A tie from our collection that has shown great poise and endurance no matter the season, region, or color has been “Bicycle Race.” Maybe this is because there are not many bicycle ties out there, or the fact that cycling is quite a popular pastime, or even because it is a great tie! I personally cannot get enough of Steve’s design for Bicycle Race. Both the blue and coral color options offer a unique tie in an interesting and compelling pattern… The Coors Classic was an international bicycle race that took place in the Rocky Mountains through the 1970’s and 1980’s. Steve’s family watched those races in downtown Vail Village every summer of his childhood. This design was inspired by a 1981 postcard with that year’s street banner art that he kept in his personal design file for over 30 years. How neat is that! If you look at the tie long enough, it actually looks like the riders are moving! It also come in a bow tie, thats right, a cycling bow! I am currently training for a century ride, which is a tour of over 100 miles on bike. Me and some buddies are going to ride from Chicago to Milwaukee in a couple of weekends. It would be swell to throw on my Bird Dog Bay bicycle tie when I get there! Cycling has always been a sports held in the highest esteem for me. I attended Indiana University for my graduate studies, where the Little 500 race is quite the spectacle to behold! I also grew up in the time where Livestrong bands meant more to me than a fashion statement and where about Lance and his powerful battle with cancer… Looking back I still think Lance was an incredible athlete, yet the shadow of lies and doping will always overshadow the millions of dollars and awareness for cancer research… What is done is done though. Maybe Bicycle Race will “take off” and become a reminder to the American people of how great the sport of cycling is. Just some quick thoughts on cycling and ties. Got to go hop on the saddle and keep training.

 

Our industry like most, is constantly changing, growing, and adapting… People are looking for new ways to shop, buy, and receive items… Folks love giving Bird Dog Bay ties and accessories as gift. The packaging, quality, and nature of our products make them phenomenal items to both give and receive. One new product feature we have introduced this fall is our “12 Gauge Gift Sets”. We have grouped together some of our favorite boxer shorts and socks into fabulous contrasting and collaborative gift sets to make shopping easier for y’all!

Some of our boxer gift sets include quail hunt and blue ginghams, which pairs one of our traditional 100% cotton gingham boxer shorts with one of our whimsical hunting themed boxers. Grouped together, they seem to enhance each other! The packaging is a green and gold ‘Shotgun Shell’ canister perfect for any hunting enthusiast or underwear aficionado. Take a look at all of our boxer gift sets here… SHOP

This fall we also introduced another way to purchase our socks, by introducing our sock gift sets… By pairing all of our dog socks, seen in “The Hot Dogs” or a grouping three saltwater fish together as in “The Saltwaters” you create fun and genuinely interesting gift sets… Each sock gift set comes with three pairs of our pima cotton dress socks.

 

People can’t seem to get enough of both our boxer shorts, and socks, so we are excited to give our friends even more options!

This fall we have introduced yet another plaid group into our neckwear collect. With “Scotland Yard”, and “Neapolitan Plaid” being such crowd pleasers, Steve thought it wise to add yet another traditional woven plaid tie into our collection. Plaid has become a staple of American fashion. From plaid shirts, to plaid neckties and plaid bow ties, plaid has become a consistent and classic part of Bird Dog Bay’s collection.

Plaid is an american translation of the Scottish word describing a blanket in a tartan pattern. Tartan is basically plaid, just in the US of A, we always have our own way of describing things. In Scotland, every tribe would have a distinct tartan pattern that would signify their alliance and family. They would wear their tartan pattern into battle and when traveling to signify who they were. Tartan is made in a unique manner that can trace its origins to the 16th century. It sounds fairly technical, yet is actually quite simple. Each thread in the warp crosses each thread in the weft at right angles. Where a thread in the warp crosses a thread of the same colour in the weft they produce a solid color on the tartan. This is how our ties are made as well… Why mess with an age old tradition!

While crossing over each other the threads produce an equal mixture of the two colors. From here the two base colors produce three different colours including one mixture. This is illustrated below in “Pastry Plaid” Plaid has become a staple in our line, and for good reason. The construction is sound, colorful, and bold. It pairs well with any oxford, dress shirt, and even stripe shirt. Safe to say, a wee bit of plaid is never a bad idea. 

The boys are lacing up their cleats, putting their helmets on, and preparing for the next week’s opponent. Meanwhile, we are laying out which football themed bow tie and shirt we want to rock at the tailgate, deciding which brisket to buy to cookout in the tailgate fields, and which beer we want to wash it down with… Football season is here! Here at Bird Dog Bay, we live for fall. The season seems to conjoin and parallel our products and what we love. From hunting ties, dog ties, beer ties, and football ties… We have several of each… They are all so autumnal. We are especially excited for the beginning of this fall and our 2014 Open Season Collection. We have a lot going on at Bird Dog Bay! The new collection Steve illustrated and designed has a strong assortment of hunting ties, with Clay Day and Morning Hunt as two new designs that in order to become instant classics! Guy Tie seems to be the perfect tie for very man. Complete with footballs, helmets, cigars, and a steak… it makes for an incredible tailgate statement piece.  My personal favorite is our newest football tie design 1st and Ten… It is an original that Steve brought back in blue, Texas gold, and red… It pairs nicely with an oxford shirt and gus cap! An Offensive Tie is still available as well, and offer another football tie solution for all you tailgating champions out there! Once agin, we are excited for the beginning of the season and are ready to ‘fall’ head first into it! It is 1st and Ten and we are looking to score!