How to Tie a Neck Tie

What are the best tie knots to wear with formal shirts?

A necktie can be knotted in what mathematicians have determined to be eighty-five different possible ways. Following are descriptions of the four most popular knots for neckties. All begin with the tie looped around the neck under the collar, the two ends of the tie hanging down side by side. Further down the page we have included descriptions on the best tie knots to wear with a formal shirt, and below we have included some examples of fine men's formal shirts available to buy online in UK.

Our Choice: Men's Formal Shirts

The Four-In-Hand Knot

One of the oldest methods for tying a necktie knot is the Four-In-Hand, a simple knot known by sailors for centuries as the bunt-line hitch. The name of this tie knot seems to have come from the knot's usage by the members of a London club of the same name. The knot is simple, narrow and slightly asymmetric, making it appropriate for all except the most formal occasions.

To tie this knot, take the broad end of the tie and cross it over behind the narrow end. Bring the broad end across the front of the knot to form a loop. Then take the broad end up and through the loop at your neck and down the front into and through the loop previously formed. Tighten and slide the knot up against the collar.

The Windsor Knot (also called the Full or Double Windsor)

Invented sometime in the late 1800s, this knot is credited to the House of Windsor of the British Royal Family. The knot is large, wide, triangular and symmetrical. A tie to be knotted in this fashion should be about 40 cm longer than a normal tie.

To tie this knot, start with the wide end of the tie on your right and about 30 cm lower than the narrow end. Take the broad end across the front of the narrow front and then up and behind the knot and through the loop at your neck. Take the wide end the other way behind the narrow front up and behind the knot and again slide through the loop just formed. Tighten. The broad end should now be looped around twice on either side of the front. Pass the front end across the narrow front and then up and through the loop near your neck. Slide the wide end through the front loop just formed and pull tight. Draw the knot up to the collar.

The Half-Windsor knot (also called the Single Windsor)

This triangular knot is smaller than the Full Windsor knot, but is still larger than the Four-In-Hand and the Pratt knots. The Half-Windsor only loops the broad end around once; the Full Windsor wraps the broad end around twice, on each side of the front. When starting the Half-Windsor knot, the broad end and the narrow end should hang at about the same length.

To tie this knot, take the broad end across the front of the narrow front and behind the knot. Pass up and over the knot and down through the loop at your neck. Pass the front end across the narrow front and then up and behind the knot and then out through the loop near your neck. Slide the wide end through the front loop just formed and pull tight. Draw the knot up to the collar.

The Pratt Knot (also called the Shelby, Pratt-Shelby or Nicky)

This 20th century knot was mistakenly credited to in the late 20th century to Don Shelby, a local television news announcer in the American Mid-West, and to Jerry Pratt, a staff member of the US Chamber of Commerce. However, further research has shown that this knot had been in use in Italy since the early 1900s, where it was known as the Milan-style knot. Though small, this knot is quite symmetrical and can be done with a short tie.

This knot is different from the other three mentioned in that the looped tie starts with the reverse side showing. Take the broad end under the narrow end and then up and over through the loop at the neck. If going back to where the broad end came from, the knot is a Pratt; if to the other side, the knot is a Nicky. Pull the broad end across the front of the knot, leaving a front loop - the front of the tie will now be visible. Pull the broad end up and under the side and through the loop at the neck. Pull the broad end down through the front loop and tighten.