear The Secret Sisters from Muscle Shoals, AL. Good tunes in the Old Town Amphitheater. And a good occasion to wear --- you guessed it!--- a bow tie.

This vintage necktie silk crossed with rust velvet in butterfly shape -- Day 267.  Can't ever get this one again after this one's gone. Grab it here.

Was pretty wiped after the show, I guess.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties for Haiti: The Fat and Skinny

A weekend ago we at The Cordial Churchman enjoyed our second appearance at the esteemed Indie Craft Parade in Greenville, South Carolina. This was a delightful experience, as it was two years ago, and one that we look forward to sharing with artisans and crafters in the coming years.

Somehow in all the hustle and bustle of selling bow ties, showing guys and gents how to tie one of these suckers, and making very, very strategic trades with Sweeteeth Chocolate (!), I forgot to snap a photo of my bow tie of the day in action. But here it is in its boring, static form.

Sheesh, you can't even quite tell that this is dark navy blue. Ah well, you'll have to take my word for it. Half vintage necktie silk; half red linen. Sharp as nails. Get it here.

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We also had the pleasure of meeting a couple fine young television journalists with SCETV at The Cordial Churchman studios this past week. Ellie and I clumsily told the story of TCC's origins and prognosticated about its future. Let's hope these journalists are also stellar editors so that they can come up with something coherent that doesn't make us look like the goobers that we kind of are! Ultimately, it will be available for us to see here.

I chose a distinctly fall and winter bow tie: a gray tweed wool diamond point. Simple, but smart, you'll agree.

Grab it here.

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Ahhh, Sundays. Love them Sundays. That's a pretty table there, but pretty quickly after the photo was taken, it was covered with hot dogs, pickles and chips and crowded with kiddos and grown ups for a delightful Sunday supper.

And here was the setting for said meal: a beautiful home in Historic East Town Rock Hill, SC. Our friends recently moved here partly in order to be really close to where our church meets and ministers. I'm glad they did, because that means frequent hot dog suppers!

Picked a super duper skinny reversible silk bow tie---navy with polka dots and gray, made, I'm assuming, by Dominique, our most abstract visual artist and haberdasher---for my Sunday swag. Snappy smart, I think. Kind of hipster, too, whatever that means.

There may be more super duper narrow bow ties coming your way, but this is one of a kind. Grab it here.

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Friday I found myself attending the inauguration of Reformed Theological Seminary's new Chancellor, Mike Milton. I enjoy all the pomp and circumstance of these occasions. It's also stimulating to hear from and interact with folks who have been working in my field for longer than I've been in existence. It helped remind me that, D.V., I'll have another of my own lifetimes to do some neat, meaningful things.

I chose a great, subtle, versatile, classic shaped, season-stratling bow tie for the not-exactly-summer/not-exactly-fall occasion.

See these subtle hints of blue and red in with the neutral foundation? See the fantastic texture? Go and get it.

And don't forget that all these proceeds go to Haiti, to help children get a good education in a stimulating, life-changing environment.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties: Luxury and Versatility

Day 245.

At first it appears to be your average colorful diamond-point plaid bow tie from The Cordial Churchman. But don't be fooled.

Side one.

Side two.

The thing about having a couple seamstresses who are art school graduates is that, when faced with the need to come up with 366 unique bow ties over the course of AD 2012, they don't fret.

On side one, you can display the punchy, bold primaries of the plaid and the quirky yellow linen. On side two, you can tone it down and Autumn it up with the subdued reds and hunter greens of a a classic plaid paired with a green  chambray with yellow undertones.

Twist and turn to create several other possible configurations. A remarkably versatile and personality-rich bow tie if there ever was one. Get it here.

You may have noticed that I'm pretty obsessed with my Wolverine 1000 Mile boots. Pretty much wearing them every other day lately. Boy do I love these boots.

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Day 254.

Liberty of London fabric. It's a big deal. And you can't deny that it's beautiful. It's also luxurious and very much top shelf. This is your chance to grab it before it goes public. You won't find anything comparable for so low as we're offering it: $49. Plus, all the cash goes to Haiti.

Grab it here.

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Day 256.

Speaking of luxurious bow ties, how about this throwback from The Cordial Churchman archives: The Johnny Cashmere. Simple gray with all the cashmere fluffy awesomeness you'd expect from that supreme fabric. Classic Cut, and sure to be a classic of your Fall/Winter 2012 wardrobe----if you jump on it now.

When I saw this in the studio, I couldn't wait for cooler weather to rock it. Thankfully we had one of the most pleasant pre-Autumn days yet, and the university stripe button down and Bill's Khakis fit the bill with this killing-me-softly bow tie.

And---surprise, surprise!---I threw on the Wolverine 1000 Mile boots again.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties: Day 233 - Transitional Season Reversible

Day 233

First, note the Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots. Okay. Good.

A striking reversible: vintage blue striped necktie silk on one side; yellow medium-scale gingham on the other. Cut in our very popular straight batwing shape, which yields a thinner bow and a fatter knot, and instantly increases your IQ by 15%.

The great thing about reversibles such as this is that they're multi-seasonal. During the autumn, keep the blue silk facing forward and you have a subtle yellow peeking out from behind the batwing bow. Come spring, usher in the sunshine with the bold yellow gingham front and center. In transitional seasons (ahem---like right now), twist as you tie the bow and get a combo look. (See above.)

Run and grab it here.

You'll never believe it, but I was the only one wearing a bow tie to watch their kids take a tae kwon do lesson. I think that Master Pak was pretty intimidated.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties: Day 226. Whoa!

Whoa! We just blew your mind, didn't we? (The kids seem to be saying that about less-than-mind-blowing things these days, don't they?) Gray, mustard, red, and blue chambray. Whoa. Diamond point. Whoa whoa!

With Bills Khakis Nantucket Reds? Yes.

Folks, it's this kind of outfit that garners this kind of affection from one's local delicatessen.

Yours for $29, which is a steal. And the $29 isn't ours. We're giving it to a school and child sponsorship venture in Haiti. Whoa.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties: Day 231, A Good Day

All said and done, today was  good day.

Reason 1:

After having a pear, a banana, and a very green juice for breakfast, I broke fast for real by having this for lunch. A BKT--bacon, kale, tomato sandwich. I almost forgot to grill the whole thing in the bacon grease. Almost. Yum.

Reason 2:

That there is my boy Deacon. As he told some pedestrians: "today was my first time riding my bike in action!" Which means, of course, that he started, went, and stopped on his own steam. He just looked his fears square in the eye and slapped them upside the head. And this after he burst into tears earlier in the day when Ellie removed his training wheels. We celebrated with FroYo. Which is another great reason that this day was good.

Reason 3:

As Deacon was taking his last spin, the sun set over Winthrop Lake. Glorious. Applause, I think, from those dwelling in glory for my son's accomplishment.

So celebrate with us and grab today's bow tie: a dark teal-ish club diamond with stripes, silk from a vintage necktie. A sharp tie. $29. All of it goes to bless children in Haiti.

Cordially,

Andy

366 Bow Ties: Winthrop Convocation!

Rock Hill would really be hurting if it weren't for Winthrop University, and the several thousand new students that come to town each fall. It was great to be at Convocation today and meet students, talk about The Cordial Churchman, and talk about our new church as well.

I didn't really plan my outfit very well. I also forgot to wear a bow tie yesterday. So today, we get two ties: the one that I wore, and the one that I would have worn if I had found a white shirt.

The Johnson. Diamond point. Grab it here. Perfect if you're an Eagle, and even if not---still pretty darn beautiful. Named after David Bancroft Johnson (1886-1928), founder of Winthrop, and bow tie wearer.

[caption id="attachment_2945" align="aligncenter" width="135"] David Bancroft Johnson[/caption]

The one I actually wore, as you can see from the first photo at the top, is a handsome cotton plaid in 2 1/2" fat cut. A handsome tie to be sure.

Okay, have at 'em.

Cordially,

Andy

Pulpit Supply Featured in YM/OM

My friend Conor from Young Man/Old Man invited me to guest post on hos fine bloh. Check out my discussion of Pulpit Supply, the new collection of top-shelf bow ties, scarves, ascots, neckties, pocket squares, and lapel flowers from the team behind The Cordial Churchman.

Enjoy,

Andy

Fall Bow Ties

They're finally here! We've chosen our Top 5 bow ties from the new fall line listed on our new website. Many exciting things happening at TCC, and we're glad to share them with you, our loyal customers, both seasoned and recent. Enjoy & happy shopping!

- Erica
[caption id="attachment_2916" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Cranberry Chambray[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2917" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Julius[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2918" align="aligncenter" width="500"] McAllister[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2919" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Phelps[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2920" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Kent[/caption]

And back by popular demand, our To Tie Your Bow Tie T-shirt! Also available on our new site.
[caption id="attachment_2927" align="aligncenter" width="500"] To Tie Your Bow Tie T-shirt
[/caption]

366 Bow Ties: The One-Eighties

189.

Bill's Khakis: M3s. Pretty much the perfect khaki. I've worn these more than any other pair of trousers in 2012, and they're holding up great. They wear like iron, and looks sharp without an iron. (See what I did there?) They're definitely showing the character that comes with age---my knees have made their presence felt in the shape and drape. But they look great. Here's to Bill's again for supporting our efforts to make a difference in Haiti through this project.

There's something appropriate about pairing American-made khakis with such an American bow tie. Needless to say, you'll want to jump on this one quick.

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183.

A simple narrow madras. Can't go wrong here at all. Especially with a wrinkly white Oxford button-down and some red chambray shorts.

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182.

What happens when you're a preacher at the end of a long Sunday? Well, you have a root beer float before you go to bed. You also look like you're going to fall over.

Diamond-point floral / gray chambray reversible. A handsome bow tie you'll be delighted to add to your wardrobe. 

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180.

The Screwtape Letters at the Knight Theater. Max Maclean. Great show. Threw on the Bill's Khakis Nantucket Reds, a pale blue / white stripe Brooks linen button down, a tan odd jacket, and a former necktie converted to a zany floral silk bow tie in classic cut. 

Lady Churchman looked especially stunning. I'm a lucky man to have such a pretty girl and a great entrepreneur as a partner in crime.

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That's all for today.

Cordially,

Anyd