Bow Regards

Keeping track of trends in men's neckwear could tie you up in knots. One day it's the power tie; another day men are boldly (or not so boldly) wearing ties the same color as their shirts. Now, however, we hear the collar has turned yet again: Get ready to welcome the bow tie back into style.

Knot--er, not--that it ever really went away, of course. It's just that with a renewed emphasis on elegance, the bow tie is seemingly front and center in fashionable circles. "People are more open to them now with the trend toward dressing up," explains Maureen McCormack, merchandise coordinator for the men's apparel retailer Paul Stuart in New York City. "It has a natty appeal."

Oddly enough, the very uniqueness that propels the popularity of the bow tie may be the quality that takes away from it as well. "It's not for everyone," observes McCormack, whose store sells bow ties in solids and patterns. "There's a certain personality that goes along with it--a certain eccentricity. It's very personal."

And that about ties it up.

This article was originally published in the September 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bow Regards.