What kind of bow tie is this?

[The Good]

Colonel Sanders was known for wearing this tie.

Michael Ginsberg from Mad Men is seen wearing one in a promotional shot for the sixth season. Is this appropriate with a dinner jacket at all?

I always assumed this was something that harks back to the 19th century, as in during the days of the old west and Victorian era. It's seen pretty frequently in TV and film westerns, especially older ones, but a few have still worn them in more recent times. I think it's a sort of bow tie, what is this called?

 

[Shangas]

They're called shoestring ties (also called Bolo ties). They're very old fashioned. According to Wikipedia, they date back to the 1860s.

 

[HudsonHawk]

That's not a bolo tie. A bolo tie has a fastener or slide that cinches up the strings around the neck. I've seen this variously described as a "western string tie" a "western bow tie" or a "Kentucky bow tie". But it's tied with a knot of its own material, definitely not the same as a bolo.

As for it being appropriate for a dinner jacket, absolutely. They're not uncommon in the western US as formal ties.

 

[slc]

At Mainebows.com, they have something similar. The "cowboy style" looks more like Colonel Sanders than the Mad Men.

http://www.mainebows.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=M&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bow_styles

 

[Dinerman]

String tie. You almost only see them as clip-ons.

 

[carldelo]

I was interviewed once by a well-know professor of engineering who wore a stylish but old-fashioned silk version of the string tie. It was a little wider than any of the pictures here, in a solid color (burgundy, I think) with no pattern. He was originally from eastern Europe and was distinctly old-fashioned in his dress and manner, to the extent that he asked me about 8 illegal questions during the first five minutes of the interview (e.g. how old are you, are you married, what is your wife's job, do you plan to have children, etc.). No, I didn't get the job...