Tying a bow tie can be weirdly frustrating. Neckties? Piece of cake. But tying a bowtie, for those of us who just don’t have occasion to wear one often, can make some of us break a sweat.
Unless you know this trick…
This is the video I call up when I have to wear a bow tie, because I almost always forget just how to tie the darn thing.
Note: you might have to go to youtube to watch this, seems the embed feature is disabled at post time?
This guy is great. He demonstrates it slowly, perfectly, and the KEY is at 0:59 in. That’s when he takes each side of the bow and pulls those sides forward, away from his neck, to expose the loop behind the knot.
That’s the trick. Exposing the loop. It is a very, very big deal to know.
Otherwise, you’ll find yourself eternally frustrated, trying to figure out how to push that dang folded piece back behind there, because without pulling the knot forward and exposing the loop/tunnel? It’ll seemingly have nowhere to go.
Thank you Mr. Charles French. You are a terrific teacher.
My suggestion? Watch the video three times, yes THREE times before you attempt to tie your bow tie. Just so your brain can absorb the info. And then go step by step, pausing at each step.
And remember. A bow tie isn’t supposed to be perfect. A bow tie that looks too perfect, is almost certainly a pre-tied number. Which… they have their place, but if you’re on this site, you’re probably shooting a bit higher. Pre tied bow ties aren’t quite clip-on neckties, but they’re headed in that direction.
That’s all.
Carry on.
P.S. Apologies for the burgeoning red neck beard at the very top of this post. I wasn’t expecting to be wearing black tie that day.