A bow tie always makes a fashion statement, but gay activist and actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, getting a tie adjustment from Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon during a trip this month to Naperville, is making a political statement with his Tie The Knot campaign to support marriage equality.

Bob Chwedyk | Staff Photographer

Former Naperville Councilman James Boyajian became known for always wearing a bow tie (as well as a pocket kerchief and suspenders).

Daily Herald File Photo 2010

Nearly every well-dressed man wore a bow tie in 1864, when Abraham Lincoln rocked this look. The popularity of bow ties has waxed and waned during the last 150 years, but it's almost a sure bet that President Barack Obama will don one for Monday's inaugural balls.

Associated Press

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck wear their trademark bow ties for this 2011 photo with singer Christina Aguilera and her son Max. Minnie Mouse opts to wear her bow in her hair.

Associated Press

In this scene from the short-lived TV show "The Playboy Club," you might not have noticed that all Playboy bunnies wear a fashion item once popularized by our U.S. Sen. Paul Simon — the good, old bow tie.