White Tie – Bow-Tie

The eternal question with bow-ties is "Do I want one that is already tied or do I want to tie it myself?". It is not difficult to tie a bow-tie – the geometry of the knot is identical to that in your shoe laces – so we hope you will consider the latter. However, for thoroughness, we list both types. Since the latter has two sub-types, there are in fact three forms of bow-tie to choose from (ignoring so-called single-ended ties).

1. Made-up. The bow is already tied. You put it on by unfastening some hook and eye or velcro arrangement in the neck-band, putting the tie around the collar and refastening.
2. Tie yourself – Adjustable. Adjust the tie to the correct length and then tie it.
3. Tie yourself – Fixed. The most stylish! There are no hooks and eyes or buckles along the length of the material to distract the eye – just a plain piece of material. You put the tie against your collar and tie it. Since the tie is not adjustable, you have to buy a tie of the right size. The rule is that your tie is half an inch bigger than your collar. (If you are wearing a stiff collar, this, in turn, is half an inch bigger than the collar band of your shirt.)
   Example: If you normally wear a 15½" collar, then you will need a 16" tie (and, if your shirt is collarless, the collar band is 15").

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