Bow Blouses: What They Are, How to Wear One and 10 to Buy

A bow blouse is a blouse with long ties at the neckline that knot into a soft bow under the chin, the shape also sold as a pussy-bow blouse. Our designer blouses edit holds the full range, the Mary Katrantzou brand page carries the two printed Ines bow blouses from Resort 2027, and our guide to tie-front shirts covers the shirt cousin that knots at the waist instead.

Key facts

• A bow blouse has long ties at the neckline that knot into a bow, and is also called a pussy-bow blouse.
• The Mary Katrantzou Ines Blouse comes in Mizutama Marble Claret and Ame Marble for Resort 2027.
• Both Ines bow blouses are 100% polyester and button up the front.
• Mary Katrantzou sizes in UK, so a UK 8 is a US 4, an IT 40 and a FR 36.

This guide sets out what defines a bow blouse, how to choose the fabric and the bow, and how to wear one from a desk to a dinner. The picks open with Mary Katrantzou, whose prints are engineered to the pattern piece, then widen to bow blouses from other houses we carry.

What is a bow blouse?

The defining detail is the tie. Two long fabric strips are cut as part of the collar band, and you knot them at the throat. Pulled into a full bow, they give a soft, fluid frame to the face. Left loose, they hang as two long ribbons down the front, which reads more relaxed. The body of the blouse can be fitted, loose, cropped and long; the tie is what makes it a bow blouse.

Because the tie sits at the centre of the eye line, fabric matters more than on most tops. A fluid cloth such as silk georgette, chiffon and satin drops into soft loops. A stiffer cloth such as cotton poplin and wool holds a crisper bow with sharper wings. Neither is better; they suit different rooms.

How to choose a bow blouse

• Fabric and drape. Satin and chiffon give the softest bow and catch light at night. Wool and ribbed knits make a firmer bow that sits well under a jacket in winter.
• Tie length. Long ties can be worn as a full bow, a single knot and loose. Short ties only really work as a neat bow.
• Print scale. A large engineered print on a bow blouse puts the motif right at the neck. If you want the print to read as one picture, look for a piece where the house places the artwork to the pattern, which is how Mary Katrantzou works.
• Fastening. A button-through front lets you open the blouse at the neck and wear the ties loose. A pull-on style keeps the line clean but leaves less room to play.
• Fibre honesty. Check the composition line. Both Ines blouses are 100% polyester, which gives a fluid, smooth hand; they are not silk, and the house does not describe them as silk.

The bow blouses to buy

1. Ines Blouse Mizutama Marble Claret

The Ines Blouse Mizutama Marble Claret buttons up the front and ties at the neck in a soft bow. It is cut from 100% polyester in the Mizutama Marble print, a deep claret ground lit with warm gold that the house likens to kintsugi, the Japanese craft of mending ceramics with gold lacquer. Wear it with the matching Vargas pencil skirt in the same claret print for a full look.

2. Ines Blouse Ame Marble

The Ines Blouse Ame Marble is the same buttoned, bow-necked shape in the Ame Marble print. Ame is the Japanese word for rain, and the deep navy ground is spotted with raindrops that pool into flowering marble. It is also 100% polyester, and it pairs with the Byrne wide-leg trousers and the Uni pleated skirt in the same print.

3. Verona Shirt Kintsugi Jasper

The Verona Shirt Kintsugi Jasper is the collared alternative for anyone who prefers a shirt to a tie neck. It has a classic shirt collar and a button-through front in the Kintsugi Myth Jasper artwork, where a tree winds its branches around the body and rose pink and caramel mist drifts across the horizon. The matching Thalia trousers turn it into a printed suit.

4. Wool Bow Blouse in Italian Plum

The Saiid Kobeisy Wool Bow Blouse in Italian Plum brings the tie neck into wool, the firmer route for a winter bow under a tailored jacket.

5. Vesa Long Sleeve Velvet Bow Blouse in Jadeite

The Ulla Johnson Vesa Long Sleeve Velvet Bow Blouse in Jadeite moves the bow into velvet, a cloth with a short dense pile that deepens colour, and adds long sleeves for colder evenings.

6. Short silk chiffon pussy-bow blouse

The Dolce and Gabbana Short silk chiffon pussy-bow blouse is the sheer, black, silk route, cut short by name.

7. Cora Bow Blouse in Serene Print

The Leo Lin Cora Bow Blouse in Serene Print is the other printed bow blouse in our edit, a useful comparison beside the Ines.

8. Valiant Lace Pussybow Blouse

The Zimmermann Valiant Lace Pussybow Blouse sets the bow against lace, an openwork fabric, for a softer, more romantic take.

9. Zattera Silk Georgette Pussy-Bow Blouse in Black

The Max Mara Zattera Silk Georgette Pussy-Bow Blouse in Black is the plain black silk georgette option, the most fluid cloth on this list for a soft bow.

10. Ribbed bow blouse in Ecru

The Toteme Ribbed bow blouse in Ecru takes the idea into a rib, which holds a neater, more structured bow in a pale neutral.

Bow blouses compared

Source: Mary Katrantzou product pages and size chart, and the Coveti catalogue, read by Coveti Editorial on 8 November 2026.

How to wear a bow blouse

Treat the bow as the focal point and keep the line below it clean. A full bow wants a simple skirt and trouser; loose ties look best with an open jacket so the ribbons fall straight.

• As a printed suit. Wear the Ines Blouse Ame Marble with the Byrne Trousers Ame Marble, which sit high and run wide to the floor. The print continues from neck to hem, which is the point of a Mary Katrantzou set. Our guide to wide-leg trousers covers proportions.
• With a pencil skirt. The Ines Blouse Mizutama Marble Claret over the Vargas Skirt Mizutama Marble Claret, a midi pencil line with a small back slit, gives a long column of claret and gold. Tuck the blouse in fully so the waist reads.
• With pleats. The Uni Skirt Ame Marble is a pleated midi; with the Ame bow blouse tucked in, the pleats move against the still bow. See pleated midi skirts for more.
• With tailoring. The Verona shirt with the Thalia Trousers Kintsugi Jasper, high on the waist and straight through a long leg, is the collared version of the same idea. A jacquard jacket over the top works too; our jacquard jackets guide has the options.
• For a party. A bow blouse with a sequin skirt is a dinner look that keeps the arms covered. Our holiday party outfits guide has more pairings.

How do you tie a bow blouse?

Tie it the way you tie a shoelace, then adjust. Cross the left tie over the right, loop it under and pull it to a single knot at the hollow of the throat. Make a loop with one end, wrap the other end around it and pull the second loop through. Even out the two loops and let the tails fall to roughly the same length. For a softer look, stop after the single knot and let the two ties hang straight.

Bow blouses around the world

In the US, a bow blouse works for office days and for dinners, and a printed polyester like the Ines travels well in a suitcase. In the UK, autumn and winter call for a jacket over the top, which is where the wool and velvet bow blouses come into their own. Across Europe, a printed bow blouse with a matching skirt suits long summer dinners in the south and city evenings in the north under a coat.

In the Gulf, the bow blouse is valued for covering the neck and arms in a formal setting, and the long Byrne trousers complete the line for evening events. In Asia, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore all see the bow blouse in office dressing; in humid summers a fluid, unlined cloth sits most comfortably, and the Japanese roots of the Mizutama and Ame prints give the Ines a natural connection there.

Sizing a bow blouse

Mary Katrantzou sizes in UK, so a UK 8 is a US 4, an IT 40 and a FR 36. Letter-sized styles run XS to XL, and on the house chart XS sits at a UK 6. The house gives no advice on sizing up and down for most pieces, so take your usual size; the one exception this season is the Kira kaftan, which the house says runs big by one to two sizes. The models are 178 cm tall and wear a UK 8. Full charts are in our Mary Katrantzou size guide. With a bow blouse the shoulder and bust matter most, because the tie sits at the collar; if you are between sizes, the shoulder is the measurement to match.

For more from the house, see our profile of who Mary Katrantzou is, the Mary Katrantzou Resort 2027 edit and our guide to Mary Katrantzou prints.

Frequently asked questions

What is a bow blouse called?

It is also called a pussy-bow blouse and a tie-neck blouse. All three names describe a blouse with long ties at the neck that knot into a bow.

Are bow blouses in style for 2027?

Bow blouses appear in Resort 2027 collections, including two printed Ines bow blouses from Mary Katrantzou. They sit beside wool, velvet and lace versions from other houses in our edit.

What do you wear with a bow blouse?

Wear it tucked into a pencil skirt, a pleated midi skirt and high-waisted wide-leg trousers. Keep the line below the bow simple so the tie stays the focal point.

How do you tie a pussy-bow blouse?

Knot the two ties once at the throat, make a loop with one end, wrap the other end around it and pull it through. Even out the loops and the tails.

Is the Mary Katrantzou Ines blouse silk?

No. Both Ines blouses are 100% polyester according to the house. Coveti advises dry cleaning, as the house publishes no care label online.

Can you wear a bow blouse to a wedding?

Yes, as part of a printed set. The Ines blouse with its matching Vargas skirt and Byrne trousers is made for dinners and events.

Read next: Tie-front shirts, Mary Katrantzou Resort 2027, Wide-leg trousers.

By Coveti Editorial. Updated 8 November 2026.