# Bow tie
A bow tie is a type of neckwear tied into a bow with two loops, worn around the collar of a shirt. The English word is attested by 1887, formed from "bow" in the sense of a ribbon tied in a bow-knot (recorded by 1874) plus "tie".[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bow%20tie) It is worn with formal dress, especially black tie and white tie codes, and also as an everyday statement piece.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Word origin | "Bow tie" attested by 1887; "bow" for a ribbon tied in a bow-knot by 1874[1](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bow%20tie) |
| Ancestor | The 17th-century cravat, named from "la cravate", the French corruption of "Croat" after Croatian mercenaries wore neck cloth in Paris[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) • [3](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/) |
| Modern form emerges | A bow tie resembling today's appeared in the 1830s; by the 1860s the traditional cravat had mostly fallen from favor[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) |
| Formal role | A white bow tie is part of full evening dress (white tie), the highest level of menswear formality; a black bow tie accompanies black tie[4](https://time.com/83217/white-tie-costume-institute-gala/) • [2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) |
| Main shapes | Butterfly, batwing, pointed-end, asymmetrical, and single-end[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) |
| Construction | Self-tie (adjustable or fixed-length) and pre-tied versions; silk is the most common material, with velvet, wool, cotton, and linen also used[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) |
| Market position | In the 1990s and early 2000s the bow tie's share of neckwear sales in the United States was estimated at about 5 to 10 percent[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/1999/12/08/a-twisted-history-of-neckties/d59c6d2d-5d38-42cf-843e-27abcdc524d7/) |
## From cravat to bow
The bow tie descends from the cravat. Croatian mercenaries in the seventeenth century wore a piece of cloth around the neck as part of their uniform; when they traveled to France, the style was adopted at the French court, and "Croat" was corrupted into *la cravate*, still the French word for necktie.[3](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/) Early cravats were often loosely tied in elaborate fashions, and tying one properly could take hours.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) A Paris book of 1827, *L'Art de Se Mettre la Cravatte*, illustrated 22 ways to tie a cravat.[3](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/)
Through the early nineteenth century the cravat in its bow-like forms was essentially the only acceptable place for a man to wear color or pattern, after wigs, bows, breeches, and lace went out of fashion.[3](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/) The first bow tie that looks similar to the modern one appeared in the 1830s, and by the 1860s the traditional cravat had mostly fallen out of favor.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) An 1890s American silk bow tie survives in the [Metropolitan Museum of Art](https://www.edgepedia.org/metropolitan-museum-of-art)'s Costume Institute.[6](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/118896)
**Presidents in bows.** A famous 1863 photograph shows [Abraham Lincoln](https://www.edgepedia.org/abraham-lincoln) wearing a black bow tie with pointed ends, while his predecessor [James Buchanan](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-buchanan) still wore a white cravat.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) The Smithsonian's analysis of Lincoln's actual black silk neck tie found a different construction from a modern self-tie bow: two wings and a wide V-shaped center section with a cream-colored back stiffened by cotton lining, with the bow attached slightly off-center and stitched at an angle. The tie was made to sit askew. This style, also called a cravat or stock, was popular neckwear in the 1860s, and Lincoln wore it on many occasions.[7](https://www.americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/lincoln-tie)
## Decline in daily dress and the formal niche
From the mid-nineteenth century the elongated four-in-hand necktie gradually replaced the more bow-like cravat; it was quicker to knot, needed no starching or readjustment, and suited men entering office work during the [Industrial Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/industrial-revolution).[3](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/) • [8](https://asufidmmuseum.asu.edu/learn/articles/neck-ties) The bow tie remained popular into the twentieth century, but became increasingly associated with formal wear rather than everyday business dress.[8](https://asufidmmuseum.asu.edu/learn/articles/neck-ties)
In formal dress codes the bow tie is mandatory rather than optional. [White tie](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-tie), or full evening dress, pairs a black tailcoat with a white bow tie, white waistcoat, and wing-collared shirt; the term "formal" indicated white tie until the 1930s, when black-tie dinner dress with a black bow tie became the more common formal wear.[4](https://time.com/83217/white-tie-costume-institute-gala/)
Wearers have included actors [Fred Astaire](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-astaire) and [Marlene Dietrich](https://www.edgepedia.org/marlene-dietrich), politician [Winston Churchill](https://www.edgepedia.org/winston-churchill) with his signature polka-dot bow tie, architect Le Corbusier, and scientist Bill Nye. Frank Sinatra's black bow tie, circa 1942, is held by the National Museum of American History.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) • [9](https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_662969) Bow ties have also figured in Black dandyism; singer Janelle Monáe's ornate bow ties are cited as an expression of the dandy style.[10](https://apnews.com/article/5cb23449a4a74414ed5b0b8379a62049)
## Types, shapes, and materials
Bow ties fall into three main categories: pre-tied (sometimes clip-on), self-tie, and fashion-forward versions made of wood, feathers, or leather that are clipped rather than tied.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) Among self-tie models, adjustable bow ties use clips or buttons to change the neck size, while fixed-length ties are preferred for evening wear, where a visible adjustment mechanism looks out of place.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/)
Five basic shapes dominate today, out of the hundreds of shapes found in old fashion magazines: the butterfly, with a small knot and wide wings; the rectangular batwing, which makes a bigger knot; the pointed-end, which always ties slightly asymmetrically; the asymmetrical; and the single-end, popular briefly in the 1930s for evening wear.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/)
Silk is the most widespread material, in weaves from satin to textured shantung; velvet changes appearance with the light and pairs with dinner jackets, and wool, cotton, linen, and blends are also used.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/)
## The bow tie today
By the 1990s and early 2000s most men wore bow ties only as a deliberate style choice; one menswear writer estimated the bow tie's share of neckwear sales then at about 5 to 10 percent, rising to an estimated 30 to 40 percent in recent years as the accessory became more mainstream and casual wear with bow ties spread.[2](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/) These are the author's estimates rather than audited market figures.
Bow ties continue to appear on runways: at the fall/winter 2026 shows Khaite and McQueen tied bow ties at the neck, and Dior's menswear collection for spring/summer 2027 featured satin bow ties.[11](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/runway/fashion-week-trends-fall-winter-2026) • [12](https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion-beauty/live/paris-fashion-week-mens-ss-2027) The feminine counterpart, the pussy-bow blouse, entered women's wardrobes in the early twentieth century and was reworked in the 1960s by designers such as Yves Saint Laurent as a softer counterpart to the necktie.[13](https://www.voguearabia.com/article/the-return-of-the-pussy-bow-blouse)
## References
1. [Bow tie (n.), Online Etymology Dictionary](https://www.etymonline.com/word/bow%20tie)
2. [Bow Tie Guide, Gentleman's Gazette (Sven Raphael Schneider)](https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/bow-tie-guide/)
3. [Tie-ing the Knot: The Neckwear Evolution, New Zealand Fashion Museum](https://www.nzfashionmuseum.org.nz/tie-ing-the-knot-the-neckwear-evolution/)
4. [The Met Ball Is White Tie This Year, But What Does That Even Mean?, Time](https://time.com/83217/white-tie-costume-institute-gala/)
5. [A Twisted History of Neckties, The Washington Post (1999)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/1999/12/08/a-twisted-history-of-neckties/d59c6d2d-5d38-42cf-843e-27abcdc524d7/)
6. [Bow tie, American, 1890s, The Metropolitan Museum of Art](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/118896)
7. [Pre-tied yet crooked: What's up with Abraham Lincoln's tie?, National Museum of American History](https://www.americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/lincoln-tie)
8. [Neck ties, ASU FIDM Museum](https://asufidmmuseum.asu.edu/learn/articles/neck-ties)
9. [Bowtie, worn by Frank Sinatra, National Museum of American History](https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_662969)
10. [A look at dandyism, the Black fashion style powering the Met Gala, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5cb23449a4a74414ed5b0b8379a62049)
11. [10 Trends Set to Define Fall 2026 Fashion, Who What Wear](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/runway/fashion-week-trends-fall-winter-2026)
12. [Paris Fashion Week Men's S/S 2027: live updates, Wallpaper*](https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion-beauty/live/paris-fashion-week-mens-ss-2027)
13. [The Return of the Pussy-Bow Blouse, Vogue Arabia](https://www.voguearabia.com/article/the-return-of-the-pussy-bow-blouse)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Dress and clothing of the world › Garments, fabrics, and clothing terminology › Garment types and parts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license