Steve has never chosen to move forward with a Halloween necktie design. Maybe it has something to do with the nature of the holiday or the market, or maybe he’s just scared. I took on the challenge though of finding a necktie deign that could be classified as spooky or Halloween-esque and discovered Jolly Roger in red from this Fall’s collection offers the right amount of haunt to be classified as a Halloween tie design. Originally the Jolly Roger necktie was printed in bright pink, mint, and violet for our Spring 2014 Collection. The tie had a very nautical and preppy feel to it and conjured up the image of pirates, cocktail parties, and the social elite. The Jolly Roger tie design was in fact so popular that we had to bring it back for this fall. Steve chose a nice light blue and red as the color choices for the design. Jolly Roger in red, seems to give me a darker and spookier feeling than its predecessors. (See below)

Maybe its because red is the color of blood, or possibly the red/ and black color story that is working… whatever it is, I personally find it to be our scariest silk illustration. Skull and crossbones on red seems to stoke a sense of fear. Tie it on for the office this Halloween or wear it as part of your costume. I’m sure one can think of a great costume… If it were me, I would tie on this red Jolly Roger tie and be a Bird Dog Bay fan. Whatever you do this October 31st, have a Happy Halloween! Uahahahahaha

 

With the introduction of “Clay Day” into our Fall 2014 collection, I wondered, where did clay shooting originate? How did it become such an important aspect of shooting and marksmanship… How would the founders feel if they knew they’re “Clay Pigeons” were illustrated on silk neckties here at Bird Dog Bay. Clay shooting or Skeet shooting has become an American pastime and is practiced around the world… Yet how did it begin. Clay shooting began with British marksmen trying to impersonate birds to work on their shot. The Brits have been doing this since the origins of the shotgun, which his the firearm usually preferred for clay shooting. Sporting clays were created to simulate the unpredictability of live-quarry shooting (birds in flight), offering a great variety of trajectories, angles, speeds, elevations, distances, and targets. The terminology of clay pigeons commonly used by clay shooters often relates to times past, when live-pigeon competitions were held. Many of these competitions were made illegal in England in 1921, but a target may still be called a “bird”, and hit may be referred to as a “kill”, and a missed target as a “bird away”; the machine which projects the targets is still known as a “trap”. The clays are orange for safety and visibility. As seen in our “Clay Day” tie.

From here shooting clays was dived into three different sports with Skeet shooting becoming the most popular for mere in the US. Here is how they are deciphered.

In trap shooting, the targets are launched from a single “house” or machine, generally away from the shooter.
In skeet shooting, targets are launched from two “houses” in somewhat “sideways” paths that intersect in front of the shooter.
Sporting clays includes a more complex course, with many launch points. Skeet shooting as we know it in America was invented by some guy named Charles Davis, hailing from Andover, Massachusetts. Davis was an avid grouse hunter, and was involved in what bird hunting in the 1920’s was called, “Clock Shooting”.

Davis created a course, which was a circle with a radius of 25 yards and its circumference marked off like the face of a clock and a trap set at the 12 o’clock position. The game evolved to its current setup by 1923 when one of Davis’ friends, William Harnden Foster, placed a second trap at the 6 o’clock position and cut the course in half. Foster quickly noticed the appeal of this kind of competition shooting, and set out to make it a national sport.

Foster took it under his hand to make the game a sport. The game was introduced in the February 1926 issue of National Sportsman and Hunting and Fishing magazines, and a prize of 100 dollars was offered to anyone who could come up with a name for the new sport. The winning entry was “skeet”. The word “skeet” was said to be derived from the Norwegian word for “shoot” …

During the second World War, skeet shooting was used in the US Army to teach gunners the principle of leading and timing on a flying target. The first National Skeet Championship was held in 1926. From here it become a national pastime for hunters and marksmen alike.

Now, those bright orange clay adorn our silk ties… Ain’t that something.

 

Bird Dog Bay has introduced its inaugural line of men’s button dress shirts this fall. We could not be more excited to begin selling our shirts to our friends. The shirts are made of 100% Egyptian cotton and Italian milled.  Steve was so particular when he was designing the shirts, and he designed them to match our Bird Dog Bay ties. The shirts have a modern English cut that simply fits… It not going to be a baggy box, or fit like an Italian wetsuit… The response so far has been great and we are pleased with the quality and craftsmanship of the shirts.

We released seven shirts this Fall. All seven have button down collars and two of the seven brush cotton, which is a heavier weight for those cool Fall days… or really any day here in Chicago. We are selling them online here at birddog bay.com as well as our new storefront in downtown Chicago. Trust us, you will love the fit, feel, and overall look of Bird Dog Bay dress shirts. They are man’s best friend.

Bird Dog Bay has opened is first storefront at Ogilvie Station in the heart of downtown Chicago, Illinois. located in the loop and the city’s financial district, we could not be happier with our location and store. We are very excited to begin this adventure and can’t wait to see what the future holds. The space is done is classic Bird Dog Bay style and aesthetic. Large moss topiary hunting dogs wearing Bird Dog Bay ties greet the public at the entrance. The large glass entryway entails two large French glass doors that lead shopper into the space complete with dark floors, wood paneled walls, and Persian rugs. Large and rugged Chicago butcher block tables hold a rainbow of bird dog bay’s ties, socks, dress shirts, and gear. The space is intriguing, simple, and full of color. Come on in and check it out for yourself! we’re open!