#13 Portrait Submission, George Quraishi, New York, New York

Here is George Quraishi from New York wearing his favourite Alexander Olch bow tie. Is it just me or is there something very 'Chuck Close' about this portrait? This is one of my favourite submissions so far.

Who Is Sator?

There is a man that goes by the name of Sator on the internet. The pseudonym can be found almost on every important forum site for men's fashion. He is unique, in the sense that he is prolific, he writes well and he is extremely well informed, although sometimes a little bitchy when commenting on the fashions of his peers; and he has an extraordinarily big following, although he never seems to spend a lot of time chasing fame or publicity. He is a purist, in the sense that he wants merely to expand his knowledge base and help others along the way - he seems to not seek notoriety - not the kind we are used to anyway. He comes at us from a different angle, a Bruce Wayne angle. So, who is this Dark Knight?

All I have managed to extract is that he runs or owns Cutter and Tailor (probably the most informative forum for nitty gritty behind the scenes workmanship of bespoke tailoring), he writes for Style Forum and has a huge following there, he resides in Sydney, Australia and he is often known to wear heavy weight suits in the winter time Down Under (which is very rare to see).

If you know who Sator is, perhaps then he should remain in the dark, where he does his best work, but please, feel free to let me know via email on bow@lenoeudpapillon.com .

The Wait Is Over, Carlo Riva Lands In Australia

It just received, literally about ten minutes ago, my first two rolls of Carlo Riva shirting cloth. It's better than I expected. If you are interested in being an 'early adopter' of this fabric, don't be afraid to contact me on shirts@lenoeudpapillon.com . As you know, Carlo Riva is considered one of the most highly respected cotton shirting cloth companies in the world. Unfortunately we only have two colours to work off at the moment. They are light blue and white. Sincerely, LNP. 

Some Advice I Need To Heed

You cannot be anything if you want to be everything. - Solomon Schechter 

You Can Sniff The Smallest Tid Bit Out

I found this on Wikipedia:


Diamond is known for wearing colorful beaded shirts in concert. Diamond has said that this was originally done out of necessity, so everyone in the audience could see him without the aid of binoculars. The Bill Whitten–designed and made shirts cost approximately US$5,000 each. Whitten designed and made the shirts for Diamond from the 1970s until 2007.


Which then got me looking into Bill Whitten, who has also done costumes for Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, The Jackson Five and New Kids On The Block. Apparently he has a store on Melrose in Los Angeles. The address is 8026 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, United States but from what I could see on the Street View of Google Maps, it ain't there. Still, I think this is worth investigating. If you know anything about Bill Whitten or his work, please feel free to leave a comment below. I just love the internet and how a small little footnote can lead you onto a googling Odyssey which may in the end just wind up leading you into investigating a company in Germany that makes the beads for the shirts.... You just don't know where each search will take you. 

The Thing About Double Breasted...

This jacket is available from Mr. Porter. I love double breasted suits. In fact, this week I began working on my next suit, which is a midnight blue Holland and Sherry worsted 140 wool with cashmere and silver mink, which I had wanted to turn into a double breasted suit. However, my tailors convinced me not to do this - all  three of them in unison. They gave me two very clear reasons.

1. Nikki, you arra too rotund to take on a double breasted suit and look good. You can do a double brested, but the loooka you arra after won't work on your body shape (NB: I have love handles, firm ones, but they are clear and present and this usually requires a workaround).

2. Nikki, do you want to spenda your life keeping your jacketa closed? It's a fina for when you standing up at a cocktail party, it's a finer for whenna you are walking the street, but what about driving ay? What about when you want to relax? There issa no relaxing in a double brested because when you open it uppa, look, look how it sags!

In the end we all agreed on a wide sweeping peaked lapel in a two button. My desire to look like Hugo Jacomet  was thwarted by the sensibilities of these sagacious Italians who didn't want me looking like a Galah. Perhaps one day I will thank them, but in the meantime I will continue to stew. 

When The Crowd Is Drunk And Had Their Fill Of The Softer Stuff

Just drop this number into the set. Initially they will be unsure as to what you are doing to them; they will think you broke the string of hits you just sent out - songs such as You Can Call Me Al, You Can't Hurry Love, I Go To Rio, All Night Long, Faith, Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Hey Mickey and maybe even Ring Of Fire and Sex On Fire, but then you just have to give them some Neil Diamond. You have to. And they won't understand until they hear the first di di li ti ti di di di. And then they will join you and smile and wave to you and say 'we thought you had lost us, but we're back'.

Just A Reminder About Tie Deals

For those of you who follow the blog from the United States, we would like to reiterate that a lot of our stock, including some limited editions, can be found on Tie Deals.com by following this link: http://www.tiedeals.com/bowties/bowties_LeNoeudPapillon.htm

Tie Deals is based in San Diego, California, and is a very safe, very experienced online retailer. So if you are afraid of buying something from an Australian website, or the time taken to deliver the item, then log onto Tie Deals instead.

Regards,
LNP.

$14,000 A Year For Clothes, So Says Evelyn Waugh

One of the most interesting articles I have read in some time, posted by Will Boehlke of A Suitable Wardrobe fame.

http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2012/01/beau-brummels-on-14000-year.html

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day 'my fellow Australians'. And, congratulations to Geoffrey Rush for being named Australian Of The Year.

A Word About Tattoos

There is an epidemic in Sydney which seems to be part of a wider pandemic to tattoo your body. I was standing at a bar the other evening with a nice crowd of reasonably well behaved people. There were a group of men standing close to the bar, 5 of them, they looked like they suffered from that newly described disease which is called Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD. Thuggish, one had tattoo flames licking his neck. It was not only intimidating but when I walked past, one of the other twits in this entourage knocked the champagne off my tray because he did not look. Subsequently he turned around and said 'it was bound to happen', suggesting that if I counter argued him I might as well expect a punch in the head. 

It saddened me that society had cultivated this look. I thought about why I did not like tattoos, let alone inflammation of the physique and I recalled a passage from St. Paul's First Letter To The Corinthians on the topic of love. It is somewhat over-used as a passage read when Catholics and Protestants get married. In it, Paul refers to love, but it is something he says in the latter part of the passage that struck a chord with me.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known."

I feel the same way about tattoos. When I was a child, I thought like a child, so the symbols of my youth resembled my thoughts. One such symbol was the head of snoopy on my favourite backpack. I dressed as I was told to by my mother. As a teenager these things changed, and I started to love symbols such as the ying and the yang, I wore MC Hammer styled Stussy pants. I read books on Taoism and I loved symbols which were related to the period. When I was at University this changed again. Needless to say, I evolved and with it, the symbols of yesteryear became irrelevant to me. I have never got so attached to these symbols that I would want to permanently stamp one on my body, because my long term view is that I am always evolving and that those symbols, or that piece of art, that body of text, may not hold the same weight in my mind in the future. 

I take umbrage at those that tattoo themselves with a self-delusional myopia that body art will somehow transform their lives. I have never begrudged anyone who tattoos themselves because of a cultural tradition or out of some deep reverence for their God, or perhaps a passage of text which has had a deep impact on their lives. But this is not that. It is an epidemic related closely to BDD and I hope that people start to take note before it is too late.

I recently met a Swede, a lovely gentle man with a family. He had been out several years ago for a big night on the drink and that night he got an arm band tattooed to his left bicep. Now that he had had children he felt absolutely no connection to the tattoo of that wild evening and he has spent many thousands of dollars trying to remove that tattoo. What is more, it bore no connection with the personality of the man in front of me. That Swede was no different to my friend in Paris who always wore a t-shirt to cover his tattoos because he no longer saw them as relevant to his life. When I saw them one day he said 'Oh, I didn't want you to see them. They were from my youth, when I lived in Australia'. I think he was essentially saying 'I grew up, I changed, but the tattoos are unfortunately still here'.

The difference between clothes and tattoos is that clothes, unlike tattoos, can be removed at the day's end. Style changes, style evolves - with each passing year, with a change in where we live, what we think, what we see, what we read, who we befriend. But a tattoo, despite the idea that laser surgery works (it is dangerous and is not an easy remedy), which it doesn't if you ask me - remains for life. And life is a moving feast, full of change, full of evolution. Please, if you are considering getting a tattoo, all I ask is that you think twice. 

#12 Portrait Submission, Richard Carroll, The Strand Hatters, Sydney, Australia

Richard Carroll of the Strand Hatters, Sydney

This bow tie, submitted by Richard Carroll of the Strand Hatters, was a shape we worked on for a customer in San Francisco. The shape is called the Niles. We used the silk from the William B. model to complete this tie. 

Submit your portrait here: 

#11 Portrait Submission, Peter From The Strand Hatters, Sydney, Australia

PLEASE SEE OUR LATEST RANGE OF SILKS ON:

www.lenoeudpapillon.com 

FOR A LIST OF OUR STOCKISTS PLEASE CLICK HERE:

http://lenoeudpapillon.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/2014-worldwide-stockists-of-le-noeud.html

Peter wears one of the first bow ties I ever made, the Oscar in champagne. It still loooks good today.

#10 Portrait Submission, Christopher Gérard, A Writer From Belgium

This is Christopher Gérard from Belgium. He is a writer. You can read some of his work here: http://archaion.hautetfort.com/

#9 Portrait Submission, Ben Pearson, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

This is portrait #9, Ben Pearson of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. He is wearing his Le Noeud Papillon 'Vote For Pedro' bow tie. 

Do you want to submit a portrait for our Bow Tie Portrait Competition?  The top prize is over $700 worth or bow ties and accessories from us here Down Under at Le Noeud Papillon of Sydney. If so, Submit your portrait here: 

Remember, you can wear any bow tie you like! 

Harrys Of London - In Harrolds and Online

You may not know this but Harrolds inside the Westfields in Sydney City is stocking Harrys Of London shoes. They are great loafers. Very different from the standard fare on offer from the other major brands. For one they have a unique sole on the shoe, secondly, they seem to run some very interesting designs. They strike me as a modern James Bond shoe. They have leanings towards a 'stealth' look on some models, whilst then also having a classic British feel on others. Whether they suit you or not, the good thing is they sell online and the collection is pretty comprehensive, so go and see for yourself and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. http://harrysoflondon.com/

#8 Portrait Submission, Jeffrey Vasquez, Ridgewood, New York

This portrait comes from Jeffrey Vasquez who is raising money for charity by wearing a bow tie for 1000 days straight. Please see his comments below:

The tie is an Ashton Michael - my current favorite because of the shade of blue, the diamond point pre-tied ends and the d-ring buck closure system in the back.

The background captures a few reminders of my favorite things (my children and my work): the head of Obi Wan toy that belongs to my sons atop a rectangular prism (Superman works here) that I've had since I began teaching nearly 13 years ago. I'm sitting in front of my computer, also unique in that I've used it to create lessons for the past 1,000 consecutive school days (spanning over five calendar years) that I've been in attendance at my current school in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

I love trying to go unconventional when trying to coordinating shirts, bow ties and suits. This particular look features two different plaids paired with a navy suit. I also love accessorizing my outfits - this will include spectacles, watches, fedoras and pocket squares. This picture captures three of the four I just mentioned.

Jeffrey Vasquez

www.1000daysofbowties.com

Cufflinks From M. De Phocas

I had a customer from New York who purchased a bow tie and I followed him up to make sure it arrived okay. He wrote back, and, as usual, I followed his email signature to have a look at what he did for a crust. I am always interested in knowing how my customers came to find me, what they thought of the product and how they made their way in life. His website caught me by surprise. His name was Jesus Torres, so trying to figure our what Jesus might do for a quid, other than a carpenter, had me stumped. Our Jesus, this Jesus, makes beautiful cufflinks under the label M. De Phocas http://www.mdephocas.com/. Here is some of his work.

The Art Of Being Too Hard On Yourself

Will Boehlke has written a small vignette on 'The Art Of Composition' which essentially criticises himself for the way he chose this ensemble. We think he is being a little too hard on himself but agree that there is an artfulness to choosing how everything should come together. Read that article here:

http://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2012/01/art-of-composition.html

Will is wearing a 'Hunter' (the heart shaped silk we called Amanda), a diamond point bow shape that we came up with for a client in Los Angeles who wrote in asking if we could emulate the shape of a bow tie he had inherited from his grandfather. We then named the shape after the client. That pattern is now on file and we can always cut it in any silk when requested. The diamond point, although not mainstream, is a very popular shape amongst bow tie enthusiasts. We have roughly four diamond point shapes. They are: the Hunter (shown), the Niles, the batwing diamond point and the Mikali (which is essentially a modified butterfly with diamond points). 

#7 Portrait Submission, Kieran Davis, Finley, New South Wales, Australia

Kieran Davis is a great patron of Le Noeud Papillon. Around his neck is a Chrisanthy bow tie, a limited edition white silk mogador with black polka dots.

Please note, ANY bow tie from ANY brand will be accepted as a submission so long as it meets the criteria set out. Submit your portrait here: 

Best of luck,

N. 

Meet K.E Guerre On This Mr Porter Video

For any of you who wanted to know what the man behind the Guerreisms blog looks and sounds like, fast forward to 1 minute on this video and note the style of K.E. Guerre as well as his most interesting 'Go To Hell' pants.

ATTENTION PORTRAIT ENTRANTS

Please note, the portrait competition is not just for Le Noeud Papillon customers. You can wear any brand of bow tie you like. We will take any submission provided it is not offensive to our readers and follows the guidelines set out in the competition blog entry.


http://www.lenoeudpapillon.blogspot.com/2012/01/bow-tie-portrait-competition.html

#6 Portrait Submission, Gus Lander, Northern New South Wales, Australia

This portrait submission came overnight. You may have seen another photo of Gus before on the blog. We did a made-to-measure black Holland & Sherry Smoking Jacket with black piping for Gus. We also finished it with a bespoke Rothschild 200 2 ply Canclini Lusso cloth dinner shirt and a Premium Black mogador silk bow tie.

Submit your portrait here: 

#5 Portrait Submission, THIS PORTRAIT IS NO LONGER LOCATED ON THIS PAGE. :)

#4 Portrait Submission, Will Boehlke from A Suitable Wardrobe, San Francisco, California, United States Of America

Thank you for being a good sport Will. That bow looks terrific, even if I do say so myself.....

Submit your portrait here:

#3 Portrait Submission, Nicholas Tobias With Wife Miranda, Somewhere Near Bondi Beach In Sydney, Australia

Although technically not a portrait of the individual, I have chosen this as the select shot from two or three images submitted by Nicholas. All were great shots but this one shows the summer afternoon light on what I envisage is somewhere near Bondi and I particularly like her Lolita sunglasses contrasted with the timeless string of pearls, a look of mixed signals. Nice Armani tuxedo jacket Nicholas!

Submit your portrait here:

The Style Of Professor Henry Higgins

Pygmalion, The Original My Fair Lady, 1938

Please fast forward to 3 mins and 40 seconds or watch the whole thing if you have time. It is a George_Bernard_Shaw masterpiece. A beautiful, thoughtful, funny, witty, charming film. A few things to note, Professor Higgins' smoking jacket that he comes down to breakfast in and the gentrified formal wear (white tie), detachable collars and of course my favourites, the top hats. For those of you who saw Whatever Works with Larry David, directed by Woody Allen, you will know that Boris Yellnikof attempted to perform a Pygmalion on Melodie St Anne Celestine to no avail. But you know, I don't think Boris possessed half the charm or the misogyny that we see exhibited in Professor Higgins which makes for a more interesting dynamic when he finally falls in love with Miss Doolittle and she with him. 'Now, pass me my slippers!'

A Pair Of Ferragamo Shoes In The Making

Let's Welcome Claude Sebastian Into The Blogging Foray

Claude Sebastian in Martin Place have started their own informative blog. I am happy to say they featured one of my black diamonds in one of their recent entries. The Blog: http://claudesebastian.wordpress.com/

Le Noeud Papillon Black Diamond With White Piping In Mogador Black Silk. Available at Claude Sebastian in Martin Place, Sydney. 

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I haven't the faintest on how this works. If you know, can you leave a comment below? Anyway, apparently if you scan this into your phone you can join our mailing list via a link. Please, if you do know how the hell this bloody thing works, please let me know.

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#1 Portrait Entry.... Ray Frensham, London, England

A sincere thank you to Ray Frensham, who is the first person to submit his photo for the bow tie portraits competition. 

And Then Along Came Ivan....

Ivan added me on Facebook after seeing one of my posts on Angelo Flaccavento's facebook page. I am glad he did. His shoes started popping up on my news feed and I was blown away.


Take a look at some of Ivan's work and enjoy the language barrier as we tried to converse using Google translate for this interview.


Who are you and where are you from?


I'm Ivan Crivellaro and I am from Castle Lake in the province of Avellino, Italy.


Where did you learn the art of shoe making?

After a long course of study that are not inherent in the art, let alone shoes. after about 2 years I decided to leave the university '(the right' pharmacy) and dedicate myself to something that was mine. I ipingo, 4 instruments sound, I love to express myself so I decided to make a fashion school. the last year was a Japanese professor who realized handmade shoes, I realized that I was interested in, 'cause I could accomplish alone, and above all I could combine art, crafts' and I expressed to me especially. with him even for a very short time I learned how to pick a model from a form of shoes - then unfortunately I could follow more ', I liked a lot - from here on I taught mysef trying to figure out videos on you tube, from books explaining how to make a shoe, fortunately for me are very intuitive and also thanks to my obstinacy 'I could create my own unique shoes that represent me. I taught myself to dye the shoes to create natural dyes and unique to my shoes. polished with champagne cristal.

What makes you passionate about shoes?

Me to tell the truth 'are not fond of shoes, but I see the shoe as a canvas already important by itself, because' use excellent materials, and then I am as colorful as if I am painting using ancient techniques.

Are your shoes completely hand-made or are some parts made by others?

I realize that shoes made entirely by hand craft seeds. a big difference even if I use the same materials. I also tailored for those who have opportunity 'to come to my laboratory, or person paying for the plane ticket. I do all these types of shoes to try to please my clients and those who e 'interested and can not' afford expensive to 800 euros up to 12,000 euros for a shoe collection numbered

Your shoes are like works of art, which makes me pose you this question, do you see yourself as an artist or as an artisan craftsman?

I wish that my shoes were seen as works of art and I consider myself an artist craftsman

Which would you prefer to become, rich or famous?

I'd rather be rich, not because 'they are greedy, but because' I love helping others and I would use my skills in creating this kind of shoes to create jobs, and that 'the real wealth that I want to know that I could to give a future to children in Italy and especially in southern Italy did not work. and maybe it will become as a result.

Do you have anything other than shoe making which you are passionate about?

I addition to shoes, my passions, and 'the art and the thought of people who really have something to say that you have an exchange of ideas. and then I just love music and I can make myself 1 hour to play the drums.

What is the one song you most like to listen to when you work?

All Pink Floid, stewie wonder, David Bowie. Chicago, grund funk, jazz, Led Zeppelin, sakamoto, in short, the music made by real people who really know how to play. and then it happens that when I work I accompany you with a nice rum and a cigar instead neisson cohiba.

To Our Readers Online Right Now From Overseas, Say Hello!

If you are coming onto the blog from outside Australia, say hello by leaving a comment below! We'd love to hear from you.

The Bow Tie Portrait Competition

We are looking for photos of people wearing their favourite bow ties. If you like Le Noeud Papillon of Sydney and don't mind having your portrait displayed on this blog, then you will be well received. All submissions should come directly to bow@lenoeudpapillon.com with Subject: Portrait Papillon 2012

The best submission will receive a package of three bow ties (one black mogador, two limited editions), a cravatte and a silk belt. The package is worth over $700.00 AUD

The criteria to win is simple. We are looking for the best photo which will combine the following elements:

1. Your absolute favourite bow tie - it does NOT need to be a Le Noeud Papillon

2. A portrait styled photo as shown above.

3. Unique background setting

4. Quality of photograph and lighting conditions

5. Your very own personal style and personality. 

Submissions close on the 12th February, 2012

On Air Tonight ABC 702, Sydney with Dominic Knight

I will be ON AIR tonight talking with presenter Dominic Knight about men's fashion in 2012 as well as an historical look at black tie and the current iterations in black tie style that we are seeing around the globe. If you can join us, please follow the link below and listen in. It will be on air from around 8.10pm this evening but I will tweet when we are about to go live.

http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/?ref=banner
Click on the link on the bottom right for ABC 702 Live web stream.

Hot Off The Blog Press - Street FSN's Take On Pitti

See more of Nam's work at http://www.streetfsn.blogspot.com/