Two James Bond-Inspired Bow Ties from Le Noeud Papillon

It’s black tie season with New Year’s Eve this week. Sartorially inclined Bond fans, however, are excited to wear black tie no matter the season. Nicholas Atgemis, founder of Le Noeud Papillon in Sydney, Australia, approached me about creating a James Bond-inspired bow tie. I suggested looking at the Dr. No bow tie, as it’s one of the character’s most unique and iconic bow ties.

Mr Atgemis is one of the world’s foremost neckwear artisans and produces some of the finest bow ties and accessories in the world. He designs his bow ties with an artistic eye for detail, and he clearly has a lot of fun doing so. The bow ties are handmade in Australia to the highest standards, and they revealed to me a quality of bow tie I never knew existed. They arrive packaged in beautiful boxes wrapped in a ribbon and include a card inside with instructions on how to tie a bow tie, making these bow ties an excellent gift.

For James Bond, the bow tie is only for black tie, and it’s only in solid black or occasionally midnight blue. The bow tie is too unconventional for Bond’s day wear, which he leaves to more mature characters like Bernard Lee’s M in the 1960s films and Douglas Wilmer’s Jim Fanning in Octopussy. Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, was partial to bow ties with his suits, but he dressed the character in silk knit neckties as a way of differentiating the character’s wardrobe from his own.

Bow ties are arguably more expressive than neckties. With neckties, the personality comes mainly from the knot one uses. Bow ties are always tied in a bow, so the personality comes from how straight or askew the bow is or how one balances the front and back of the bow. The bow tie also shows personality in its inherent shape. There are different overall shapes, including the butterfly, the batwing, the droopy bow and the diamond point. A bow tie can be a combination of any of these shapes, and so much more. The artistry of the bow tie’s shape shows in the subtlety of its curves and angles. The width of the bow tie from top to bottom and the width of the tied bow can vary tremendously, and these dimensions affect how the bow tie relates to the face and to one’s shirt collar and jacket lapels.

Mr Atgemis sent me two bow ties inspired by Dr. No, but neither is a copy. The wider bow tie is an amplified version of Sean Connery’s bow tie in Dr. No. It’s wider—2 7/16 in / 6.2 cm at its widest—and the points are exaggerated. It’s far more striking than the original, and I appreciate that it’s Mr Atgemis’ own interpretation of it rather than a copy. I love how it balances the lapels on my own dinner jacket and my larger shirt collar. This bow tie is currently on the Le Noeud Papillon website as the ‘Majestic 007’.

The second bow tie is fairly accurate in size to the Dr. No bow tie at 1 5/8 in / 4.1 cm wide, but the points are a little more pointed, and it has a straight batwing shape instead of the subtle butterfly shape of the original, and the band is wider to create a wider knot. This bow tie is instead more like Daniel Craig’s bow tie in Quantum of Solace. I prefer this bow tie from Le Noeud Papillon over what Sean Connery wears in Dr. No because I like the larger bow tie knot, and I appreciate that the batwing shape gives it more body. This bow tie’s knot is the perfect size and is neither too small nor too chunky.

Mr Atgemis said that he may be making another attempt at the Dr. No bow tie, but I trust that he will put his own stamp on it rather than making a perfect copy. I don’t think a perfect copy would make for the most attractive bow tie on most people—some styles need an update.

Both bow ties are made of the same silk satin from Como, Italy, which has a luxurious hand with a subtly pebbled texture that is neither too smooth nor too glossy. This is their most popular silk satin, which is not too stiff or too droopy, so it ties a bow with a lot of body and shows a lot of personality in the knot and the dimples. Le Noeud Papillon stock numerous types of silk and have relationships with 22 different silk looms.

The bow ties arrived tied by Mr Atgemis, and they have a hook at the back so they can be worn as a pre-tied bow. I found it difficult to unhook the bow ties when they were on my neck, so I untied them to remove them. The photos of the wider bow tie show Mr Atgemis’ knot, while the photos of the narrow bow tie show my knot, except for the photo of the bow tie in the box. One thing I like about a narrower bow tie is that it’s easier to tie. The silk and construction are also flexible and easy to tie, but the bow tie maintains its shape when worn. The band features a slide adjustment, making it easy to adjust the neck size while wearing the bow tie.

I love both bow ties, and they’re the best in my collection of many black bow ties. Which of the two do you prefer? Comment below.

I’m wearing a midnight blue mohair dinner suit from Anthony Sinclair, a white cotton voile dress shirt from Frank Foster, a vintage gold dress watch from Jules Jurgensen, and vintage cufflinks. Photos of me are taken by Janna Levin Spaiser.