Tag Archives: guys bow ties

Styling Two Guys Bow Ties: Garcon a la Mode

Posted on 5th Aug 2014

We’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredibly fashion and style bloggers. We love the way each one gives our wooden bow ties and lapels a distinct style and look. One of our most recent faves came from the stylish Perkens Bien Aimé of Garcon a la Mode. If you follow him on Instagram, you’ll notice that he has incorporated our wooden bow ties and lapels into several different outfits. The results are unique, appealing, and inspiring. We recently sat down with Perkens to talk about his site as well as his love for Two Guys Bow Ties.

2GBT: Why the name, Garcon a la Mode?

GA: When I decided to start the blog I wanted it to be something that defines the essence of who I am, not just in fashion, but in life. I recognize and appreciate style in everything. It’s a way of life for me. I also wanted it in french to pay homage to my roots as a Carib, as it is also my first language. “Garcon” means young man or man and “à la mode” means “style aware”. I couldn’t have chosen a better name.

2GBT: Can you share a bit about your site, Garconalamode.com. What sets the style that you share there apart from other fashion sites?

GA: “Garcon a la mode” is true to who I am. I have a unique way of mixing colors together and adding the right accessories to complete my outfits. I look for unique statement pieces but also versatile that can easily be incorporated in my daily routine. I think some of us get too caught up on trends and the most current and hip brands out there. To me, it’s all an art; the construction of a blazer, the length of my trousers, the tie knot that I choose, the fold of a pocket square, the effect of color combos etc.. It’s the minor details. I think that’s what sets me apart.

My ultimate goal is to be an inspiration to others, a guide to the young man who doesn’t quite know how to put a proper look together, but also attract the fellow style blogger who is looking for inspiration. I have some other projects in the works which will allow me to turn it into a full site that caters to the modern gentleman.

2GBT: We first reached out to you because your style in Garcaonalamode is spot on. How did you enter the fashion world?

GA: Being exposed to fashion at a very young age and being an art lover have helped me tremendously. I was always conscious about what I wore as a young teenager. I can remember looking forward to Sunday service to wear a new tie that I thrifted or a new blazer.. That was way before instagram or the blog. I think that’s where it all started and I think I’ve been able to evolve and become more creative, confident and daring. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams as a Fashion Designer and this city really inspired me to showcase my style through social media and blogging and that’s how I created Garcon a la mode.

2GBT: When we first approached you about wearing our ties and lapels, what about the products appealed to you?

GA: I’m all about unique statement pieces. The pieces that I choose to wear have to be the perfect addition to my outfits without taking away from the look. It has to make sense and have the perfect balance. The uniqueness of the product was what appealed to me.

2GBT: We were really humbled and excited to see that you’ve worn our lapel flower several different times. Do you have a favorite ensemble that pairs with it?

GA: Yes, I love pairing brown and navy. It’s classy but edgy at the same time. These wooden bow ties and lapels work perfectly with both.

2GBT: What tips would you give Two Guys Bow Tie wearers for styling their own wooden bow ties and lapel flowers?

GA: They are perfect statement pieces that can be worn smartly and casually. They’re really easy to style. It’s always better to use light colored shirt if you want to use your wooden bow tie as statement piece. And be confident when you rock these babies, you’ll get showered with compliments. I promise!

Hardwood Feature: Walnut

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Posted by Lacey Wilcox on 19th Jan 2015

Walnut has long been a favorite wood for crafting. Anyone who works with it can attest to its strength, durability, and natural beauty. It’s a mainly straight grained wood with an occasional wave in the grain. Its occasional wavy grain is one of its defining characteristics. Those are some characteristics we feel are equally important to personal style—straight-laced with a flair of the irregular. Just like our handcrafted wooden bowties, those irregularities provide a punch of style without ever being over-done.

Walnut wood is rich with different shades of red and brown throughout. It makes a perfect wood to be paired with all your button-up oxfords and a navy blazer will surely bring out a myriad of earth toned hues. A hand-crafted walnut bow tie or lapel flower will be your wardrobe workhorse. It can dress your look up or down depending on the hour. It’ll say experienced and bold at the office, while leaving you looking natural and inviting for happy hour. Walnut is nothing if not a workable wood. It sands, it paints, and it lacquers and lusters. It does it all… and makes it look easy.

Walnut is one of those woods that grows more lustrous with age too. So instead of looking like a beat-down, dried up, cracked and repaired piece of work, anything made from walnut ages and starts to look pretty savvy, experienced, and unafraid of the road ahead. It’s that board room cool you’re going to need for your next presentation or pitch. A walnut piece from Two Guys Bow Ties is going to make you the guy everyone comes to for answers. We don’t really know what you’re supposed to tell everyone at that point, but we’ve always been fans of “fake it until you make it”. Trust us, with the Cleveland Bow Tie or Oakland Lapel Flower, no one’s going think you’re faking it.

They’re going to say, “Yes, sir. Anything else, sir?”

Then you’re going to say, “No, that’ll be all… for now.”

Another great thing about walnut, besides workability and aged beauty, is its ability to have fun. Take a look at Marion here, above. He looks fun, right? That’s because walnut is a tough hardwood of medium density. He’s smart, but not astrophysicist smart. He’s not overly dense in that way, you know, the way where he’s debunking Interstellar the whole time you’re watching it? Then again, he’s not so dense the other way either—the way in which some hate craft beer and only drink Natty Light. He’s a real nice hardwood of medium density; equal parts smart and down to earth; equal parts wine and cheese as wings and beer. Walnut is a very flexible wood with low stiffness and it can be bent with steam better than many other woods to match any application. That’s one of the great things about medium density hardwoods—they can be whatever you need them to be.

Trust us, if you’re looking for a more versatile, workable wood you won’t find it outside of walnut. If you’re looking for a more elegant wearing wood with age, you won’t find it. If you’re looking for a more dense, on either side of the spectrum, wood; you’ll find it, but a spontaneous fellow like yourself may not want all the inherent constraints it’s sure to come with.

Check out our full-line of walnut crafted, handmade, hardwood accessories today.

A Look Back at 2015

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Posted by Two Guys Bow Ties on 8th Jan 2016

This past year was full of new adventures and incredible opportunities. In March of 2015, we moved from a warehouse in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to our very first store-front location. Not only are we now able to have our shop located in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, but we’re also able to keep our entire wood-shop, making and shipping areas, and offices all in the same building. It was quite the renovation and move-in process, but we’re finally getting to the point it looks like Two Guys when you walk through the front door. Take a look at the transformation with us below.

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Then in July we auditioned for the ABC hit show, Shark Tank. Our episode aired on October 9th, and it was finally at that point we could announce our partnership with the highly reputable fashion mogul, Daymond John.

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The amount of support from you all that we received across the U.S. was overwhelming and we could not have been more grateful.

Needless to say, it’s been quite the ride. And it’s because of your positive feedback and constant support that we get to spend each and every day doing what we are passionate about. So, as simple and insignificant as this may sound in comparison to all you’ve been for us, thank you. We couldn’t have made this a reality without you.

So, Cheers to the adventures of another year! We’re pretty confident you’ll like what we have in store for you guys.

5 Reasons to Wear Wooden Accessories on Your Wedding Day

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Posted by Two Guys Bow Ties on 22nd Jan 2016

(Photos by: Coralee Stone Photography – check out their work here.

1. They’re unique.

The most obvious reason is simply how unique they are. Couples everywhere are always looking for something special or new to set apart their wedding day in a personal way. What better way to do that than with high quality, handcrafted accessories for the groom, his groomsmen, and the handsome ring bearer, of course.

2. They can be custom-made.

The second reason is something we all love but have a hard time finding: the ability to customize your accessories to perfectly compliment your wedding style or color palette. At Two Guys Bow Tie Co., we have a wide variety of wood types, designs, and centerpieces to provide a world of possibilities. We also give our customers the option to send in their fabric of choice for us to use in making both the lapel flowers and bow ties. This option is extremely popular as it allows the couple to choose exactly what they want and allow our design team to help decide the perfect wood type to match both the fabric and your desired look.

Several of the wood types include: Sapele, Walnut, Maple, White Oak, Padauk, Wenge, Rosewood, Bocote, Zebrawood, Lacewood, Purple Heart, and more. We also have a large quantity of custom fabric that isn’t on our website but have available for your use. Just send us an email at: nat@woodenbowties.com, let us know what color scheme you’re looking at, and we can send you photos of what we already have before you go shopping for your own!

3. They have sentimental value.

One of our favorite things about the accessories we make, especially the wooden bowties, is how easily it becomes a sentimental piece that can be passed down through the family. For only $10 extra, you can have a custom message engraved on the back of the tie. Some popular engravings include one or more of these: the wedding date, the person’s name or initials, their title in the wedding, a personal note, an inside joke, a nickname, bible verse, or song lyrics. We also can do front etchings for an additional expense, or engrave handwritten notes as well. Some examples we’ve done in the past are: “Marry you, why wooden tie?” and “I love you” written in the handwriting of a loved one. Unlike fabric only accessories that fade and become dirty or faded over time, our wooden bow ties age beautifully.

4. Two birds. One stone.

Wooden bow ties and lapel flowers can be both a groomsman gift and their accessory for the wedding day. Especially with our custom back-engraving option, it is a keepsake for them to enjoy for years to come. To inspire your own creativity, one of the couples we worked with put together a neat ensemble for each of the groomsmen to enjoy using an old cigar box.

(Fortunately for those of us who enjoy taking less steps if we don’t have to, each of our bow ties and lapel flowers come in a unique magnetic box with our logo on it for premium presentation. We mention this as it isn’t necessary to take them out of their original packaging in order to gift wrap it, but it is completely up to you!)

5. Quality craftsmanship. Made in USA.

Each and every wooden bow tie and lapel flower we sell is made right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Co-Founders, Tim and Adam, oversee every step of production and consider each product we send out to be a great representation of their own personal high quality craftsmanship. Supporting Two Guys Bow Tie Co. is supporting the hard-working men and women in our beautiful country.

With 20% off 5 or more items as our wedding gift to you, we can’t think of any reasons not to wear wooden accessories on your special day. Send us an email at nat@woodenbowties.com for your personal promo code or get answers to any questions you may have!

How to Fold a Wooden Pocket Square

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Posted by Two Guys Bow Ties on 15th Apr 2016

There are several ways to fold our two different styles of wooden pocket squares. Today, we’re going to show you how to do a handful of them.

1. One Point Fold

Step 1: Lay the pocket square on a flat surface with the wooden pattern facing up.
Step 2: Find the center line of the pattern (four rows on each side) and fold the pocket square in half.
Step 3: Find the center point of the pattern (the top of the fold, 4 columns on each side) and pick the pocket square up off the table. Then take one side, make an inverted triangle until it looks like photo #4.
Step 4: Repeat the step above to the other side until it looks like photo #6.
Step 5: Fold the two wings towards the enter until they overlap.

Once you’re done with Step 5, fold the bottom selvedge edge underneath so the pocket square is half the depth. After finishing that, simply situate it into your suit or vest pocket and you’re all set!

2. Puff Fold

Step 1: Lay the pocket square on a flat surface with the wooden pattern facing up.
Step 2: Find the center point (4 rows x 4 columns) and lift the pocket square off the surface.
Step 3: With one hand holding that center point, use your other hand to gather the rest of the pocket square where the wooden pattern meets the remaining fabric.
Step 4: Lay the pocket square gently on your surface and fold the bottom portion up towards the midline of poof.

After finishing that, simply situate it into your suit or vest pocket and you’re all good to go!

3. Square Fold

Step 1: Lay the pocket square on a flat surface with the wooden pattern facing down.
Step 2: Fold over one side of the pocket square so two columns of the wood pattern are visible.
Step 3: Fold the other side of the pocket square so one column of the wood patter is showing.
Step 4: Fold the edge without selvedge up to meet the edge with the selvedge.

Once you finish Step Four, fold the wooden edge up past the selvedge edge and you’re ready to situate it in your suit or vest pocket!

4. Square Fold (For Dot Pattern)

Step 1: Step 1: Lay the pocket square on a flat surface with the wooden pattern facing down.
Step 2: Fold one side over to the 2/3 line.
Step 3: Fold the other side until it’s just short of the folded edge.
Step 4: Fold the pocket square in half by bringing the non-selvedge edge up against the selvedge edge.

Once you finish Step Four, fold the fabric edge over, making sure it doesn’t go beyond the selvedge edge. After that, you’re ready to situate it in your suit or vest pocket!

Wooden Bow Ties

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Bought this as a gift! It didn’t come with everything on the 1st shipment. Once I contacted 2GBT they responded in minutes and had it resolved. 1-2 Days later I had all of my order. I’ve ordered from them before and I have always had a wonderful experience, I now know there have good customer service too
The Calvin wooden bow tie turned out amazing and the etching was perfect! I love Two Guys Bow Ties. They are the best!
I love this. I get tons of complements!
Hey Guys – it might seem unusual for a 12 year old to enjoy wearing a Bow Tie, but my son wore mine to school and absolutely loves it, and looks pretty darn snazzy wearing it as well. Great product and we’ll be buying some more for sure!

Maven Menswear

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Posted by Lacey Wilcox on 28th Apr 2014

Maven Menswear is located in Lafayette, LA, in the heart of Cajun Country. Maven is well-known for carrying unique, trendy fashions, and for providing excellent customer service in a laid back, friendly shopping environment, and we’re proud to share that they carry our wooden bow ties and lapel flowers. We had the opportunity to sit down with Daniel Barbier, co-owner and founder of Maven Menswear.

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What was your vision behind Maven Menswear? (give a brief summary of why you opened this store)

My wife, Christina Barbier, and I began Maven Menswear in 2011. With Christina’s 15+ years of experience in luxury retail and my business management experience, we wanted to create a concept that would give our customers in Lafayette the best of both worlds: a luxury shopping experience in a store with two price points. One price point is attainable to your average college student and we also offer higher end products for the more established professional.

Our Men’s concept has been extremely successful in the past two and a half years and has helped us to open our women’s version (Maven Womenswear) directly across the street from the men’s store. The women’s store has been open for about a year now and is based on the same values as the men’s store: offering unique fashions and styles and excellent customer service to the people of Lafayette.

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What sets Maven Menswear apart from the other stores around it?

Maven brings a big city style to a small town. We wanted to carry different brands that weren’t available at other stores in Lafayette and some aren’t available in the state of Louisiana. We wanted to have cool, trendier clothes that cater to people of all ages with the same style.

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What’s one item in your store that is your personal favorite?

It’s hard to say since I personally have purchased every item in the store and love them all. The wooden bow ties from Two Guys Bow Ties are definitely one of my top favorites through. They’re a really good conversation piece and will have you thanking people all night long for the compliments! When I first saw them on Uncrate.com, I knew they would be a perfect fit for our store ad I had to have them. I always tell people if a regular bow tie isn’t loud enough for you then the next step are the wooden ones from Two Guys Bow Ties.

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Why do you think our Two Guys Bow Ties wooden bow ties and lapel flowers are a good fit for Maven Menswear?

The bow ties are a perfect fit for Maven. We have a very eclectic style and people who appreciate our style know that when they come into our store they will find fashions that are on trend and cool that will set them apart form the rest of the people they will be around when they are out at night or attending an event. That is exactly what Two Guys Bow Ties is about.

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Any future plans you want to share?

Be on the lookout for more Maven stores to pop up in 2015! We’re still discussing what locations will be the best fit for our stores but expansion is definitely on the agenda for the early part of next year. Feel free to give us a shout if you would like to see the Maven stores in your city.

Forage Modern Workshop

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Posted by Lacey Wilcox on 15th Jun 2014

Forage Modern Workshop was born out of a love for the Midwest and good design. The result is a store that celebrates modern craftsmanship and unique designs, textures, and tastes, while still holding to the ruggedness and beauty that makes the Midwest what it is.

The owners of Forage Modern Workshop had a desire to take the pressure off buying great design. They wanted to provoke consciousness in purchasing by encouraging people to think twice about what they buy: who made it, where does it come from, how was it made? The products in their store reflect this desire for quality products made with a quality purpose. Each item in the store has been chosen with care, creating a selection of Midwest modern design, rustic gifts, and items made with the highest levels of craftsmanship.

Forage Modern Workshop believes that the home is a reflection of each person and family’s unique personalities. Your home is the physical representation of your story: it’s filled with furniture and decor that is old and new, gifts from those you love, and items that required months of saving and waiting. The pictures around us are reminders of places we have been, people we have loved, and moments we will never forget. The home is a space for inviting, welcoming, and warming. It should be beautiful because it reflects our stories, and our stories are beautiful.

What sets Forage Modern Workshop apart is its combination of old and new merchandise. Of the new merchandise, 60% is from local Midwest designers and makers, reinforcing the owners’ love for old school craftsmanship, their region, and modern design. They wanted local artists, craftsman, and designers to have a platform to showcase the quality, modern furniture that comes only from the Midwest.

But Forage Modern Workshop isn’t just about great furniture. They see themselves as a lifestyle store, and carry well-designed products for every aspect of your life. A mutual appreciation for craftsmanship in all things led to Forage carrying Two Guys Bow Ties. They appreciate the mixed elements found in our ties, an effect that is reflected throughout their store. We’re told they look really good next to the Eastvold Credenza, a classic piece with a distinct style.

Above all, the members of Forage Modern Workshop believe that work should be enjoyable, and they like having a good time. They hope to provide a space that supports young and fresh design and are collaborating with friends and other local businesses to hold galleries, pop-ups, and other fun events. Their store is a reflection of their passions, risks, and desires to encourage creativity and collaboration.

Photos by Canary Grey Photography

Hardwood Feature: White Oak

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Posted by Lacey Wilcox on 28th Dec 2014

We’re proud American craftsmen at Two Guys Bow Ties, and try to pay homage to the grand ole USA in anyway possible. Many of our handcrafted, hardwood products take their names from great American cities, landmarks, and historic personalities. That’s one of the reasons we decided to use white oak for many of our hardwood accessories, like our Earl (pictured below).

White oak is about as American as a wood can be. Its acorns were once a food source for Native Americans. And years later the USS Constitution was built from it. If you’re not up on your naval history, you probably know that ship by its other name: Old Ironsides. Built to stave off the Barbary pirates of the Mediterranean—American Hero, Paul Revere made its bolts and breasthooks—Old Ironsides outlasted similar vessels, remaining seaworthy to this day. White oak is a pretty special, hardwearing tree whose wood we’d be crazy not to use while on this quest to bring back true American craftsmanship.

Photo Credit: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command

Speaking of American crafts, white oak was Gustav Stickley’s favorite wood. Stickley was the originator of the “American Craftsman” style we’re all so familiar with in wood working circles today. The godfather of the American Arts & Crafts movement chose white oak to be the bearer of his legacy.

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Another fine-crafted, truly American article owes its perfection to white oak—bourbon. Bourbon’s a Southern American whiskey thought to have been brought to the new world by Scots who’d have likely made something that tasted more like Scotch whisky if it weren’t for North America’s different ingredients. Instead of barley, wheat, and rye; Americans used a corn mash. Once the whiskey is aged inside a new charred white oak barrel, it’s ready to become the backbone of your old-fashioned.

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We love using white oak for all the same reasons as those who’ve come before us. It’s a historic wood that’s made its mark on the American identity. White oak is the wood of American artisanship, and we’ve been honored to be able to use it on our Earl and Chester wooden bow ties, as well as several lapel pins: including the Cambridge, Deerfield, and Concord. Most recently, we thought it appropriate to use it for some of our own stylish furniture on our Mammoth Valet Tray.

Start a fire, put a wooden bow tie and lapel pin on, pour a bourbon, have a seat in your early century American chair, and toast all those who came before’s brilliant use of white oak.

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Posted by Two Guys Bow Ties on October 23, 2015

It was officially two weeks ago today since our company aired on the hit TV show, Shark Tank, on ABC. Which also means, it has been four weeks ago today since we found out our segment was even going to be on the show. What an amazing ride this last month has been!

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It all started when we went to our first open audition last summer in Oklahoma City. Only the first 500 attending the audition were guaranteed to be seen by casting officials, so Tim drove down at 5 a.m. to get a place in line at the Devon Boathouse. He stood in the rain wearing his “nice dress clothes” until 10 a.m., when we were allowed inside.

But instead of a quiet room where the attention is seemingly focused on just one or two potential contestants, this casting call involved a row of picnic tables with one casting person behind each, listening to the one-minute pitch — all at the same time.

There was definitely a moment in our audition when the girl we were pitching to — who was acting moderately disinterested — set down her cell phone and asked us to repeat what we had said. At that point, we could tell we had definitely gotten her attention.

What was supposed to be a one-minute presentation turned into 10 to 15 minutes and, pretty soon, the other contestants were gone and the rest of the casting staff was coming over to ask us about our products.

After we had left that night, we could tell we made a good impression, and felt we had done the best we could.

But the road to getting on the TV show became much more involved. Once we were notified we had made the next round, there were follow-up phone interviews, an audition video to make, paperwork to file, background checks, producers to work with on crafting our pitch, etc. And along with every step, we were told there was no guarantee we would make it on the show.

Finally in July, we were asked to fly to Los Angeles to tape our segment for the show. The producers did a good job of preparing us for the show, but the reality of what was happening didn’t hit us until taping time. When those huge doors open and you walk down that hall, it gets really real, real fast.

When we walked into the Tank, they asked us to pause for 30 seconds while they took some display shots, then they said go, and we started our pitch. No producer stopped us, so it really was just a conversation between us and the sharks.

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After close to 45 minutes of being in the Tank, we walked out with smiles on our faces after making a deal with Daymond. But the process wasn’t over yet! We still had paper work to fill out, conference calls, and Skype appointments to make. But after several months on wondering if our segment was going to be chosen to air, we finally found out at the end of September we were in!

Our episode aired on October 9th, and we hosted a “Watch Party” with our employees, friends, and family at our Tulsa shop. It was incredible to see the amount of support we got from our hometown of Tulsa, as well as people all over the country and even the world.

Since then, we have been able to grow our team from 7 people to 13 people and are looking to even hire a handful more. We have been able to become more efficient in our making process while maintaining the utmost quality that we require, and our sales in one month have already beat last year’s numbers!

All in all, this whole Shark Tank experience has been great, we are so thankful for the opportunities we’ve been given as a result of it, and we’re excited for this year’s holiday season.