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TO TIE YOUR BOW-TIE tee shirts!

Are you ready for this?

Yeah, I know. Awesome.  The best thing is that these are hand-screen-printed right here in Rock Hill, SC, by our man Jon Jennings of DogHead Studio and hand-drawn by our man Stephen Crotts of S. Crotts Illustration, again, right here in Rock Hill, SC.

This is obviously the perfect gift for your bow tie-hating hipster friend who wants to be ironic.  Or for your bow tie-loving friend who can't quite pull the trigger on rocking an actual bow tie.  Or for the spouse of a knucklehead aspiring bow tie rocker who can't seem to figure out the mechanics of getting the thing knotted up properly.  Better that he stares at you than a computer screen while he curses his way up the learning curve, right? Umm…right.

Run on over to the store and pick up your 100% Cotton navy blue TO TIE YOUR BOW-TIE tee shirt today.  As with all our handmade pieces of sartorial glory, allow up to 2 weeks for this to be produced and shipped.

**If you happen to be in the Boston or Charlotte regions this weekend, you can pick these up in person at the Top Shelf Flea and Muse Fest, respectively.

New in the Store: Cordies by Young Man / Old Man

We're proud to unveil a new collaboration.  Are you ready?

Why should your survival precautions render you unstylish?  We know this is the perennial question of mankind.  So we're offering an answer.

Behold: Cordies.

You've never seen a happier marriage of form and function.  You'll also be the only person you see in your town wearing such a killer pair of sunglass retainers--that is, until Conor of Young Man/Old Man becomes rich and famous for his one-of-a-kind sartorial innovation.

I'm not at all an outdoorsman, and I rarely feel the obligation to be the hero-in-waiting, prepared with whatever Macgyveresque supplies would be necessary to save a small village.  What I care about is looking cool--or at least looking like I know I'm cool, even if, in fact, I look like a goob.  This is why I wear bow ties in a world where Madonna has convinced everyone that it's ok to wear your underwear on the outside in public.  And this is why I'll be rocking Young Man/Old Man's collaboration with The Cordial Churchman on my Ray Ban Clubmasters whenever theres the slightest bit of photosynthesis happening in the plant kingdom around me.

I've always felt that the popular version of sunglass retainers (I hear they're called 'Croakies'?) just looks a little too--what shall we say?--collegiate for yours truly.  With undergraduate days almost a decade in my rear view mirror, I was looking for something a little like an upgrade from flip flops to bucks, from a Jansport to a leather satchel.  Cordies are just the ticket, I think you'll agree.  And, of course, one is not excluded from taking a more grown-up sartorial stance in one's undergraduate years.  It's just that I wasn't cool enough to have struck such a pose in my days at Kent State.

Before I undercut sales by sounding like a pretentious jerk-head (oh…it's too late? I already have?), let me just lay these out on the table for you to admire.  Handmade.  Available in royal blue, olive, black, orange, and camouflage.  Hand-knotted in Carolina.  Lasts you till you lose it.  Might just save your life.  $18.

Wedding Complicity

It's certainly one of the great privileges of The Cordial Churchman to be an artistic flourish, a quirky detail, in such monumental events as weddings. As you might imagine, it makes us beam with pride when we see the wedding pictures. Right in the middle of all that mushy lovey doviness and all that everything-must-be-just-so-ness: a Ryan patchwork madras / seersucker reversible bow tie or a customized yellow gingham necktie.

Just like being an accessory to a crime implicates you, being an accessory to vows of matrimony squeezes us into that weighty and joyful romantic conspiracy. We're happy to be complicit. And we're happy to give you a glimpse not just into our complicity, but into two of those romantic conspiracies themselves. Enjoy.

Imogene+Willie. You can't get much more American.

I am not sure that I have ever been in a cooler shop in my life.

Our vacation took us through Nashville, and thank goodness our good friend Hannah Miller  urged us to visit Imogene+Willie in the 12 South district.  I'm so glad we followed her counsel.  Little did we know what we were in for.

Imogene+Willie make blue jeans right in their store.  The patterns, the manufacture, the treatment, and the tailoring are 100% Nashville, Tennessee.

It's rather humorous to contrast Imogene+Willie's story with that of The Cordial Churchman, especially considering that Carrie and Matt knew exactly what they wanted to do--after spending 9 months on their business plan.  These folks breathe and bleed denim, and have for years.  They also ooze with Americana style.  They knew their niche and went after it hell-bent for glory.  We just sort of stumbled upon ours.  You can't but respect these folks.

When I first started paying attention to clothes and attempting to consciously develop my own personal sense of style, I went very, very traditional.  I have a master's degree in history for Pete's sake.  I wanted to dress like my grandpa.  I wanted to stick out like a really dapper sore thumb.

Somewhere along the way someone told me that blue jeans were for working in machine shops, cutting the grass, and possibly hiking in the woods.  But real traditional educated American men, the audacious story went, wore khakis and blue blazers everyday.  So I did a completely ridiculous thing: I did not wear jeans for 365 days straight.  Just because.  Completely self-righteous.  Completely worthless.  And, as it turns out, completely un-American.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="530" caption="Otis James (Nashville) necktie with Imogene+Willie jeans"][/caption]

If I weren't so prone to such extremes, I'd say that it's really hard to believe that that was me.  Giving up denim??!!  The ridiculousness felt crushingly shameful when I walked into Imogene+Willie.  All my Ivy League wanna-be snobbishness was finally blotted out as I traipsed back and forth across their old repurposed gas station showroom, fitting room, and shop.  Had I not been 2 weeks into a diet and anticipating some size-flux, I'd have plopped $250 down then and there to spring my sartorial soul from purgatory and walked out with custom, Nashville-made blue jeans.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/7283010] Nashvillian Griffin House's song "Give A Little Love" provides the background for this short video tour of Imogene+Willie's shop.

It was also very tempting to buy a pair of Red Wing boots, given that though my waist was hopefully changing, my feet were staying put.  Instead, I walked out with a leather card case by BillyKirk (which, incidentally, I haven't been able to locate all day). But mostly I walked out feeling really good about being a middle-American.  I walked out inspired to keep playing with my personal style, and especially to play around with the "workwear" stuff that, though classic, happens to be all the rage right now.

More than any of that, I walked out of Imogene+Willie with a fresh determination to steward the brand that Ellie and I have almost accidentally built.  It might even be time for me to learn to sew.

Hopefully before long I'll be doing so in a pair of my own Imogene+Willie blue jeans.

See if you're not inspired by their story:

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/17740792]

Put This On -- Personal Style

Ever wondered what goes on at the annual meetings of the Corduroy Appreciation Club?

Our man Jesse Thorn of Put This On explores the elements of 'personal style'. Enjoy. And keep your eyes peeled for a special collaboration between The Cordial Churchman and Put This On! [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/26879757 w=500&h=281]

Put This On, Episode 7: Personal Style from Put This On on Vimeo.

Our Most Handsome Customer

It's hard to imagine how anyone was able to pay attention to anything other than this fella when he rocked our bow tie to a baptism recently. We've received a lot of photos from customers sporting our neckwear over the last 2 years, and a lot of them have looked like $1,000,000. But I think you'll agree that there could hardly be a close second to this handsome young gentleman.

The bow tie he's sporting is the Braden Madras, which can be yours, whether you're 7 mothns, 7 years, 17 years, or 77 years old. See our store here.

New Website - www.thecordialchurchman.com

We've got a new website, video documentary and summer lookbook! Check it all out out - www.thecordialchurchman.com

Kind Words

Today has been an especially delightful day in the land of e-mail checking.  I really do have the kindest customers.  Here's some notes I received today.

You guys really get it.

I got a package in the mail yesterday. I opened it and expected to find three bowties. What I did not expect was a personal, handwritten note and wrapping that had obviously been placed there with care and consideration.

I just thought you should know that this attitude is what makes people smile and want to come back for more.

And the bowties are amazing, by the way.

Have a nice day!

-Håkon,  Norway

OK, I am a huge fan.  I just received my tie a week or so ago, and I just love it.  Splendid product.  Great price.  And it just feels right when I put it on.

Thank you.  Your product is smile-inducing.

Crorey, New Orleans, LA

I received my bow tie today, it was packed like a present for myself and the bow tie itself is really beautiful craftsmanship,thanks a lot!

Best,

Ronald, The Netherlands

**Photos are a sneak peek of a seersucker neck tie I made for Andy a few weeks back.  We'll try to get them on the website soon.

Now a Preschool Graduate

My little guy put on his cap and gown and bow tie last Thursday when he graduated preschool.  We're so proud of him and can't believe he's so big already.  Kindergarden next year!  Where did the time go?!

The morning of his graduation, I whipped up this little bow tie for him to wear.  His preschool class used the bee theme all year and I happened to have a little bit of bee fabric in my stash.  He wears it well, doesn't he?

Saturday Morning Snooze

Here's the sweet little guy taking a little snooze on my lap.  This is very telling of what life is like with a newborn in the house.  He will sleep anywhere, but most prefers to be near mom and papa.  I'm looking forward to my first Mother's day with three.