How to Tie a Bow-Tie

This tutorial is for the aspiring gentleman. Follow these steps, learn to tie a bow-tie, and you might become a fashion icon. Watch out. Furthermore, you will gain a lifelong skill that will come in handy on exactly three (3) occasions in your lifetime. They are:

1. A southern wedding.

2. Your first day in the work force, in which you try to be different but feel the crushing weight of societal pressure, immediately going back to the corporate self-strangler that is the ordinary tie.

3. Accepting the Nobel Prize for Economics.

For this tutorial, you will need:

One (1) bow-tie, preferably pink, seersucker, or both. Classic black satin will also do.

One (1) mirror.

One (1) collared shirt.

Three (3) hands. You’re gonna need 'em.

Okay, ready to go? Great! Let’s begin!

Step 1: Ditch the clip-on. Seriously. This is not a middle-school band concert.

Step 2: Adjust the bow-tie to the correct length using the hook on the skinny in the middle. If you need a reference, mine are set to 15¼” in length.

Step 3: Now, loop the bow-tie through your collar and let the two ends hang, with one about 2” below the other.

Step 4: Finally, consult this video, because it is impossible to teach someone how to tie a bow-tie without visual aid: