A Bow tie is controversial item. Beloved by dandies, college professors, and the sartorially adventurous but generally not appropriate for most business settings, the bow ties are rare menswear item that has a cult following alongside a cult loathing. I’m firmly on team bow ties. Nothing else will do for black tie or white tie. Their festive nature makes them an excellent choice for grooms. If worn in a workday fashion, they tell the world that the wearer is someone who is not concerned with what the world thinks of him. Any bow tie regardless of its style, should be approximately the same width as your face when knotted. If it’s too large, your head will look puny. Conversly, if it’s too small, your head will look comically massive.

Below are 5 Bow Tie Styles

Butterfly Bow Tie

The butterfly bow tie is also known as a “thistle” bow tie. This is arguably the most common style of bow ties and is typically seen in two sizes: regular and jumbo. Regular-sized bow ties look good on just about any face shape while jumbo thistle bow ties are better for men with larger heads. The curved proportions of butterfly bow ties serve to balance out the angularity of square, triangle, and diamond face shapes.  Butterfly bow ties should stay off of round and heart-shaped faces as they amplify the pre-existing softness of those face shapes.

Diamond Point Bow Tie

Diamond tip bow ties have-you guessed it tips that are diamond-shaped. These  bows have a particularly dandy vibe to them, and they work well on men of any stature. The pointiness of the tips make this tie a very good fit for face with softer features, such as round and heart. Square, Triangle,and Diamond-shaped faces can get away it but are still better off opting for a butterfly bow tie.

Batwing Bow Tie

Sometimes referred to as a “straight” bow tie, the batwing is just that: pretty much a straight line underneath the face. It exudes a sort of 1960’s, Sean-Connery-as-James-cool that syncs very nicely with the slimmer proportions of tailored clothing we’re seeing today. Men of smaller stature tend to do well with batwing bow ties as the proportions of it tend to be  quite slim. Square, Triangle, and Diamond faces should stray from batwing bow tie. The angular proportions of the tie simply add more sharpness to these already-sharp face shapes. Heart and Round faces, though, will do quite well with batwing bows because that same angularity harmonizes with their softer features. Oblong faces do well with batwings, as the tie offers the least amount of verticality and, therefore, the most width. This  balances out the Oblong face’s length.