# How to Tie the Perfect Bow Tie?



## wereed (Aug 1, 2006)

Hello gentleman,
I am new here and have been browsing a lot. My brother tripreed lead me to this site. He recently got me interested in bowties and one thing he can attest to is the difficulty I have with getting my knot perfect. Now I know this comes with time and practice, but what tips could you gentlemen offer as far as getting a tight, small, perfect knot? The ones in the catalog are so perfect it makes me sick. Thanks in advance for your help.

Walt

Here are some pictures of what I'm aiming for: https://www.jpressonline.com/neckwear_bowties_detail.php?ix=7
https://www.jpressonline.com/neckwear_bowties_detail.php?ix=11

Mine usually turns into something like this, but MUCH worse:
https://www.jpressonline.com/neckwear_bowties_detail.php?ix=1


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## misterman (Feb 3, 2005)

*google code.tv*

then watch rainman teach you how to tie a bowtie


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## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

Ha! What a trip? Are you really TR's brother-younger or older? This is like something I would do to my younger brother is the reason I ask.

Welcome I say! And tug a little harder if you want a tight knot. There are days when I see if I can tie one so that it just barely retains a knot. I like to see the facial expressions as folks wonder if the whole damn thing will come unraveled whilst they observe.


Allen


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## zegnamtl (Apr 19, 2005)

When I bought my first real bow tie,
a gentleman by the name of Harry Rosen taught me to learn to tie the tie around my leg first, then my neck.

Put your foot up on the coffee table and practice around your leg,
before you know it.....
you'll have the best looking knot around, around your neck 
Good luck,


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## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

misterman said:


> then watch rainman teach you how to tie a bowtie


thanks


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## Tomasso (Aug 17, 2005)

*Here's A Video That May Help But.................*

It's all about practice, practice, practice............


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## tripreed (Dec 8, 2005)

Allen said:


> Ha! What a trip? Are you really TR's brother-younger or older?


This is indeed true, I will claim my younger brother. Afterall, he will be attending my alma mater in the fall, and he has now posted on the Trad forum, what's not to love?


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## tabasco (Jul 17, 2006)

*it depends*

my experience leads me to comment that tie fabric has much to do with the shape of the knot and resulting bow. I've a Talbott foulard- very soft silk: the knot is prone to twist and the bows sag; I wear it with seersucker for that dissolute look. On the other hand, for the bright and perky morning.. a printed cotton will fold well, the knot will tighten properly and the bows keep their shape.
Also.. I've fiddled around with tightening the under folded bow, the end-part that is the knot proper....you can tug on that while holding the upper bow tight. This may take some practice.

I bought some ties, different fabric, thought about it and vowed to succeed. And practice helped.

welcome!


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## mcarthur (Jul 18, 2005)

*bow tie*

Wereed-
Practice makes perfect!
Welcome aboard
Mcarthur


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## paper clip (May 15, 2006)

zegnamtl said:


> When I bought my first real bow tie,
> a gentleman by the name of Harry Rosen taught me to learn to tie the tie around my leg first, then my neck.
> 
> Put your foot up on the coffee table and practice around your leg,
> ...


Welcome, WE

I can attest to the above as the way I learned best. It was the only way I could find the "hole" to put the final bow through.

Best wishes on the forum! My big brother thinks I look like Orville Redenbacher with my bows. Oh well....


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

It must be true...AAAC really is a family affair. Welcome "wereed" and thank you "Trip" for bringing him into the group.


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

"wee" Reed, welcome aboard.

My advice: don't try too hard on the knot...It took me a lot of bow wearing to realize that I wanted it to look messed up to differentiate myself from fake bow wearers. Early on people would say, "Did you tie that?" and I would feign shock, and exlaim that I did in fact tie it. Now I keep them messy and it never comes up...

Walter Reed, eh? You didn't happen to prove that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, did you?

JB


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*Knotty problems...*

Welcome aboard!

I wonder if my younger Bro. would be interested in logging on from time to time...

It would be like High School all over.

Soon after Mike enrolled, people who had known me for years began asking "Are You Mike Pihl's Brother?"

Often there was that look in their eyes...

You know the look.

The one that says "Mike is so cool. Mike is so popular. Mike is so witty and smart... Are you and Mike really from the same species?"

Anyway, welcome aboard.

As for your tie, don't worry so much about it.

One foolproof way to look imperfect, is to pull the ends tight, and then cock the back blade diagonally.

Another version is if you fold the front blade halves forward after tying, so they sort of droop downward.

Yet another technique is to intentionally tie it with one blade longer than the other. This works best if the back blade (closest to your neck) is longer. Otherwise, the longer blade will obscure the other blade, and your tie will look like one of those single ended bows.

I knew somebody who used to put his ties in the washing machine, and then toss them into the dryer. This way the fabric always looked a bit wrinkled and imperfect.

I'm not brave enough to try that, as it may have permanent consequences. You get the idea though...

Maybe it would make more sense to hand wash your ties in Woolite, and then hang them out to dry on a clothes line.

I like Allen's suggestion of tying it too loose, rather than too tight. Not the look you're going for, obviously, but fun just the same.


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## vwguy (Jul 23, 2004)

There are lot's of good instructionals on the web, but it does come down to practice, practice, practice. The first time I tried to tie one it took me literally hours, not good! I had a hard time finding the loop in back you slip the one side thru, then it came to me like an epiphany 

Brian


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## Plainsman (Jun 29, 2006)

vwguy said:


> The first time I tried to tie one it took me literally hours, not good! I had a hard time finding the loop in back you slip the one side thru, then it came to me like an epiphany
> 
> Brian


Same here. Once you figure out the loop, it's like the skies open and trumpets sound. Once you figure that out, it's like riding a bike.

I can say that the thinnger silkier ties do make a tighter knot. The thicker woven ties are a bit tricky and take some practice.


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

Plainsman said:


> Once you figure out the loop, it's like the skies open and trumpets sound. Once you figure that out, it's like riding a bike.


Best description yet of learning to tie a bow.

JB


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## Beresford (Mar 30, 2006)

Agree with prior posters that the type of fabric can really affect your knot.

My feeling is I don't mind if it's not perfect, because the only "perfect" bowties are the fake clip-on ones.

My biggest aggravation is to get my bowtie to stay horizontal. On certain ties, there is a tendency for them to tilt--again, I think it's a function of how I did the knot that makes it want to twist, but I have never completely figured out how to compensate for this.

I will also confess I cannot tie a bowtie unless I'm looking in the mirror and then I spend a lot of time fiddling around with it to get the ends to line up, etc.

I had a bowtie-wearing boss once that amazed me. He could tie his tie in about 5 seconds without looking at the mirror and it always came out just right. Of course, he had been doing it for about 40 years (he never wore four-in-hand ties). His other thing was he always wore the Brooks Brothers straight bowties, not butterflies or bats. Those admittedly I think are easier to tie.


P.S. Another tip, if you are having trouble with it coming out right, experiment with adjusting the tie shorter or longer. I realize there are usually marks in the back showing your neck size, but sometimes I don't know if those are accurate. Also, despite the neck size, twiddling around with the length can affect how much material you have to tie the knot and how big or small the bow looks on your neck. Sometimes the bow will seem to "fit" better if you change the length a little.


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## wereed (Aug 1, 2006)

Thanks guys for the responses. Trip tried to show me to tie it around my leg but I was trying to learn quickly (I wore it the next day at graduation. The response was great by the way.) Anyways, I will try it again now that I have a couple different ties with different materials. Trip has taught me well so far so I figured it wouldn't hurt if I followed him to these forums. Everyone here is so courteous and helpful, unlike other forums I've been on in the past. I am sure I will be asking many more questions in the future, so bear with me in my learning. Thanks again guys. 

Walt


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Here's yet another guide to tying bow ties:


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## wereed (Aug 1, 2006)

Update: 
A few weeks ago it just clicked for me. My brother wasn't around and I had to have it tied for the football game. For some reason, it all of a sudden made sense. Now I am helping other guys on my hall with their tying of the bow. Thanks guys

Walt


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

*Wahoooo You Did It!*

Welcome to the bow-tie fanatics club-- you sick, twisted freak!

Congratulations on finally getting it!

Now let us know the moment you first notice you can tie it blindfolded.


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

*Yes, yes, yes...Welcome*

Welcome indeed. Glad you're here.

Re: the bow tie thing, I'm still fairly new to wearing them for non-formal events. As it is I'm happy to report that it only takes me 45 minutes to get a bow that make me happy - LOL I hope to get that down to half an hour by Christmas!

Cheers


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## csheehan (Feb 27, 2004)

*Keeping a bowtie straight*

Has anybody else tried this? If the tie is twisting so that one side is higher than the other, try twisting the two back ends forward so that what were the top edges are now the bottom. I don't know why this works, but for me, it seems to help keep ties that tend to twist straight.

Chris


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## VOLUNTEER (Jul 23, 2006)

Bear in mind, a little poetic disorder is a plus in tying a bowtie. In step 2 as illustrated, make sure to cinch the slip knot snuggly into the tie space of the shirt. Be sure to jam the horizontal crosspiece firmly against the slipknot on the next step. This will give you a smaller hole into which to cram the center of the longer end of the bow, but results in a cleaner bow. It is permissible to utter disgusting oaths while trying to find the hole, but that's all part of the mystery of the bowtie. After the final tug, fuss and fiddle with the sucker to your heart's content, then step back and admire your artistry. Imagine yourself as a scowling John Houseman in " The Paper Chase". or a brokerage commercial.


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## tabasco (Jul 17, 2006)

*seeking the Tao*

every now and then, at the end of desperation, or the beginning of unconciousness/repetition, or just "OK, I think this'll look good": it flows. just right. I'm new at, "bowtie sober summer 2006".... but sometimes it's MAGIC!


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

For me, the perfect bowtie is one that looks, well...un-perfect.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

I think I finally have it. Problem is it's still on my leg.

Trying to use that diagram almost drove me insane, however.


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## Mad4Madras (Jul 24, 2006)

*Bow Ties and Existentialism*

I never bothered trying on my leg, as a matter of pride, and I only get a "perfect" bow by accident, so I am comforted to know others actually try for the more organic look I can't seem to avoid.

I find that, at the point just before you fold over the front bow and slip it through the hole, the entire mess seems impossibly tangled and artificially pinched-together by your thumbs to ever work out right, and just like that, as others have suggested, you pull, it tightens and, eureka! What a moment.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Some people get it and some never do...I find myself in the latter group.


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## Julio (Oct 21, 2007)

Plainsman said:


> Same here. Once you figure out the loop, it's like the skies open and trumpets sound.


I am hearing them at the moment! I've achieved my first *proper* tie 20 minutes ago, and I can't stop looking at it! It looks so damn cute!


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## windsor (Dec 12, 2006)

eagle2250 said:


> Some people get it and some never do...I find myself in the latter group.


Windsor was in that group too for about a year and a half fiddling around periodically tryng to get the thing tied...around my leg or the chair. Looking at videos on the web. Nothing worked. Then recently someone posted a link to a new video and this one shows in detail the BIG secret and stumbling block. The HOLE in the back of the bow and how to find it...make it visible. That was the answer I had been looking for. Tied one on my first attempt. It is amazing how many instructions both written, diagrams, and films which just do not get that crucial point across. Now I'm going to start wearing these babies. I have a dozen, bought anticipating that I would finally master this dilemma. Find that last link that was posted on this topic and you will see the light.:idea:


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

windsor said:


> Windsor was in that group too for about a year and a half fiddling around periodically tryng to get the thing tied...around my leg or the chair. Looking at videos on the web. Nothing worked. Then recently someone posted a link to a new video and this one shows in detail the BIG secret and stumbling block. The HOLE in the back of the bow and how to find it...make it visible. That was the answer I had been looking for. Tied one on my first attempt. It is amazing how many instructions both written, diagrams, and films which just do not get that crucial point across...


Yes, it was a Eureka moment for me too.

THE link


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