Three Years of Spooky Bow Ties: Behind the Designs
Spooky season is officially here, and I’ve been taking another look through my collection of Halloween bow ties!
While looking back at some of my designs, I realised I’ve developed a bit of an accidental Halloween tradition. For the past three years, I’ve created a new bow tie inspired by a different character from one of my favourite Halloween films, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
From hand-drawn pinstripes to colourful patchwork and creepy crawlies bursting through the seams, each year’s design has been a little different. So I thought I’d share a closer look at the three bow ties and the inspiration behind them.
2024: The Pinstripe Bow Tie
It all started back in 2024 with a design inspired by Jack Skellington and his iconic black-and-white pinstripe suit.
Rather than using a standard striped pattern, I wanted to create something with a little more character. I hand-drew the white pinstripes, giving them a slightly uneven, wavy appearance to capture the quirky style of the original inspiration.
The result was a simple black-and-white bow tie with a slightly gothic feel. I particularly like that this one works just as well outside of Halloween, whether you’re going for something spooky or just want a more unusual take on classic pinstripes.
2025: Colourful Patchwork
The following year, I decided to take things in a completely different direction, drawing inspiration from Sally’s colourful patchwork dress.
This was a chance to have some fun with colour and pattern! I hand-drew a collection of mismatched fabric patches in shades of purple, pink, teal, yellow and orange, each with its own little details.
From swirling purple patterns and bold stripes to spotted yellow patches and hand-drawn stitching, I wanted the design to have that playful, slightly mismatched appearance that makes patchwork so interesting.
I love how bright and bold this one turned out. It’s definitely a statement bow tie, and a lovely contrast to the much simpler black-and-white design from the previous year.
2026: Creepy Crawlies and Stitched Seams
And that brings us to this year’s addition!
For 2026, I wanted to create something inspired by Oogie Boogie, particularly the moment when his stitched-up sack comes apart and reveals all the creepy crawlies hiding inside.
Rather than using his familiar bright green colour scheme, I decided to go for something a little darker. I created a grey-black hessian-style background, with rough, stitched seams that appear to be bursting open as colourful insects escape through the fabric.
I really like the contrast between the dark, textured background and all those brightly coloured bugs. There are beetles, spiders, ladybirds and all sorts of creepy crawlies scattered throughout the design.
It’s a little creepy, a little colourful and definitely something different for this year’s Halloween collection!
Three Years, Three Very Different Designs
Looking at all three bow ties together, I love how different they’ve turned out.
From the simple monochrome pinstripes of 2024 to the colourful patchwork of 2025 and this year’s creepy-crawly creation, each design has its own personality.
I hadn’t originally planned to make this an annual tradition, but now that I’ve noticed the pattern, perhaps I’ll have to keep it going!
Who knows what might inspire next year’s Halloween design?
In the meantime, if you’re looking for something a little different to wear this spooky season, you can explore these designs and the rest of my Halloween bow tie collection at Stranger Ties.
