Bow Tie
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The bow tie is a fashion accessory popularly worn with other formal attire, such as suits or dinner jackets. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical bow, and learning how to tie one is a rite of passage for formal dressing: the knot is the same basic knot used for shoelaces, adjusted until the two loops sit evenly. This page explains how to tie a bow tie, describes the common shapes — from the classic butterfly to the slim batwing — and covers pre-tied and clip-on versions and when each is appropriate.
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Learn how to tie a bow tie.
The bow tie is a fashion accessory, popularly worn with other formal attire, such as suits or dinner jackets. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow-ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip. The traditional alternative, consisting of a single strip of cloth, may be known as a "self-tie" bow tie to distinguish it. Bow ties are most commonly worn by men.
It originated
among Croatian mercenaries
during the European wars
of the 17th century: the
Croats used a
scarf
around the neck to hold
together the opening of
their
shirts.
This method was soon adopted
(under the name
Cravat)
by the upper classes in
France (then a leading country
in the field of
fashion)
and flourished in the 18th
and 19th centuries. The
famous French writer Honor
de Balzac even wrote a book
on the subject.
Towards the end of the 19th century the free ends of the bow tie grew longer, and the necktie was born, and the bowtie slowly went out of fashion in all but the architecture classes where it has remained a defining item of the architect's uniform.
previously the bow tie was the only proper neckware for a tuxedo.
The UK dress code of "black tie" (essentially the same as an American tuxedo) requires a bow tie, though, paradoxically, it need not always be black these days. Most military mess dress incorporates a bow tie, which must always be of the self-tie type. For a military officer to wear a clip-on bow tie with mess-dress or dinner-jacket is regarded as a faux-pas, and in many regiments the offender will be required to purchase a significant quantity of champagne for his fellows, by way of a fine.
Bow ties are mostly commonly seen in popular culture as items of sophistication, such as those worn by fictional spy James Bond. However, they have also been adopted into the "uniform" of clowns and male strippers.
Men known for their bow ties
Fred Allen
Earl Blumenauer
Tucker Carlson
Winston Churchill
Bud Collyer
Archibald Cox
Peter Eisenman
Louis Farrakhan
Walter Gropius
Steve Jobs
C. Everett Koop
Stan Laurel
Matthew Lesko
Irving Levine
Groucho Marx
Charles Osgood
Lester Pearson
Paul Simon
John Paul Stevens
Donald Tsang
Timothy White
Anthony Williams
Fictional characters known for their bow ties
James Bond
Jimmy Olsen
The Smurfs
Jack Point (the Simping
Detective)
Conan Edogawa
Donald Duck
Opus the Penguin
The
Pink Panther
Les Nessman
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article is licensed under the
GNU
Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bowtie ).
8/5/05 |
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Choosing a Bow TieSize the bow to the wearer: the finished bow should be roughly the width of the face and no wider than the collar points it sits between. Fabric follows the outfit — silk satin or grosgrain for evening wear with a dinner jacket, matte cotton, linen or knitted styles for daytime suits and smart-casual dress. Adjustable straps suit most wearers, while fixed-size neckbands, sized to the collar measurement, give the cleanest fit under a wing or turndown collar. Common QuestionsHow do you tie a bow tie?A self-tie bow tie is tied with the same basic knot used to tie shoelaces: form two loops from the ribbon around the collar, cross and fold them through the gap behind, then pull and adjust the loops and ends until the bow is symmetrical and snug against the collar. What is the difference between a butterfly and a batwing bow tie?The butterfly is the classic bow tie shape, with wide, rounded wings that give a full bow; it is the standard choice for black tie. The batwing has narrower, straight-edged wings and produces a smaller, slimmer bow, giving a more understated line with a suit. Are pre-tied bow ties acceptable for formal wear?Pre-tied and clip-on bow ties are convenient and perfectly serviceable for many settings, but for traditional black-tie dressing a self-tied bow is the expected standard: it has the slight individuality of a hand-tied knot and unties at the end of the evening, which ready-made versions cannot imitate. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Clothing Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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