Pussy bow

File:London Fashion Designers- the work of Members of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, London, England, UK, 1945 D23781.jpg

Pussycat bow blouse designed by Elspeth Champcommunal for Worth London, 1945

A pussy bow or pussycat bow is a style of neckwear often associated with women's blouses and bodices. It takes the form of a bow tied at the neck, similar to those that used to be tied around kittens' and cats' necks.

History

While bows at the neck had been worn since at least the nineteenth century, the term "pussy bow" or "pussy cat bow" took hold in the 20th century. In 1934 the St. Petersburg Times offered a pattern for an Anne Adams dress featuring a convertible collar which could be worn in four different ways, including as "an intriguingly feminine pussy cat bow tied high under your chin." In 1947, pussy cat bows were part of the look inspired by Gibson Girls and 1890s fashions created by designers such as Omar Kiam.

It was popular with designers such as Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, and by the 1960s had been widely taken up by the American market.

During the 1980s the pussy bow blouse became a key part of Margaret Thatcher's political image after she became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979, and became closely linked with her. Thatcher reportedly said she thought bows were "rather softening" and "pretty," and at her funeral in 2013, the then Prime Minister's wife paid tribute by wearing a pussy bow blouse. The Thatcher look was imitated by other female politicians.