From Boys to Men: The Necktie

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By Justin Weller, Writer
February 17, 2010
Filed under Fun Stuff

If there is one skill a man should know when dressing himself, it would be the ability to tie a tie.  I learned the basic four-in-hand knot quite late in life.  I believe I was just starting high school before I knew how to tie a tie.  What amazed me when I got to college is how many guys still don’t know how to tie one.  I had to tie a few friends ties my freshman year, and it was still weird to me.

I suppose it is the casual nature of life that is somehow weeding out the use of neckties, and it is a strange thought to see so many people who can’t tie one.  Not to mention the few people who are practically robots and tie it the one way they’ve been taught their whole life.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a good four-in-hand, but there are times when it looks better to tie a different knot.

For instance, prior to wearing the tie, check the way the shirt collar is.  There is noticeable difference between the gap sizes in the front.  If the gap is a smaller gap, then a four-in-hand would work perfectly.  But, if the opening is wider, you will want to go with a wider knot, so there isn’t a lot of dead space which looks awkward.

There should be multiple ways that a person can tie a tie, because some happen to look crisper than the others.  But for now, we’ll stick to the simple yet elegant ones.  The 3 you should cherish at this moment are:

1. The four-in-hand

2. Half Windsor

3. Full Windsor

The four-in hand works best for a quick fix, but if you want to get closer to the “perfect triangle” look, you are going to have to pull off a Full Windsor.  This short list is a mere scratch on the surface of the list of the art of tie tying.  Before you dive into the tougher parts of the tie tying world, make sure you master these 3.

Once you really get into tying ties, you may actually find that you enjoy being to express yourself with the different varieties.  You might find yourself wearing a tie more often.