Choosing Bow Tie Size for Your Face, Neck and Lapel

Two things must agree at once: the band must fit the neck, and the width of the bow (the span of its wings) must suit the face and balance with the lapel. A bow that is too large shrinks the face and weighs down the chest; one that is too small looks like a boy imitating a man.

The bow tie is the only accessory on a tuxedo that sits directly beneath the face, so its size is read by the person opposite before they notice fabric or colour. It is worth taking time to get right.

Fixed-size and adjustable bow ties

Before the face, you need to know that the band comes in two forms:

• Fixed size: made to a specific neck measurement. The band is clean, sits evenly and has no slider to press. The drawback is that a wrong size cannot be altered, so the neck must be measured precisely.
• Adjustable: the band has a sliding clasp or hook and covers a range of neck sizes. It is flexible and good for borrowing or sharing, but the hardware may show when the collar is open.

A self-tie bow needs a long band for the knot, so its size is not fixed in the same way. Whichever type, the part around the neck must sit neatly under the collar without squeezing, with room for one finger between band and neck. How to measure the neck is covered in measuring your tuxedo shirt size.

A bow no wider than the face

The easiest rule to remember: the bow should not be wider than the face above it. Seen from the front, the wings should stop somewhere between the cheekbones or the corners of the mouth, never extending past the line of the jaw. If the bow is wider than the face, the eye stops at the bow instead of the face.

The width of a classic bow is commonly around five to six centimetres. That is only a reference, because width should follow the proportions of the face. A man with a small face and narrow chin should choose a bow smaller than the usual. A man with a broad face and thick neck can wear a larger bow without being lost in it.

Balance with lapel width

The bow sits between the lapels, so the lapels are its frame. The principle: the wider the lapel, the larger the bow can be.

Lapel width	Suitable bow
Wide lapel (wide shawl, wide peak)	Large bow with open wings
Medium lapel	Standard-size bow
Narrow lapel	Small, neat bow, or a batwing shape

For example, TUX-001 is a black tuxedo with a wide satin shawl lapel, and a large black bow would suit it, giving a balanced look; TUX-130 has a medium-width peak lapel with a wide black velvet bow, and here the bow is the accent of the outfit. More detail is in lapel, bow tie and shirt collar proportions.

Sizes for a round face

A round face has soft lines and few angles. To balance, choose a bow with a sharper cut, which adds edge to the lower part of the face:

• A batwing or diamond point, with straight or angular outlines.
• A moderate width, not too large, so it does not echo the roundness of the chin.
• A sharp wing or turndown collar helps balance further.

Avoid a very large butterfly, whose full round wings repeat the shape of the face.

Sizes for a long face

A long face needs extra width to balance its height. The bow should:

• Be slightly wider, the classic butterfly with open wings.
• Avoid being too thin or small, which makes the face look longer.
• Have a compact central knot with wings spreading out to the sides.

Beyond these two, a square face suits a bow with softer curves to ease an angular jaw, while an oval face can wear almost any shape. For more, see choosing lapel and bow tie by face shape. The shapes themselves are described in bow tie shapes: butterfly, batwing and pointed.

Try it with the actual collar

A bow looks different in the drawer and on the neck, because the collar covers the ends of the band and the knot takes up space. Try the bow with the shirt you will wear, standing before a full-length mirror to see the whole picture, not only the face.

At the showroom a tailor can try several bows on your own collar so you can compare at once. You can read about our made-to-measure tuxedo service and book a fitting once you have chosen the style of the suit.