How to tie your Neck Tie

Tying a Necktie

Four in Hand Knot

Made popular by - and probably gets its name from - the Four In Hand Club based in London. This knot is suitable for both formal and informal occasions.

Hold the wide end of the necktie in your left hand and the narrow end in your right;

Drape the tie around your neck so that it faces forward;

Adjust the wide end so that it hangs about a foot lower than the narrow end;

Take the wide end with your right hand and pull it across the narrow end;

Switch your hands so that your left hand is holding the wide end. Draw the wide end to the left, across your chest and underneath the narrow end;

Switch hands again and bring the wide end back across your chest, over the narrow end;

Pull the tip of the wide end underneath the knot. Use your left hand to draw it through the loop;

Steady the front of the knot with your index finger and pull the wide end down through it;

Tighten the knot by cinching it toward your neck as you hold onto the narrow end. Make sure the knot looks streamlined and clean, but don't tighten it to where it becomes uncomfortable to wear.

Quick and Simple Knot

1. Turn up your shirt collar so that it’s standing straight up all the way around. Make sure your shirt is buttoned all the way to the top;
2. Drape the tie around your neck with the seam side out. The skinny half should pass above your left nipple, and the fat half should pass above your right nipple. The skinny end should come down to about an inch above your belly button, and the fat end should hang down towards your crotch. Take hold of the right end and place it over the left end;
3. Cross the fat end below the skinny end and pull it tight;
4. Flip the fat end over the skinny end so that it ends up hanging over your right shoulder;
5. Remove the fat end from your shoulder and tuck it under the portion of tie that is at the right side of your Adam’s apple. Pull it all the way through;
6. Beginning with its pointed end, pass the fat half of the tie through the middle of the loop you’ve formed. Use your left hand to pull it straight;
7. Tighten the knot by simultaneously pulling on the tie just to the right of the knot with your right hand and pulling down on the tie just below the knot with your left hand. Keep tightening until the knot is the size you desire;
8. You should now have a fairly representative tie knot. Now, simply tighten the tie by pulling on the skinny end until the knot is flush with your Adam’s apple and tight against the inside of your collar;
9. Check the length of the tie. If it looks good, fold down your collar and you are dressed for success!

Full Winsor Knot

The full Windsor knot is an elegant, wide tie knot that is generally used for formal occasions. It looks best with wider ties and works best with longer ones, as it requires more fabric to create than the everyday four-in-hand knot.

Pull the shirt collar up to get it out of the way. Drape the tie around neck, with the smaller end of the tie hanging level with the bottom of the shirt pocket;

Cross the large end of the tie over the small end;

Now slip the large end of the tie underneath the small end;

Bring the tie back up toward the collar, slipping the large end through the loop around the collar;

Twist the tie so the underside shows again;

Flip the long end of the tie across the knot;

Wrap around the knot and slip the end through the loop around the collar again. Pull straight up the middle;

Now slide the end through the top loop of the knot you've just made. Pull straight down;

Insert your finger though the loop underneath to keep the knot even as you tighten;

Adjust the knot so it sits snugly against the top button of the collar. Holding the knot gently with one hand, while tugging on the short end of the tie with the other, can help slide the knot closer to the collar. Fold the collar down.

Tying a Cravat

The Ascot Knot

So named for the Ascot Races.

A version of the cravat, which has been around men’s fashion since the 1630s. By the 1880s, the ascot was standard garb for the European upper classes. The Ascot was also commonly worn for business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An Ascot is a narrow neckband with wide pointed wings, traditionally made of pale gray patterned silk. The wings are folded over and held firm with a pin, although casual wearers (if there is such a thing) can opt to wear without the pin. Although an Ascot is synonymous (at least in the U.S.) with pretense, or at the very least, attitude, it is an essential part of the very classic British grooms wear.

Traditionally made of silk in gray with stripes and is paired with a dark gray cutaway/morning suit (aka tuxedo), so called because they’re worn for weddings held before 6 p.m. But it can be worn (by the stylish and the brave) in more casual circumstances. The wearer will no doubt be unique as they are rarely seen today. Contrast a light button-down shirt (always a button-down, never a crew or polo) with a dark Ascot.

Famous iconic Ascot wearers: Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. Edward Fox, actor. Jack Skellington (his “Nightmare Before Christmas” always included the donning of an ascot, although this fashion-forward Tim Burton-creation added a bowtie, too). Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Americans generally use the terms “ascot” and “cravat” synonymously.

1. Choose the Ascot/Cravat of your choice and grab hold of either end and put it loosely around your neck;
2. Take hold of the right end and place it over the left end;
3. Pull the right end up and through the loop thus formed underneath;
4. Place what started out as the right end of the ascot precisely over what started out as the left end and is now underneath;
5. Stuff the Ascot/Cravat under the shirt leaving the top button undone. Adjust both ends.

Tying a self-tie Bow Tie

1. Place the bow tie around your neck, situating it so that end "A" is longer than end "B";
2. Cross A over B;
3. Bring A up and under the loop;
4. Now double B over itself to form the front base loop of the tie;
5. Loop A over the center of the loop you just formed;
6. Holding everything in place, double A back on itself and poke it through the loop behind the tie;
7. Adjust the tie by tugging at the ends of it and straightening the center knot.