Geographic Wear

I have recently become intrigued by bolo ties, the ones with a (usually) southwestern motif like eagles, cowboy stuff etc. I am intrigued by them because they offer both a stylistic version of the traditional necktie and can be modified to display many different things that go beyond the regional stereotype of silver and turquoise.

I have never been much of a necktie wearer because I have a squat neck. The tie makes my head look like a balloon tied off at the stem about to explode. Plus, the idea that this ubiquitous piece of men's wear has been around for well over 100 years just makes it out of place on me. Admittedly, I am not a cutting edge person, but I am more in tune with 2008 than 1888. No matter how patterned or wide it is, we're still talking necktie.

For a while I thought a bowtie was the way to go. They come in a variety of styles, colors and textures, enough to appease my artistic eye. But I began to notice that there seems to be a cultural stigma on bowties that signify stereotypes I want to avoid. If you are a wearer of bowties, I apologize for any categorizing I may be imposing. I'm passing this judgment on me.

At some point, I noticed someone wearing a bolo and thought, "this is for me." Sure, the southwestern lifestyle is heavily associated with the bolo but it differs in that the actual medallion can be changed to suit the personality of the wearer. Being a graphic designer, I envision historical designs as well as typography that can be used in place of more traditional artwork.

I am about to move to another part of the country, the northeast, completely diagonal from the southwest. I see myself wearing my bolos here. When I mentioned this to my sister, she said rather bluntly, "you can't wear that in New York, that's a southwestern thing." I smiled and thought to myself how odd to restrict ones fashion sense because of a geographical location. She may be right, but I don't agreee.

So for now, I am beginning my collection of Bolos and see it as simply expressing myself. What I am saying is up to you.