For God's Sake Man, Tie Your Own Bow Tie!

It strikes me as fundamentally wrong when I see a grown man, not a youth, walking around with a smart look on his face with a pre-tied bow tie. Don't get me wrong, I am not puritanical when it comes to dress - I am one who embraces change and even fights for the new and progressive - but I do get arched up when a grown man doesn't take the time to tie his own bow tie - especially at a formal event.

There are of course exceptions to the rule; velvets - for example - are very difficult to 'turn' (the process of pulling them inside out when you are constructing a bow tie), they are difficult to tie and they can fray, which ruins the pile and in the long run, the look of the bow. There are also some shapes that can look better pre-tied. For example, the skinny batwing which Sean Connery is famous for wearing as James Bond, does look more symmetrical and sharp as a pre-tied. However, FOR ANYTHING ELSE, you should really be tying your own bow tie. In order to give you a little bit of a refresher - here are the basics below that will cover you for most shapes.

Open this image in a new window to get better resolution.