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March 28, 2024

How to (bow) tie one on

How to Tie a Bow Tie

Leila Navidi

Rick Lax demonstrates how to tie a bow tie at Bloomingdale’s Home Store inside Fashion Show mall on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011.

Amy Grace Winn works as a personal stylist at Nordstrom. She says that anybody, including you, can wear a bow tie. You can wear it straight like Humphrey Bogart, or you can wear it untied like John Legend did at the Grammys. “If you want to wear it loose,” Winn suggests, “bobby pin or safety pin it to your collar. That way it won’t fall out.”

Now that hipsters and Gleesters have brought bow ties into the casual realm, you can wear them just about anywhere. So if you’re looking to stand out, find one that calls to you and follow these six steps:

How to Tie a Bow Tie

Rick Lax demonstrates how to tie a bow tie at Bloomingdale's Home Store inside Fashion Show mall on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. Launch slideshow »

1. Drape the bow tie over your neck so the left side is an inch lower than the right.

2. Cross the left side over the right and thread the loop, like you’re tying a shoe.

3. Fold the right side in half to make the front half of the bow.

4. Drop the left end in front of the now-folded right end.

5. Poke the center of the hanging (left) end through the loop located behind the folded right end. That will create the back end of the bow.

6. Go on YouTube and look up bow-tying tutorials, because, honestly, this bow tie thing is much easier to learn by video.

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