Peter Dunne: Bow-tie master
In a new series on MPs’ hidden talents, Sam Sachdeva speaks to the UnitedFuture leader.
Calling Peter Dunne’s bowtie skills a ‘‘hidden talent’’ may be stretching it a bit. The UnitedFuture leader and 32-year political veteran is almost never seen without one of his 60 bow ties around his neck, whether in Parliament’s debating chamber or wandering through Wellington’s CBD on a work day.
Dunne himself recognises that the bow tie has become a crucial part of his image, even rivalling his gravity-defying coiff as his main feature.
‘‘It used to be my hair that was the subject of great discussion and debate. It’s entirely natural, I ensure you,’’ he quickly adds. ‘‘The colour, it doesn’t need a brush in the morning, and it just falls into place. It’s quite nice to have that attention now shift to my neckwear.’’
Dunne sported a conventional tie when he first entered politics, before dabbling with unorthodoxy against the advice of his team.
‘‘I had very strong advisers at the time who said to me, ‘Don’t, you’ll draw attention to yourself’,
‘‘It used to be my hair that was the subject of great discussion and debate.’’
which I thought was sort of part of the process.’’
Then ‘‘two terrible things’’ happened, with both advisers dying over the years.
‘‘When they were finally out of the way ... I’m a messy eater sometimes and I had always stains on full-length ties and I thought the time had come.’’
About five years ago, he committed to bow ties fulltime, for reasons of fashion as much as food consumption.
‘‘I quite like the fact that they are a bit different, and the fact that someone said to me ... ‘you’ll draw attention to yourself’, I quite like that too – politicians are not unknown to do that sort of thing.’’
Dunne’s high-profile advocacy for the oft-neglected men’s accessory has turned him into an unlikely fashion icon, particularly with a younger demographic eager for advice in the run-up to school ball season.
‘‘Every year ... I get not lots but probably half a dozen or so letters from guys saying, ‘Oh look we’ve got the school ball coming up, can you give me some tips on how to tie a bow tie, or what colour should I wear’, so yeah, I quite enjoy giving fashion advice.’’
He’s also in a rare club of politicians to have a piece of clothing named after them – a Wellington clothing brand worked with the MP to produce ‘‘The Dunne’’ bow tie, a white number with purple dots.
Dunne is committed to sporting bow ties in Parliament for the rest of his career – fittingly for the arch-pragmatist, who has reasons practical as well as fashionable.
‘‘I’ve kept a whole lot of [normal ties] but they’re now all unfashionable, and if I was to go back to a regular tie, I’d have to go and have a big tie-buying splurge.’’