Patience Is Required: Tying a Bowtie

STEP 1: So you have acquired a bowtie. Rookie mistake #1 is to set the neckline to your shirt size. This is called the Bozo-the-Clown strategy. Set the neckline shorter than you think, then tie the tie. Adjust and repeat until the width of the tie is where you want it. Note: it is harder to end with a short compact look. Patience is required.

STEP 2: Do this. Start the exercise with the left side a bit longer than the right side. This allows for a balanced look at conclusion. Other than the neckline adjustment, nothing is as important as starting unbalanced. Long-Left is required.

STEP 3: Don't over-think. Tie the tie like one big skate lace. (Actually, that is why it was easy for me. Tying a bowtie is like tying a skate lace when the ref is staring at you at the face-off.) Kharma is required.

STEP 4: Again, tie the tie like a shoe lace. Make a bow, run the tie around it. Each maker and fabric is different. The Hermes ties I use tie wonderfully. The Charvet ties are more challenging in a 19th-century kind of way. There are many American brands as well. A wallet is required

STEP 5: This is the hardest part. Loop the tie over the first bow and then push the rabbit through the hole. You will feel as lame as you did at age 5 where all the girls in kindergarten could tie their shoes and you couldn't. Manhood is required.

STEP 6: Dress your masterpiece. The weight of the fabric is critical here. Some will have a lot of looseness that will require repeated tightening and adjustment. More patience is required.

STEP 7: The shirt is critical. Mine are from Paul Stuart. Button-down or no button-down collars is a debate that reportedly caused the War of the Roses in England.

At black-tie events, my record is 28 minutes in the bathroom re-tying the ties
of young lads. Here is a nice link to bowtie bliss. WATCH my step-by-step Tout video here

Photos: Social Katy