Some people do not consider bow ties to be as popular as neck ties, especially those with bold coloring like an orange bow tie.  But even though loudly colored bow ties can first come across as startling and eye-catching, some men can still manage to pull of the look at many kinds of events.  If you think that bow ties are relics from the past, think again.  There is a lot of occasions where wearing a bow tie is considered to be an acceptable fashion choice.  The following are the most common events where bow ties of all colors and shades are worn by attendees.

Formal Affairs

Despite the fact that a black bow tie along with a white bow tie, in the warmer months, are still the two top choices for formal affairs, there are a few bold and gutsy people who may chose to wear a blue, yellow, green, or orange bow tie.  However, an orange bow tie can be suitable for all seasons.

Semi-Formal Affairs

Even though it is possible to get away with wearing a black bow tie, fashion experts recommend that people do not do this to avoid calling negative attention to themselves by looking overdressed for affairs of a semi-formal nature.

With these types of occasions, attendees usually lean more towards colors considered to be less formal.  For semi-formal affairs that take place during the day, the ideal colors will be of a lighter shade, such as salmon, light blue, cream, and light orange.  During the evening, you can choose any color you would like as long as the overall finish is satin with a little bit of shine.

The Work Environment

Although it is not too common these days, some people do like to wear bow ties with colors and patterns such as red, blue, orange, yellow as well as polka dots and stripes to work.  Bow ties are usually the work tie of choice for slightly older men, especially bow ties that are fairly large in size.  A large bow tie measures approximately 2 1/2 inches in width.  Even though the thought of a bow tie with polka dots seems a little silly, there is a handful of people who manage to make it look good.

Various Parties

Wearing a tie to a party, like an orange bow tie, can make your entire ensemble seem festive and fun.  If your entire family decides to attend a party together, the father as well as his young son can wear the same style of outfit complete with matching bow ties.  At some parties, the attendee may be able to get away with wearing novelty bow ties.  Some of these ties may have animals, zany designs, or licensed cartoon characters printed on them.

Bow ties still have their place in the closets of quite a few men.  As long as you have a little confidence and feel like making a statement, an orange bow tie can be a fun accessory to wear at a variety of occasions.

Those who have been to elegant affairs and decided to wear bow ties have unfortunately experienced at least one occasion where the bow tie becomes caught by one of the collar buttons, causing it to completely fall off.  When an accident like this happens, these people usually feel embarrassed and self-conscious, especially when it occurs in front of a large group of people or business associates.  This is also a common occurrence when a sequin bow tie is worn because the fabric can make tying difficult; however, it does not have to be this way for you if you learn how to properly tie a sequin bow tie.

Is It Difficult to Learn?

The act of learning the steps to tying any kind of bow tie can be somewhat compared to tying a shoe lace; although they are both hard to learn at first, once the technique is mastered, it becomes a quick and easy process.  The following instructions will teach you how to tie a bow tie of light fabric, like silk and cotton, as well as thick fabric, such as velvet or sequin cloth.

Step One: The Cross

Take your untied sequin bow tie and put it around the back of your neck.  Choose one end and make it longer by approximately 1 1/2 inches.  Once you do this, cross the longer end over the shorter end so that the shorter one is underneath the longer one.

Step Two: The Loose Knot

After you have crossed the two ends, you need to create a loose knot.  This can be accomplished by simply putting the longer end inside of the circle you have created to produce an overhand knot.  However, the knot you make must be fairly close to your neck to allow for as much working room as possible.

Step Three: The Zigzag

The zigzag in step three is easy to do.  Drape the longer end over your shoulder; that is all.

Step Four: The Flap

Now, you have to use the end that is not over your shoulder; flip it over to make it lay in front of your sequin bow tie knot.  This flap will become your bow tie's front.  Make sure the indentations reach your chin's bottom.

Step Five: The Pull and Snap

Once you have your bow tie tentatively in place, you can lower it by lightly pulling the tie.  When it becomes lowered, the longer side needs to be centered in front and be in-line.  After that is done, you can snap it into place.

Step Six: The Hole

Now that you have your bow tie appropriately centered, you can make a hole and get it firmly in place by pulling the shorter side in the direction of the center.

Step Seven: The Tightening

Bunch up the long end of the bow tie's center and pull it through the hole while you also pull the short end of it, resulting in two loops.  Once you make your balancing adjustments, you are finished tying your sequin bow tie.

In most cases, a velvet bow tie is specifically made to fit a certain neck circumference, which can range anywhere between 14 and 20 inches long.  This kind of adjustable bow tie is ideal for affairs that are semi-formal as it fits well with a turned down shirt collar.  However, there are other types of velvet bow ties such as ones that clip on to the collar points of a shirt or are already tied and wrap around underneath the collar.  Although many people cannot tell the difference between a clip-on bow tie or traditional bow tie, it is considered a fashion no-no to wear a clip-on to a formal event.

Appropriate Occasions for Wearing a Velvet Bow Tie

Despite the fact that bow ties are worn by professionals like professors, architects, and lawyers, most people associate the velvet bow tie with a certain formal event known as a black-tie affair.  But even though the general public makes this common association, as stated before, this type of bow tie is great for all semi-formal and formal affairs.

Common Attire to Pair with a Velvet Bow Tie

Most people usually wear a bow tie made of velvet instead of a neck tie made of velvet to go with a dinner jacket for a formal occasion.  As a matter of fact, it is considered a fashion "don't" to pair a neck tie of any kind with a dinner jacket.  The most common fashion choice for cocktail parties, weddings, proms, formal dinners, and similar events are velvet bow ties; they simply add a touch of class to any formal outfit.

As the name says it, a clown bow tie is one which clowns wear. These ties are usually bigger and they have a funny appearance so amuse the crowd. They are different from standard ties in terms of their size and their appearance. You would usually find a clown wearing a bog bow tie with polka dots or similar design on it. There are various types of clown bow ties such as the polka dot ones, striped ones, etc.

Here are the most commonly used clown bow ties:

Polka dot clown bow tie:

These are the types of ties that have polka dots on them. Of course they are not the decent types like the standard polka dot ties. The polka dots on them are big and the size of tie itself is big. There are usually more than one colored polka dots on colors like yellow, green, red, etc. As said earlier, the basic purpose of these ties is not to look good but to amuse the audience.

Striped clown bow tie:

This is another type is widely used by clowns to add the funny look to their outfit. These ties have stripes on it such as white stripes on red or yellow stripes on green. These ties in comparison to the polka dots one are much bigger because the stripes do not have the same prominent effect like the polka dots therefore the size is increased to enhance the visibility.

Spiral clown tie:

Another commonly used tie by clowns is the spiral clown bow tie. This is the type of tie on which you see spiral designs much like the stripes. The only difference between a striped tie and a spiral tie is that on the spiral ties the stripes go in a circular motion to create the spiral effect.

Flashing clown bow tie:

Flashing clown bow ties are very common these days. These are ties which have flash lights attached in them operated by a switch. When the switch is pressed these lights flash creating an amusing look of the tie. These ties are best to grab the attention of children. Some of the flashing clown bow ties continuously flash and the clown does not need to press the switch every now and then.

Air filled clown bow tie:

Air filled clown bow ties are the ones which are not made up of fabric in fact are made up of flexible plastic or rubber much like balloons. You can even call them balloon ties in a casual manner. These ties are filled with air and worn by the clowns. They are helpful in various magic tricks that the clowns perform.

Clown bow ties can be easily brought from any store shop that deals in party decoration stuff. These ties are not expensive in fact they are pretty inexpensive. There is not a huge market of these ties such as of the branded standard ties and that is why they are sold so cheap.