In the beginning, a bow tie was an alternative to an ordinary tie, but over time it took a completely separate place in the men's wardrobe.
Until the 19th century, a man who wanted to look elegant tied a scarf around his neck with an ordinary knot or bow. The simple knot later evolved into the now widespread tie, but the bow, being somewhat improved, acquired a solemn status and unexpectedly frivolous for a man's accessory, the name "butterfly". According to one of the beautiful legends, this name and its modern look it got after the performance of Puccini's opera Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly), when the necks of all the musicians of the orchestra were decorated with this bow.
In the beginning, a bow tie was a perfectly acceptable alternative to an ordinary tie, but over time it took a completely separate place in the men's wardrobe. Now he accompanies his owner only to gala receptions. Probably, to appear in a "bow tie" at work or in another ordinary situation means at least to establish yourself as an eccentric character with a strange manner of dressing. But with a tuxedo or tailcoat, this tie is more than appropriate. After all, the well-known mark on invitations, talking about the dress code of the upcoming evening party, - black tie and white tie - is nothing more than a definition of the form of clothing in which they want to see a gentleman at an event. In the first case, we are talking about a tuxedo, since a black bow tie is always worn with it, and in the second - about a tailcoat, which is inconceivable without a white tie. So whether you want it or not, you will have to learn to master the knotting technique of this intricate accessory.
- Find a bow tie that's the perfect size for you. Its length should exactly match the width of the neck.
- Place the tie around your neck so that the left end is longer than the right end.
- Cross them - the left end of the tie over the right: they should cross at their tightest parts.
- Take the left end and pull it under the right end to tie a free, simple knot around your neck.
- Take the end that happens to be on the left side and fold it in half.
- While holding the folded end with your left thumb and forefinger, grasp the right end with your thumb and forefinger and place it exactly in the middle of the left.
- Now run the right end of the bow tie from the bottom around the folded left end. You should now have a loop.
- Fold the right side of the butterfly in half and loop the right end around the folded left and pass it through the loop you made.
- Push the folded right end far enough to "snap" into place. Spread the tie with both hands. You are very close to completion.
- To secure the butterfly, grasp the edges and gently pull. Correct the central node. Everything. The butterfly is ready.
