Is there a more distinct, more imposing and frankly more fascinating accessory than a bow tie? We think not! That is why we here at Tieroom always have a superb collection of diverse bow ties in an array of different colours, styles and patterns.

It is not only we mere mortals that love our bow ties. Many famous men, especially of the 20th century, have loved bow ties so much that they became synonymous with wearing them.

This article is a salute to all the famous men who loved wearing bow ties, some of them icons of history.

Good Old Winston

Possibly one of the most famous men to ever wear a bow tie on a regular basis was Winston Churchill, the man who led the British people through the darkest days of World War II. Churchill will forever be famous for his quintessential look: a dark three-piece suit, large cigar in his mouth and donning his favourite bow tie. Not bad for the man voted the greatest Briton of all time, ahead of the likes of Princess Diana, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton and Queen Elizabeth I in a 2002 BBC poll!

In fact, Winston even had his favourite bow tie: it was in navy blue with white polka dots and appears in many of the leader’s portraits. It would become known as the ‘Blenheim’ bow tie, so named after the palace in which Churchill was born. The style is still sold to this day in select London stores.

 However, there were other famous politicians who loved wearing bow ties, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and William Harding.  Even Abraham Lincoln, probably the most beloved American president of all time, had a great affection for bow ties.

The ones Lincoln wore were of the more ‘droopy’ and less rigid variety but bow ties nevertheless. In fact, he is seen wearing a bow tie in his very last official photograph, taken by Alexander Gardner on February 5th, 1865, just two months before the great emancipator was assassinated. Lincoln was even wearing a bow tie when he made his famous Gettysburg Address that marked the end of the American Civil War.

More recently, there have been politicians such as Donald Tsang, the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, who was nicknamed ‘bow tie Tsang’ by local media. Similarly, Elio Di Rupo, the former prime minister of Belgium, was known as ‘the bow tie wearing Socialist’

The Artist’s Accessory

It’s not only politicians that have loved bow ties through the years. Artists have had a penchant for them for a long time. Two of England’s most famous poets and authors, John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, often wore these accessories, as did the most famous American poet of all, Walt Whitman. Even in the 19th century, it was acknowledged that the bow tie was the mark of the man who was creative and different and certainly didn’t care what others thought!

There were other famous artists that enjoyed wearing bow ties. One of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s most famous dancers and stars, Fred Astaire, would often wear bow ties both in his movies and when out on the town in Hollywood. Charlie Chaplin, the legendary British comic actor and mime of the silent film era, was another star who loved bow ties.

And then there were the singers who often wore bow ties, sometimes even loosely hanging around their necks for that timeless, ‘cool’ look. Most famous of these were the ‘Rat Pack’ comprised of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. There are more pictures of these three singing legends wearing bow ties than any other accessory, trust us!

More Famous Men Who Loved Bow Ties

There are so many other famous men who often sported their favourite bow ties, far too many to list here. Here are just a few of them:

  • Col. Harland Sanders, American entrepreneur known as Colonel Sanders and the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC
  • Groucho Marx, American comedian and part of the Marx Brothers comic act
  • Pee-Wee Herman, as played by American comedian, Paul Reubens
  • Mike Hawthorn, British racing driver, co-winner of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1958 Formula One (F1) World Driver's Champion
  • Alfred Kinsey, the influential American sex researcher and author of the top-selling ‘Kinsey Report on Male Sexuality’
  • Albert Schweitzer, German physician and humanitarian, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  • Le Corbusier, Swiss architect and a legend of 20th century architecture
  • Walter Gropius, German- American architect, who has six of his bow ties kept in archives by Harvard University!
  • Stromae (Paul Van Haver), contemporary Belgian singer-songwriter

And then one cannot forget James Bond himself, of course. The world-famous spy known as 007 is as well-known for his black bow tie worn with sleek smoking jacket as he is for his Aston Martins and favourite Martini (shaken, not stirred).

Even today, there are famous men who continue the tradition of admiring and wearing bow ties. Among them is the American pop singer, Justin Timberlake, who is quite the discerning dresser and who was quoted as saying, “A gentleman can never have too many bow ties.” We completely agree, Justin!