At some point in your adolescence your father sat you down and said “It’s time to ditch the clip-on,” and taught you how to tie a necktie. But you probably just learned one knot and that’s how you’ve been doing it ever since. There’s no proper way to tie a tie, but certain knots can be a better match for a particular shirt collar and tie fabric. Here are three of the most common knots and a link to step-by-step instructions and photos provided by Brooks Brothers.

Four-in-Hand
The simplest, most versatile, and smallest knot option. Use this one with a tie made of medium to thick fabric and a narrow shirt collar or button-down.

Windsor
The granddaddy of all knots. This one takes a little more time and effort but is what you need when you wear a wide, spread collar.

Half Windsor
A compromise between the Four-in-Hand and the Windsor, this knot works well with almost any fabric and collar while still giving you a triangle shape.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 11:45 am and is filed under Attire, Knowledge.