The necktie is your personal signature. Everything about it – color, pattern, knot, and fabric – is all very

 

subjective. It is your chance to express yourself. Whichever knot you opt for, it should completely fill

 

out the tie space at the top collar button. A tie should be knotted tight enough for it to arch a bit from the collar.

 

The tie should be completely hidden from view at the back of the shirt – tucked away under its collar. To simply it further here are 4 easy ways to achieve that. 

 

The Windsor Knot 

 

As the name implies, this method is named after the Duke of Windsor who, preferring wide collars, wanted a

 

big knot. As the illustrations show, Windsor wannabes must cross the end which is considerably longer and

 

wider over the other, and pull it up through the center. Then pass the longer end under the shorter end. Bring

 

the longer end over the neckband and then down to the other side. Wrap the long end over the front of the

 

knot, then loop it under the neckband and down through the knot you have made. All that’s left is to slide the

 

completed knot into place and voila! The Duke of Windsor has made an appearance. 

 

 

 

 

The Half-Windsor Knot 

 

Use a silk tie to achieve an effect of a knot not quite as bulky as the Windsor, but equally substantial. Make sure

 

you’ve got the wide end about a foot below the narrow one, and cross it over the latter, bringing it back underneath. Loop the wide end over the neckband, and turn it towards the left. Loop the wide end around the front of the knot, in an anti-clockwise direction, and bring it up through the center. Pass the wide end through the knot, tightening slowly as you draw it up through the collar.

 

 

 

 

The Four-In-Hand Knot 

 

This one’s a classic, despite its rather strange name, so do not scoff until you’ve tried it. (You probably already have). Plus, being an easygoing kind of knot, it’s suited to all fabrics. Its lack of snobbishness must stem from the fact that it was first used by 18th-century coach drivers in England, to secure their scarves against the wind. Cross the wide end over the narrow end and then back underneath. Then cross the wide end over the narrow end and then back underneath. (No, it is not a typo, you actually have to do this twice). Pass the wide end under and then over the neckband, then through the knot, forming a central crease. Tighten the knot, as always, slowly, holding the narrow end and sliding the knot into place.

 

 

 

 

The Shelby Knot 

 

Also known as a reverse half-Windsor, this is a small, precise and balanced knot which at the start should be

 

worn wrong side out. If you’ve trusted in us, and follow all our directions impeccably, in the end, the wider, front

 

part of the tie will form a perfect dimple in the center, while the narrow end (underneath and therefore not

 

seen) will remain backward, with its belly facing out. To begin: cross the longer, wider end under the other,

 

and loop the long end through the center. Then cross the long end back over the narrow end. Loop the long

 

end back up through the center and then pull it down, through the knot.

 

 

 

 

Image Credits: (@formals on Instagram)