Often associated with ballet dancers, school girls, and playing dress-up, bows are a signifier of youth. As such, they are often deemed frivolous. But, back in the day, the bow motif was a utilitarian component of style. Take, for example, the Middle Ages when bows were used in women’s and men’s clothing to keep garments in place, according to Summer Anne Lee, a fashion historian and adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
