U.S. MILITARY BLACK BOW TIE

Our black bow tie is manufactured in the USA to meet or exceed all Mil-Spec regulations. Pre-tied for your convenience, the black bow tie is generally listed as an optional purchase item, but in point of fact its wear is mandatory at many formal social functions.

The original ancestors of the bow tie would today be more properly called cravats, derived from the French for “Croatian” because it referred to neckwear worn by Croatian mercenaries who fought for the French during the Thirty Years’ War. Adapted by French royalty, the cravat evolved to form the basis of the long necktie and the bow tie.

Black bow ties are authorized for wear by all five of the Armed Forces of the United States (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard), as well as the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the United States Merchant Marine. In all cases, wear of the bow tie is restricted to formal affairs.

Interestingly, the only Marine Corps uniform for which the bow tie is authorized is the Staff Noncommissioned Officer’s Evening Dress. In the Coast Guard, female personnel may choose to wear the bow tie in lieu of the black tab tie.