Saturday, January 15, 2011

Weekend WTF: Bowtie flower thingy

Previous entries with the wtf tag have certainly been a little more odd, but in both cases, I at least knew what they were. With this installment, I'm really truly stumped with the actual accessory that I've purchased.

I was at a local thrift store the other day when I spotted what I originally thought was two silk bowties floating in a bin of loose ties. I pulled them out to inspect them a little closer, and this is what I found...

lands end thingies
Based on the style of the tag, they're definitely an older Lands' End product. They each have a hook and latch like a ready-tied bowtie, but instead have an almost 2-inch fixed "flower" on the neck where the bow would usually be.

lands end things
They were 50 cents each, so I couldn't pass them up. Frankly, I'm not even sure that they're a men's accessory, but I figured it was worth a dollar to inspire a blog post and learn a little something in the process.

Certainly one of my readers know what they are. If you do, please let me know in the comments.

Edit: As expected, Yankee Whisky Papa came through with the answer in the comments (a Rosette tie, which is a womens accessory) and even had a suggestion that I'll likely have to follow. Thanks!
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3 comments:

  1. Scott AlexanderJanuary 15, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    I've never seen anything like that produced by Lands' End, but I have seen these before with women's blouses. Not sure when they were last in style, nor have I ever seen these on the Lands' End site.

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  2. Yankee-Whisky-PapaJanuary 16, 2011 at 7:13 AM

    Mr. M,
    The items you've found are rosette ties, and are intended as a bow tie's near-par for women. You can still see them in some of the old restaurants, hotels, and theaters where male staff wear the equivalent bow ties. The pattern on the red is actually pretty nice, though not surprising as I have found that Land's End generally uses very sturdy, attractive, and vivid silks for their ties. With a bit of simple stitching, these would make fantastic boutonnieres for a man's lapel, though.

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  3. mistermidwesterJanuary 16, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    Thanks for the comments. I figured that they were a woman's accessory, but wasn't completely sure. The color and construction was nice enough that I figured my small investment would be worth it regardless.

    The idea of turning them into boutonnieres is great. The red one will look absolutely fabulous, and even though I'm not a huge fan of yellow, I think it will be a good one to have around.

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