Earlier this year, I attended a spoken word event at Le Poisson Rouge, a sizable venue in New York City, where talented spoken word artists shared their moving pieces. I was especially taken by Zora Neale Howard’s piece “Brother Boat Shoe,” which began with an unapologetic, “Brother boat shoe. Brother bow tie. Brother, scholar trying to bag me at these Ivys; emphasize try.” While the witty opening, enough to knock me off my feet, kept me in anticipation of her next words, perhaps it should have been my hint that these two items would be this year’s hot ticket items.
The boat shoe has manifested into somewhat of a staple item at GWU – for girls and boys alike – that we know. I figure that it has something to do with unanimity within the students – perhaps a “We stand together” sort demonstration of our unity in exacting social change in the shoe industry. I don’t exactly own a pair, so I cannot be fully certain. The bow tie, on the other hand, has made a well-deserved come-back in the past year, and its popularity is resonating in GWU’s Fashionisto community.
Bow ties allows for a great deal of versatility; it can be paired with skinnies, a collared shirt and a sweater for a more casual feel or it can complement a fitted two-piece suit for a cleaner look. One thing we can certainly agree on is that the plain black bow tie–the kind reserved for the groomsmen – is slowly losing its fame to its brightly-colored and patterned kin. No complaints here! Yet, it should be understandable that chasing today’s featured Fashionisto across a busy street was well worth it.
This Fashionisto’s bow tie was a seller! Courtesy of Urban Outfitters, it features is a vibrant canary yellow color, accented with thick black stripes. Here, our Fashionisto used his bow tie to complement a white collared dress-shirt, layered with a yellow (or as we would say at GWU – yellow à la buff) V-neck sweater. As for the bottom, he wore a pair of tan dress trousers and dress shoes. He finished off with a maroon cross-body, Greek apparel and a silver Thomas Joseph and Son watch.
This look is clean, and the bow tie adds a pop of cheer to the subtlety of the look. It is definitely a switch-up from the casual wear of most Fashionistos on a regular day of class!
Hint: Because of the versatility of bow ties, they can be paired with most anything to a create a similar or drastically different look. Urban Outfitters and MyAfricanista are great places to find this popular accessory!