wannaseehow.com : culture : how to tie a bow tie

Practice by tying the bow tie on your leg. You may feel a little silly but you'll see how it's the same knot you use to tie your shoes. And you never know when thigh bow-ties will be the next big trend. The instructions seem complicated but once you've practiced a few times it gets fairly simple, so hang in there!


	Drape the tie over your shoulders, with both ends hanging level on your chest.

	Take the left side in your right hand, and the right side in your left hand; cross the right over the left making an "X".

	Wrap the side that's now on your right up, over, behind and through the intersection of the X. Snug the tie up to a comfortable tension. "Comfortable" means you should be able to still swallow.
	Release the left side. Fold the right side in half and pinch it in the center with your right hand. This loop creates the base of the bow shape. Yes, this is quite exciting, but don't stop pinching that loop!

	Now fold the left side over the centerpoint where you're pinching the right side. This becomes the knot of the bow.

	Fold the remainder of that side in half; that creates a loop. Push that loop through the space behind the bow you're still pinching in your right hand, and the intersection at your neck. This is tricky: refer to the practice method on your leg if this step confuses you. If you have more than three practice bow ties on your leg at this point you may want to take a refresher course on tying your shoes.

	Push the loop through just until it is half through; the loop should be as long as the free end on the other side. You should now you have two loops, and two free ends.

	Tighten by pulling the loops, but don't pull the ends through! Adjust the loops so that they're the same length from the knot. When the bow is tight, the ends don't poke out from behind the loops, and the whole thing sits straight on your neck, you're the master! Until then you are leg tie trendsetter. Good luck!