Fly fishing is an american pastime. The sport conjures up images of men in the streams and ponds across our great country… From the Snake River nestled alongside the Grnad Teton Mountains to the swamp waters of lake Okochoebee, flyfishing is a terapeutical and beautiful game between man and fish…

Steve has found a way to incorporate this beloved sport into many of our favorite ties and accessories. Hooked on Flies is a beautiful step and repeat fly fishing tie that has fly seemingly dancing across the tie in the manner they do on water… The colors also resonate well with the bright colors of the line and fish of the sport…

Two other fly fishing ties that are oldies but goodies are dry fly dreams and catch and release. Both complimeneting the best selling hooked on flies. Both of these ties, found in lime and magenta seems to draw on the colors of a rainbow tout, every fly fisherman’s favorite catch.

The sport of fly fishing hass also found its way into our collection of boxer shorts with our gone fishing boxers and pima cotton socks.

Furthermore, the cown jewel of all of Bird Dog Bay;s fly fishing giifts and accessories is our hand made fly links. These are sure to add that extra zing to any sportman’s outfit… Coming in various colors and designs you are sure to quite the catch next time to put them on.

The skull and bones symbol has been used for centuries. From medieval and prehistoric times, to today it usually conjures up a symbol of death or danger. It is seen everywhere from toxic waste containers, military uniforms, cemetaries, and even bird dog bay neckties. Our use of the skull and crossbones is probably most closely ‘tied’ to the use of the symbol in fraternities, societies, and clubs. Steve really took his necktie designs to the next level when he made the skull and cross clubs tie for this Fall’s collection. Complete with a skull on a classic pendant club crest, the bones underneath the skull head have been replaced with a crossed pair of golf irons, and a small golf ball rests on the skull’s head. It is a fun commentary on country clubs, the skull and bones symbol, and the sport of golf. In a way, it is a skull and bones tie, golf tie, and traditional club tie all in one. It is also just a well spaced statement tie to complement any navy blazer or sport coat.

Enjoy all of our skull and club ties here!

Along with the skull and cross clubs tie, we also offer the “Jolly Roger” skull and bones necktie and bow tie. The Jolly Roger offers up a more nautical vibe rather than the club and society feel of skull and cross clubs. However, it still conjures up an image of allure, secrecy and curiosity to your outfit. Yo ho ho!

Enjoy all our Jolly Roger ties here!

Both ties incorporate the skull and bones symbol in a fun, preppy, and a colorful manner.

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year… Here at Bird Dog Bay, it is of course even crazier than usual. Despite having almost every conceivable dog tie, hunting tie, fishing, tie and so on… this time of the year we still wish we could have every tie for every person from crabs playing football ties to baseball players drinking beer ties, to dodo birds on yachts ties… but eventually the requests get to obscure… That did not stop Steve from drawing Santa Claus duck hunting… (My favorite tie of the holiday season collection)

This year we are calling black friday, “black lab friday” at bird dog bay in honor of one of Steve’s most popular tie designs…

Do you have a black lab or know someone who loves them? We have you covered. Black Lab Heaven is one of our most popular designs…We have them in several colors, even black lab socks! Shoot, I almost forgot, Steve drew Black lab boxer shorts as well… Despite having been through a couple holiday shopping season, We still find ourselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume and anticipation during “the most wonderful time of the year.” When you are a small, humble company like Bird Dog Bay, all you can do is stay true to who you are and do your best to give the fans of Bird Dog Bay what they want!

Despite being consumed by piles of receipts, web folders of emails, and phone calls every 2 minutes, We manage to stay the course and package each tie and dress shirt in the same particular manner. Every tie folded mechanically into its individual gift box, every shirt package wrapped with care. Everyone that is a part of our small team is all hands on deck…well except for Gus the dog… He has managed to be even more lethargic and unhelpful this year. Anyway, Happy Black Friday and holiday shopping, always remember birddogbay.com is your destination to keep men looking “best in Show” this holiday season! We are here for you, no matter how cold it is in Chicago, or how crazy it is at the studio!

Owls seem to be such an overlooked and beautiful part of the animal world. With their large talons, bountiful coats, and ominous eyes, Owls have a strong and charismatically unique physical character. Steve, is a self proclaimed animal lover, that should be pretty apparent after gazing over our collection of mens neckwear. We have gorilla ties, elephant ties, gator ties, lobster ties, horse ties, a couple dogs ties, and now we have added an owl tie to our extensive collection. The wise bird of prey is a symbol of mystery and of wealth and knowledge, all compelling traits.

The design Steve drew showcases the wise owl in flight after capturing a mouse, It is playful, saturnine, and interesting just like the bird itself. It comes in lime green (a great accent against a fall sport coat, as well as a classic french blue. Steve also made the design in a rich navy blue for all the Rice Owl alumni and friends around the country. Overall, Hooter Hunt provides folks with a fun tie that is wise anytime of the year.

Thanksgiving is appraoching quickley. The great American holiday of family and friends, feasting on food, as well as football and napping. It is my personal favorite holiday. So often shadowed by Christmas, Thanksgiving offers us the chance to reflect and come together. To me, thats what a holiday is all about. Every Christmas, people don their tartan plaid jacket or holiday themed necktie for the Christmas Day party. Yet, why can’t Thanksgiving have some love in the holiday style department. Here at Bird Dog Bay, Steve drew up a classic tie, Turkey Trot for all those fans of the late autumnal feast. The tie has turkeys in their vibrant autumnal feathers juxtaposed to their family members (other turkeys) who are not so fortunate (feathers have been plucked) It is a hilarious nod to the great American holiday as well ass a fantastic addition to an outfit anytime of the year. It comes in blue, red, and orange… Pair it with our Turkey socks to be better ‘dressed’ than the turkey this November.

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!

 

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.