Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Bow Tie 101

Tying the perfect bow tie is not as easy as you may think and the key to it is patience!

Last week I was outfitting a client in a tuxedo for a wedding he was attending as a groom's man. He opted for a more traditional look and wanted a bow tie. Though I tend to wear bow ties quite often, I prefer the ready made ones therefore it had been years since I had tied a bow tie and the process of doing it again, took me back to my younger days. It was the winter of 1990 - back in NY when I was running nightclubs -  when a customer of mine who was a very classic and sharp-dresser sort of gentleman, taught me to how to tie a bow tie. It was quite a long process - though we made it fun by adding alcohol to the mix. The key to creating the perfect bow tie is patience. My hat is off to anyone who is able to tie a bow tie on the first try.


 



Technically is just like tying your shoelaces, however the width of the fabric - and the fact that most times you are tying the bow tie on yourself looking in the mirror - makes it a bit complicated to achieve even sides. This is where patience comes in. You may need to do it a couple of times before you get it right.




You can always tell the difference between a ready made bow tie from a self tied bow tie. The ready made bow tie is always perfect where the self tied one tends to be a little less perfect thus making it special and unique.
Whichever bow tie you choose, wear it well and have fun with it!

1 comment:

  1. Your advice is very helpful. I find the last bit, the bit shown with the black arrow, the most difficult. Pushing the end through can be frustrating but "tribulation worketh patience". You're right: patience and practice are necessary.

    Thanks for your advice.

    ReplyDelete