Due to a resurrection of the 50s era style the bow tie has once again become a main stay* for those gentlemen with a fresh demeanor. Because of this “new” direction the necktie has lost the love it once had and has now taken a backseat to the bow tie. For this reason, and because I am still a big fan of the standard necktie, I have decided to show you all the amazing things a necktie can do. Ok, after further review, maybe not so “amazing” but versatile. The question I have for you bow tie lovers is: Can your pretty little bow be tied in four different ways with four different results? Let me explain with the help of my friends from tieatieeasily.com:
* If worn correctly, with the correct attire
The Four in Hand Knot is by far my favorite knot. Believe it or knot (pun intended) it goes very nice with a spread/wide collar shirt.
Here is how tieatieeasily.com describes it: The Four In Hand is the most popular tying method, mainly due to its simplicity.It looks elegant & “cool” altogether and it will be great for almost every event. The Four In Hand is a little bit asymmetric tying knot, and forms a relatively small knot. Therefore, this tying method will be great for a narrow collar opening, and for medium-large thickness fabrics. For that reason the Four In Hand isn’t usually the best choice with a wide collar shirts. The Four In Hand, due to its simplicity, leave a relatively long in length tie. CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS
The Windsor Knot is the first knot I learned and if it was your first knot, I’d like to hear from you. My father spent a couple of hours teaching me how to tie the windsor. Then he spent a couple of hours figuring out how to get an adult tie to fit on his 9 year old son who desperately wanted to wear a “real tie.” I love him for it. It’s the little things.
Tieatieeasily.com: The Windsor Knot (also known as the Full Windsor or the Double Windsor) is a wide and respected tying method. The Windsor knot shape is a relatively big, triangular and fully symmetric, providing a representative & confident look. The Windsor knot mostly used for formal occasions. The Windsor knot will be perfect for spread collar shirts and thin fabric materials because of the big knot created. Because of the Wide Knot shape, the tie tends to deemphasize the look of a long neck and therefore will look fabulous for these people. CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS
The Half Windsor Knot is a knot that I used quite often in the 90s because I thought it was cool to have a small knot. This is definitely my least favorite knot due to the fact that I see so many men who pull it so tight that it looks like it is hidden under their collar.
Tieatieeasily.com: The Half Windsor knot (also known as the Single Windsor) is a semi-version of the Windsor knot. This tying method results in a thinner knot than the Windsor knot, but thicker than the Four In Hand knot and the Pratt Knot. This tying method is popular because of its combination between the Windsor knot look with a gentler and smaller knot. That allows the use of narrower collar shirts and thicker ties than the Windsor knot. The Half Windsor Knot is a Symmetrical, medium wide tie knot. CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS < Don’t do it to yourself, if you do, don’t pull it so tight.
The Pratt Knot is rather popular with the younger crowd (I’m only 31) and possibly inspired by some famous figures such as Jay-Z. This knot also looks nice with a spread/wide collar. But be warned: Unless you have bought an extra long tie, keep your jacket closed because this knot eats up a great deal of tie and it may stop 2-3″ above your belt line.
Tieatieeasily.com: The Pratt Knot (also known as the Shelby Knot) is a neat & tidy tying method. The Pratt Knot differs than most of the tying methods with its initial position, which is upside down. The Pratt Knot characterized with a symmetric and a low-medium thick knot. The Pratt Knot is slightly thinner than the Half Windsor Knot, therefore is great for thicker ties than those that can be used by the Windsor or the Half Windsor knots. The Pratt Knot is a great alternative to the Windsor Knot. CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS
I hope this post has been helpful to you. If you are still using the same knot that you first learned and thinking that it is working for all your shirt collars, think again. Maybe you should give one of these knots a try, you may be surprised. The impact MAY be so great that you end up throwing out all of your bow ties and start rolling with a necktie exclusively.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me and I will definitely reply.
Stay Fresh My Friends,
Matt B
Follow me on Twitter @dis_gentleman
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