How to Choose Luxury Christmas Ribbon
Most ribbon looks fine on the reel and disappointing on the gift. It's too thin to hold a bow, too shiny to photograph well under lamplight, or it curls at the edges within a day of being tied. By the time the gift is under the tree, the ribbon has already started to let it down.
Good ribbon does the opposite. It holds its shape, catches the light properly, and finishes a gift the way the wrapping paper underneath deserves to be finished.
What Makes Ribbon Worth Using
Weight. Thin, papery ribbon won't hold a knot cleanly. Look for something with actual body to it - it should sit into a bow rather than flop out of one.
Width. Narrow ribbon disappears against heavier wrapping paper. A wider ribbon, around 25-38mm, gives a bow enough presence to read properly in a photo or across a room.
Finish. Matte cotton reads as understated and works all year. Gold edged ribbon catches light beautifully against darker papers and feels distinctly festive. Loose weave sits somewhere between the two - textured, a little rustic, less formal than satin.
What We Stock
Our ribbon is selected from Studio Carta, an Italian design house we import directly from rather than something we manufacture ourselves. It's the same standard we hold our own wrapping paper to: heavyweight, considered, made to be looked at closely rather than glanced past.
Three finishes cover most gifts:
Gold edged ribbon for anything wrapped in a darker or jewel-toned paper - it's the finish that photographs best under Christmas lights.
Loose weave ribbon for a softer, more textured look, particularly nice against plain or muted wrapping paper where you want the ribbon to do more of the visual work.
Cotton ribbon for a quieter, more everyday finish that still holds a bow properly - useful beyond Christmas too.
Pairing Ribbon With Wrapping Paper
Ribbon works hardest against paper that gives it something to sit on. Our luxury wrapping paper and Christmas gift wrap are designed with this pairing in mind - heavyweight enough to hold a crisp fold and a clean bow without tearing at the corners.
A rule of thumb: patterned paper wants a plain or single-colour ribbon, while plain paper can carry a more textured or metallic one. Both together fighting for attention rarely works as well as one leading and the other supporting.
How to Tie a Bow That Actually Holds
Wrap the ribbon around the gift and cross the ends underneath, then bring both ends back to the top. Tie a single knot to anchor it before you start the bow itself - this is the step most people skip, and it's the reason bows loosen and slide within an hour. From there, tie a standard bow and trim the tails at an angle so they don't fray.
With ribbon that has proper weight to it, the bow holds its shape without needing to be re-tied before the gift makes it under the tree.
The Most Important Thing
Ribbon is the smallest element of any wrapped gift, and the first thing anyone actually touches. It's worth choosing something with real weight to it - the difference between ribbon that holds a bow and ribbon that doesn't is obvious within an hour, and it's the kind of small detail that quietly signals how much care went into everything else.
Shop our Christmas ribbon collection - gold edged, loose weave and cotton, selected from Studio Carta, Italy, alongside our own Christmas gift wrap. Katie Leamon is stocked at Liberty, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. Free UK delivery on orders over £50.