knotting the perfect tie

[Guest Goose25]

I have a meeting thursday and will be wearing a tie for the first time in 8 years, what's cool, what's not -> has it changed? What pants can you get away with?

hehehe... and most importantly how the f**k do you knot it?

[machineo]

are you talking about what kind of knots work best? my exp with knots

double winsor- thick and wide, not a lot of tie left to hang, but i have like a 16.5" neck

four something- common knot that i see people in clubs tie. rectangular and simple to tie.

"prat(?)"- i use this cause i remember it easily and it can get a good average sized triangle.

if its a business thing, a wide tie, ie not dior thin-ish, is standard protocol. and get a good tie dimple by creasing below the knot before you tighten it.

[Double D]

Just google 'full windsor' if it's a business thing, there's not really any other alternative when you're doing things 'properly'.

Depending on the outfit I wear the half windsor and four in hand, the latter of which is very casual and good when you're wearing more casual jackets and shirts rather than a blazer... plus it takes just a twist and a loop.

Anyhow, just google those up.

Edit: Don't worry about how hard a full windsor is to tie properly... once you've done it the knot is fully adjustable and you can just slide it off your neck without completely untying it.

[Guest Goose25]

good advice, cheers. I am not normally too concerned by this sort of thing but the group I am meeting with are from an old french company and bringing technology to the table means they must be sure that I know what I am doing and be trustworthy/solid.

like mary poppins: "it takes just a twist and a loop."

[Guest Goose25]

it takes just a twist and a loop.

here y'are:

[denimdestroyedmylife]

the only thing i can add is don't match your tie with your shirt

unless you are regis

and as your diagram shows, make sure the blue is shorter than the red end.

and as earlier stated, the dimple is the most important part of the tie, IMO.

oh, and the tie should not extend past your belt or be shorter than your bellybutton

[Vitamian]

Personally I think the Windsor knot, outside of any context of a full spread collar, looks incredibly tacky--like you bought your "slim-cut" suit from Express and some insidiously awful shined leather shoes from Kenneth Cole.

Look at this site for some better ideas:

http://www.knize.at/en/content/3_8.html

[Lady Savage]

the double windsor is defiantely the way to go. I think that the full knot portrays more professionalism that a single knot.

[red]

whenever i do it, the knot isnt a perfect triangle. is that ok? like one corner always seems to be thicker than the other. during an MUN conference, i got so annoyed by the unevenness, i just made up my own knot.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

huh. i've always done four-in-hand, i thought i'd been doing windsors.

whaddayaknow!!!

[Vitamian]

A badly done Windsor with any variety of collar just speaks to me of inelegant posing and the tackiness of second-hand GQs.

[mike lowrey]

or Prince Albert.

that knot is not for your tie.

I'm with flame on this though, not a big fan of the windsor, to me it looks too symmetric. I use a four in hand too, in my opinion its perfectly fine for business use as long as you do it well. if its not for business I do it a bit more loosely.

[lilodxd]

half windsor all the way...

plus, it's the only method i've semi-mastered.

[Guest Goose25]

liking the windsor family of knotting so far - it seems to give a broader, less 'pinched' knot

[superdupersang]

whatever knot you do remember:

1. massive ties are for footballer's weddings

2. a asymetric tie is better looking

3. if its frenchies your meeting, they might appreciate some frech cuffs. so cuff links need to match with your tie

4. dark suit, brown shoes, brown belt, matching tie, cuff links (tie holder optional) and maybe some black acette specs

wow, it sounds like your gogin into a shady arms trade, with massive bodyguards on rooftops, muttering into their cuffs

go get our technology Goose!

[fndmybetterhalf]

kills me to see some of my friends wearing fatass business-man-esq ties :/ atleast get a tie that suits your body size.

i uusally stick with four-in-hand also, quick and easy and looks good.

[mike lowrey]

Pardon me, but I think the Prince Albert is a legitamate knot:

I was joking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_piercing

[swisloc]

A badly done Windsor with any variety of collar just speaks to me of inelegant posing and the tackiness of second-hand GQs.

absolutely. do not use a full windsor. they look horribly tacky/arranged. turn on espn next time they have any kind of football preview show and look at the ridiculous knot Michael Irvin is sure to have around his neck. if you like it, and want to look like him, have fun with that.

half widsors or shelby/pratt for spread collars, four-in-hand for all other collars and thinner ties and you'll be golden. a general rule is to match the knot to the spread of your collar, but it's not always neccesary. I prefer the four in hand because it looks more natural and you can dress it up or down easily. NO ONE will say a four-in-hand is improper if it's tied well with a nice dimple.

[superdupersang]

my tie today:

[swisloc]

my tie today:

Excellent!

That's a great example of how the four-in-hand is the a versatile knot. perfect dimple, if you tighten that up and do the top button, you will look more "professional" if you loosen it like that you can have a relaxed look. in so many ways, that's (the four-in hand with dimple) the perfect knot... asymetry is your friend.

[Guest Goose25]

meeting went well - a great bunch and the big question is: how's my form?

it was trickier than I thought to get right... how does it look?

[Guest Goose25]

it was trickier than I thought to get right... how does it look?

hmmm.... maybe it is an 'inverted four in hand'?

[kkentm]

my tie today:

What shirt is that?

[swisloc]

meeting went well - a great bunch and the big question is: how's my form?

it was trickier than I thought to get right... how does it look?

looks good, a little nuched up on the right side of the knot, but whatever! I prefer a slightly larger dimple, but i love that the dimple is off center. I hate it when a tie looks TOO symetrical, like a clip-on tie or something...

but that's the great thing about the four-in-hand (IMO), it's impossible for it to be symetrical.

[thelion1856]

something crucial: make sure your tie comes down and covers over your belt buckle. Dont have your tie come down half way or short of your belt.

[superdupersang]

What shirt is that?

an ancient van heusen shirt i picked up from a vintage shop in london 2 years ago.

i love the collar shape and length, coz im not really into the shorter collars that are coming out now.