How to Tie a Bow Tie
Tie a self-tie bow tie by hand in six steps, with a center knot that holds, loops you can even out in the mirror, and the right bow tie for black tie.
You will end up with a hand-tied bow tie centered on your collar, a center knot tight enough to last the evening, and loops you can even out in the mirror. The knot is the same bow you tie in your shoelaces. Tying it at your neck while you watch your hands backward in a mirror is what makes the first attempts slow.
Expect a few tries before the first wearable knot. FAQ 4 below shows how to practice on your thigh, where you can see what your hands are doing.
A self-tie bow tie (also called a freestyle bow tie). This is a long strip of fabric with bow-shaped ends. Do not use a pre-tied bow tie with a clip. Debrett's black-tie advice is to avoid clip-on or ready-tied bow ties and learn to tie your own. A mirror is essential. A dress shirt with the collar up.
Start with the bow tie around your neck
Drape the bow tie around your neck under the collar with the seam side down. Let the end on your non-dominant side (the left, if you are right-handed) hang a little longer than the other, which is how Gentleman's Gazette starts the knot. Throughout these steps, the longer end is called the long end and the shorter one is the short end. Stand in front of a mirror.
Cross the long end over the short end
Take the long end and cross it over the short end at the point where the collar meets the top button. Bring the long end under and through the neck loop, pulling it upward. Tighten gently, then tug the two ends until they hang roughly equal in length, which is Gentleman's Gazette's check that you started with the right lengths. If they are far apart, loosen the knot, shift the bow tie around your neck, and start again. You now have a simple overhand knot, the first half of a shoelace bow. The long end now points straight up. Let it rest over your shoulder or hold it with a chin tuck to keep it out of the way for the next step.
Form the front loop with the short end
Take the short end (the one hanging down) and fold it horizontally at the widest part to create the bow shape. The folded portion should sit across the front of your neck, centered on the collar. Hold this bow shape in place with the thumb and forefinger of one hand, pinching it at the center where the knot will be. This folded shape becomes the front of the finished bow tie. Getting the position right here determines how the final tie looks.
Good to know: Pinch the center of the folded bow tightly with one hand and do not let go until the knot is complete. If the fold slips, the bow comes apart and you start over. Hold firm and use your other hand for the remaining steps.
Drop the long end over the center
Take the long end (the one you draped up and over your shoulder) and bring it straight down over the front of the bow shape you are holding. It should drape over the center of the bow, covering the pinch point. This creates the center band of the bow tie knot.
Form the back loop and push it through
Now fold the long end back on itself to form a second bow loop, just like you did with the short end. Take this folded loop and push it through the small gap behind the front bow loop and behind the center band you just created. This is the trickiest part. Use your finger to find the gap behind the front loop and above the neck band. Wiggle the folded long end through that space. It will feel clumsy the first few times.
Adjust and straighten
Once the back loop is through, gently pull on opposite loops and opposite tails alternately to tighten and center the knot. Pull the front loop to the right and the back loop to the left (or vice versa) to tighten the center knot. Pull the flat tails to adjust the loop sizes. The bow should sit centered on your collar with both loops roughly the same size. Slight asymmetry is normal. Flip your collar down and bring the bow tie out from under it, then step back from the mirror and check the overall look.
If the bow comes apart while you tighten it, work through FAQ 1 below. If one loop stays bigger than the other, pull the flat tails to even them out and tighten the center again, as in step 6. Own one black self-tie bow tie and you are set for black tie, which Debrett's calls the most formal dress code many people will ever encounter. The exception is white tie. Debrett's describes white tie as the most formal dress code and specifies a thin white bow tie with it, so a black one will not carry you through a white-tie invitation. For the jacket pocket, our guide on how to fold a pocket square covers the flat white fold for black tie.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Check the center knot first, because a loose one lets the bow slide apart. After pushing the back loop through, pull the loops in opposite directions to cinch the knot, as in step 6. The other cause is losing the fold of the front bow before pushing the back loop through. Keep a firm pinch on the center fold throughout the process, as the tip in step 3 says.
A self-tie (freestyle) bow tie is a long strip of fabric you tie yourself. A pre-tied bow tie is a permanently shaped bow attached to an adjustable neck band with a hook or clip. Pre-tied bow ties are convenient, but their perfect symmetry and uniform shape mark them as pre-tied, and Debrett's black-tie advice is to avoid them. A self-tied bow tie has the slight asymmetry that shows it was tied by hand.
Start with the neckband. Self-tie bow ties come adjustable, with a slider on the band, or in fixed neck sizes. Gentleman's Gazette says most adjustable bow ties fit neck sizes from 14 to 18 inches, and it prefers a fixed-length one for evening wear, because the slider shows with a wing collar and when you untie the bow at the end of the night. For the shape, the butterfly has wings that flare out from a small knot, and the batwing is a slimmer, straighter shape. For your first bow tie, get a butterfly in black. It works for weddings, galas, and any black-tie event.
Yes. Wrap it around your thigh just above the knee and tie it there. The motion is the same, but you can see what your hands are doing without a mirror. Once you can tie it on your thigh consistently, move to the mirror.
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How to Tie a Bow Tie
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