Bow Tie

There's a bow-tie revolution going on. Sure, you've seen them on dandy hipsters or the chiseled and coiffed models who grace the pages of men's fashion magazines. And now, 31-year-old NFL linebacker Dhani Jones has proclaimed: "Just because you wear a bow tie doesn't mean you're a nerd." Jones aims to recruit guys of all shapes, sizes and ages into "the way of the bow tie," urging them to adopt not only his habit of wearing one but also his philosophy, what he calls "the resurgence of the gentleman."

'The justice in the bow tie' April 20, 1920: Born John Paul Stevens in Chicago, the youngest of four sons to a successful hotel owner. 1941: Graduates Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in English literature. June 7, 1942: Marries Elizabeth Jane Sheeren; they have four children (John Joseph, Kathryn, Elizabeth Jane and Susan Roberta). 1942: Begins three years of service in the U.S. Naval Reserve, earning a Bronze Star as a code-breaker.

Re the difficulties facing the installation of "Collar and Bow" at Walt Disney Concert Hall [July 27]: I have always doubted that the bow tie sculpture is really a good fit for Disney Hall. First, the men of the Philharmonic wear white bow ties; the sculpture is a black bow tie. Second, as most men of the Philharmonic who play violin or viola will tell you, we dislike bow ties. They are cumbersome, bulky and, along with the tux collar, make every concert less comfortable. The position and comfort of the violin/viola under our chin is a vital part of our technique, and the bow- tie only gets in the way. Why we would honor such an annoying article of clothing escapes me. JOHN HAYHURST La Crescenta The writer is a violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

There's a bow-tie revolution going on. Sure, you've seen them on dandy hipsters or the chiseled and coiffed models who grace the pages of men's fashion magazines. And now, 31-year-old NFL linebacker Dhani Jones has proclaimed: "Just because you wear a bow tie doesn't mean you're a nerd." Jones aims to recruit guys of all shapes, sizes and ages into "the way of the bow tie," urging them to adopt not only his habit of wearing one but also his philosophy, what he calls "the resurgence of the gentleman."

If you're going to wear a bow tie, you should learn to tie one. Look at it as the price of admission to the club. Like most things about a man's wardrobe, it's a detail that speaks volumes, and at the end of the night, when it's untied and hanging loosely around your neck, you'll still feel like a million bucks. A couple of important tips: When you're finished, the unbowed end on one side of the tie will actually be in front of the bow part, and on the other side it will be behind.

I'm looking around my office and half of my male colleagues are wearing ties. But only one of us--the guy pictured at left--is in a bow tie. And like any bow-tie wearer, I like it that way. Four-in-hand tie widths grow and shrink, and patterns change. But the bow tie is the Old Faithful of the neckwear world. A wise man once explained their charm: Bow ties are never really in style, nor are they ever really out of it.

Illinois Sen. Paul Simon joined the wide-open contest for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination today, saying his bow-tie image is right for voters tired of candidates "slickly packaged like some new soft drink." "I haven't tried to do what is temporarily popular or politically fashionable or what will raise campaign funds," Simon told a crowd of 1,500 cheering supporters, many sporting the silver bow-tie pins that are his campaign's trademark. "You get what you see and hear."

Would you add a tiara to the Mona Lisa? Would you add a bow tie to one of Van Gogh's self-portraits? Why would you tamper with perfection ("The Hall Mark," by Christopher Knight, July 28)? Overnight, the Walt Disney Concert Hall became a cultural landmark and icon. Adding a sculpture will detract from this precious work of art, not enhance it. David Armendariz Garden Grove With all due respect to Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, who are brilliant artists whose public and private works have always been provocatively appropriate, I have to agree with Christopher Knight, who equates the white collar and black tie sculpture now being fabricated with Carpeteria's genie.

Consider the bow tie. It's a piece of sartorial impertinence, a perky colored, narrow length of cloth secured around the neck in a knot that seems to baffle the most ingenious of men. An insouciant touch to the drab dress of the male. The first time I wore a bow tie, I was a sophomore trying to impress a haughty minx in my high school English class. Over the years, I've worn them in many colors, shapes and sizes. I wore a dazzler at my recent 90th birthday party.

'The justice in the bow tie' April 20, 1920: Born John Paul Stevens in Chicago, the youngest of four sons to a successful hotel owner. 1941: Graduates Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in English literature. June 7, 1942: Marries Elizabeth Jane Sheeren; they have four children (John Joseph, Kathryn, Elizabeth Jane and Susan Roberta). 1942: Begins three years of service in the U.S. Naval Reserve, earning a Bronze Star as a code-breaker.

If you're going to wear a bow tie, you should learn to tie one. Look at it as the price of admission to the club. Like most things about a man's wardrobe, it's a detail that speaks volumes, and at the end of the night, when it's untied and hanging loosely around your neck, you'll still feel like a million bucks. A couple of important tips: When you're finished, the unbowed end on one side of the tie will actually be in front of the bow part, and on the other side it will be behind.

Move over, ethnic scarf, the bow tie is making a comeback. The humble men's accessory holds up better than a skinny tie when paired with this season's rugged American looks -- plaid flannel sport coats, suspenders, tweed long jackets and cardigan sweaters. And it's got a rare sensibility that's been embraced by both the iconic (think Theodore Roosevelt, Malcolm X, John Houseman in "The Paper Chase") and the comic (Groucho Marx, Pee-wee Herman, George Burns).

LOS FELIZ ON RETRO ROW -- While the average holiday shopping excursion feels like an exercise in soul-sucking commerce, flexing your retail muscles on and around Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz feels like taking a spin in the Wayback Machine to a happier time when the streets were wide and not yet overflowing with the disgruntled masses, and owners and designers worked their own stores -- and seemed genuinely happy to see you. Setting the...

IN "Clean and Sober," Glenn Gordon Caron's 1988 rehab drama, Morgan Freeman plays a drug counselor who returns to his office to find Michael Keaton's high-strung coke addict on his phone. "You want to hang up the phone, please?" he says in his sonorous baritone. When Keaton ignores him, he calmly unplugs the phone. "You know what the addict's least favorite word is?" he asks. " 'No.' Ask me if you can use my phone." "May I use your phone?" Keaton says, dripping with sarcasm.

BOW ties are back, and not just with uber-geeky Republicans such as Tucker Carlson. Jay-Z, Brandon Flowers of the Killers and Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo are all making fashion statements with them -- the sleek black bow ties that accompany classic tuxes, of course, but also bow ties in vibrant colors and dapper tartans. Ties that look good with a retro suit or even jeans -- pulled into a smart knot or left dangling at the collar.

Re the difficulties facing the installation of "Collar and Bow" at Walt Disney Concert Hall [July 27]: I have always doubted that the bow tie sculpture is really a good fit for Disney Hall. First, the men of the Philharmonic wear white bow ties; the sculpture is a black bow tie. Second, as most men of the Philharmonic who play violin or viola will tell you, we dislike bow ties. They are cumbersome, bulky and, along with the tux collar, make every concert less comfortable. The position and comfort of the violin/viola under our chin is a vital part of our technique, and the bow- tie only gets in the way. Why we would honor such an annoying article of clothing escapes me. JOHN HAYHURST La Crescenta The writer is a violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

What do Abraham Lincoln, Stan Laurel, Harry Truman, Frank Sinatra, Karl Marx, Steve Jobs, Winston Churchill, Donald Duck, Mark Twain, Frederick Rasmussen, Manet's "Olympia," Louis Farrakhan and virtually the entire male membership of the Nation of Islam have in common? Well, bow ties, of course. Olympia's admittedly is only a bit of string, but, then again, that's about all she wears except for a bracelet, a pair of bedroom slippers and a hibiscus bloom in her hair.

BOW ties are back, and not just with uber-geeky Republicans such as Tucker Carlson. Jay-Z, Brandon Flowers of the Killers and Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo are all making fashion statements with them -- the sleek black bow ties that accompany classic tuxes, of course, but also bow ties in vibrant colors and dapper tartans. Ties that look good with a retro suit or even jeans -- pulled into a smart knot or left dangling at the collar.

Would you add a tiara to the Mona Lisa? Would you add a bow tie to one of Van Gogh's self-portraits? Why would you tamper with perfection ("The Hall Mark," by Christopher Knight, July 28)? Overnight, the Walt Disney Concert Hall became a cultural landmark and icon. Adding a sculpture will detract from this precious work of art, not enhance it. David Armendariz Garden Grove With all due respect to Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, who are brilliant artists whose public and private works have always been provocatively appropriate, I have to agree with Christopher Knight, who equates the white collar and black tie sculpture now being fabricated with Carpeteria's genie.

The sun was shining but the fashion was frosty. It was Old Hollywood glamour out en masse, in icy white diamonds, ivory and champagne beaded gowns, and loosely curled blond locks. Charlize Theron was statuesque in a backless, beaded nude chiffon Gucci gown, designed for her by Tom Ford, who presented his final collection last week in Milan. "I knew I wanted to wear one last dress of his," Theron said.