Object of Affection
It was during a Sortie to New York City a while ago that we walked into the J. Press store on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The timeless, classic American style of J. Press is something we’ve always admired and when we find ourselves near one of their stores, we grab the opportunity.
Browsing through the ties is always a joy. The familiarity of the patterns is comforting, even refreshing, as is the quality of the materials. But on this day, one particular tie really stood out. A four-sided tie.
Of course, double-sided bowties have been around for a long time, and we like the value they bring. They’re only a bit more expensive than a traditional bowtie, but have two completely different looks. The four-sided bowtie, however, is a different beast.
This one is all regimental stripes featuring red/navy, green/navy, yellow/navy and white/navy. The picture above shows just one way to wear it. And as you can see, at least two of the patterns appear at all times, a fundamental difference from the double-sided tie, which shows either one or the other.
Wearing a bowtie is attention-grabbing enough, but with this one, it elicits puzzled and intriguing glances from all directions. The two different patterns generally have people wondering what exactly they’re looking at. Thus, even the most stoic of people can’t help but led their guard down and start a conversation.
The patterns involved are of the most classic, most durable in all of men’s fashion. A regimental stripe bowtie is probably the “safest” and easiest way to wear this piece of clothing, which we acknowledge requires too much courage for most men to pull off. But here’s the real genius of it. This tie forces a mix of those classic regimental stripes in a way that wouldn’t normally be done, or even advised. And yet it works. It sends a clear message: I respect traditional men’s fashion, and at the same time I don’t take it or myself too seriously. I want to play around with the styles, but I still want to look like an adult.
The four-sided tie walks that line like no other item of clothing we’ve seen.
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