The best black-tie details are the ones nobody remarks on. The Tom Ford bow tie from No Time To Die is a case in point: Daniel Craig’s Bond finishes his tuxedo with a small black bow tie, and in our view it is a better lesson in restraint than the jacket it sits beneath. It is a self-tie, which means it comes as a length of satin and leaves the knot to you.
In the film
Bond wears it with the tuxedo in No Time To Die (2021), as part of an evening outfit by Tom Ford. Our catalogue records it as a small, black, self-tie bow tie, and the rest of the look is covered on the film page.
The details of the Tom Ford bow tie
Black satin. Satin gives a soft sheen that echoes the facings of a dinner jacket, and it keeps the tie in the same family as the rest of the evening look.
Self-tie. A bow tie you tie yourself sits a little unevenly, and that is the charm of it. The slight asymmetry is what separates a real bow from a pre-tied one.
A small shape. The bow is compact rather than wide, so it stays in proportion with a narrow collar and a modern notch or peak lapel. It frames the face without competing with it.
Wearing it now
Black tie is one of the few dress codes that still has rules, and a black bow tie is the first of them. Match the finish to the lapel facings: satin with satin, grosgrain with grosgrain. A white dress shirt, a plain black dinner jacket and black leather shoes are all it needs, with a white linen pocket square if you want one.
Tying it. Practise on a Sunday, not in the taxi. Most people need a handful of attempts, and a bow that sits slightly off-centre looks better than one that has been fussed over. A plain shirt collar worn flat suits the tie better than a stiff wing collar.
Self-tie or pre-tied? We would learn the knot. It takes an evening, and you keep the skill for good. The wider context for the look is in our Daniel Craig guide, and more evening pieces sit in our accessories edit.
Availability. We believe this is Tom Ford’s Satin Self-Tie Bow Tie, though the exact model is the closest match we can identify rather than a confirmed one. At the time of writing, the retailer pages we found for it show it as sold out, so our button runs an eBay search for pairs from other sellers. Tom Ford currently sells other bow ties in grosgrain and velvet, which are worth considering, though they are not the one in the film.
In the same spirit
A black bow tie in the same mood, still on sale:
- Turnbull & Asser Casino Royale Shantung Silk Bow Tie (Casino Royale): a current bow tie made for the films
Specifications
| Maker | Tom Ford |
|---|---|
| Style | Satin self-tie bow tie |
| Colour | Black |
| Material | Satin |
| Size | Small, as recorded in our catalogue |
| Fastening | Self-tie |
| Availability | Sold out at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman at the time of writing |
Current bow ties are listed on Tom Ford’s own site.
Questions
What bow tie does Bond wear in No Time To Die?
Daniel Craig’s Bond wears a small black Tom Ford bow tie with his tuxedo. Our catalogue records it as a small, black, self-tie bow tie by Tom Ford, and we list it as the Satin Self-Tie Bow Tie.
Is the Tom Ford bow tie pre-tied?
No. The Satin Self-Tie Bow Tie is sold untied, so you tie the knot yourself.
Can I still buy it?
Not reliably. At the time of writing, the retailer pages we found for this model show it as sold out or unavailable.
For the rest of the evening look, see the Bonds.
