The neck tie, more commonly referred to as "tie" has been a fashion accessory for about 300 years now. Story has it that ties were first worn by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century, as a means of identifying themselves in the French war. Today, the story has changed as it has become a must-have for every male who considers himself stylish, especially those who are active in the corporate world.

Ties come in various sizes, textures, colours, and designs. And can be worn for formal ocassions, dinners, church, and for casual gatherings.

There are lots of ways to knot your tie, some more popular than the others. However, what many do not know is that these styles are best suited for different kinds of personalities, body sze, height, neck length and width etc.

I will share information of 18 different styles to knot a tie, when and how to use these styles, and images to help you knot your tie yourself.

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Four in Hand Knot

The Four in Hand Knot is probably the most common tie knot. Because of it's simplicity, it is usually the first knot fathers teach their sons, reason why it is also referred to as "schoolboy knot".

The knot is named after a the Four-in-Hand Club, a 19th century Gentleman's Club which popularized it. It is one of the smallest tie knots known, slightly bigger than the oriental knot.

Four in Hand is simple to knot, versatile, convenient, and appropriate for both formal and casual occassions.

Occassions

1. Business meetings

2. Casual events like social outings, parties, weddings, get-togethers

3. Formal meetings like interviews

4. Church services, and other religious gatherings

Best For

1. Recommended collars - button-down collars, narrow spread collars (shirst with collar points which angles are 60 degrees or less)

2. Spread shirts

3. A man with narrow face

4. Men with narrow necks

5. Tall and medium height men

6. Skinny and medium ties

7. Patterns like clubs or stripes

Four in Hand is one of 3 prescribed options for United States Army uniforms and the United States Navy uniforms that include a necktie.

Steps to Knot Four in Hand

Below are simple steps to knot the Four in Hand with the image.

Step 1: With your collar up, loop the tie around your neck so the thick end hangs to the left. It should be 3 or 4 inches lower than the thin end.

Step 2: Cross the thick end over the thin end to form an ‘X' shape.

Step 3: Take the thick end and wrap it around and behind the thin end. The thick end should now be inside out.

Step 4: Bring the thick end around and across the front of the knot from left to right.

Step 5: Holding the thin end with one hand, pull the thick end upwards through the neck loop.

Step 6: Feed the thick end down through the tie knot.

Step 7: Pull on the thick end to achieve your desired knot size.

Advantages

1. Easy to tie

2. Versatile

3. Narrow

4. Goes well for most occasions

Disadvantages

1. Asymmetrical

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Half Windsor Knot

One of the most common tie knots available, the Half Windsor was so named to distinguish it from the full Windsor, as it is actually three-quarters (not half) in size when compared to the bulkier Windsor knot.

Probably created to simplify the steps of the Windsor style, Half Windsor only brings the tie through the neck loop on one side instead of both, making it slightly smaller than the Full Windsor.

Half Windsor is slightly more complicated than the Four-in-Hand when knotting, but this doesn't take away the simplicity, making mastery easy with practice. This tie knot creates a moderately sized, symmetrical and triangular knot that fits with most outfits.

Occasions

1. Appropriate for most professioal occassions

2. Casual

3. Job interviews

4. Weddings

5. Business meetings

6. Special work events and most smart functions that demand formal attire

Best for

1. Light and medium weight fabrics

2. Medium spread collars

3. Point collars

4. Button-down collars

5. Better proportional choice for taller men as it uses less of the necktie than the Windsor

6. Trim suit

7. Skinny ties - helps give an extra fullness

8. Flamboyant ties that have bold patterns and colors

9. semi-cutaway collars

10. Goes well with all face shapes

Steps to Knot Half Windsor

Below are simple steps to knot Half Windsor with the image.

Step 1: Drape the tie over your neck and adjust it until the wide end is longer than the narrow end

Step 2: Cross the wide end of the tie over the narrow end

Step 3: Bring the wide end around and behind the narrow end

Step 4: Take the wide end over and through the opening near your neck

Step 5: Wrap the wide end across the front of the thin end

Step 6: Pull the wide end under and through the neck opening

Step 7: Pull the wide end of the knot through the loop formed in the front

Step 8: Finally, tighten the knot by pulling on the wide end while holding the knot until you’re satisfied with the look

You can bring the knot up to your neck by holding the narrow end of the tie while pushing the knot up with your other hand. Finally, keep your tie looking tight by putting the narrow end through the keeper loop on the back of the tie.

Your tie should rest between the top and middle of your belt line. If it’s too short, start over making the narrow end higher. If it’s too long, start with narrow end lower.

Advantages

1. Extremely versatile

2. Symmetrical

3. Easy to tie

4. Projects a look of confidence

Disadvantages

1. Slightly more complicated than the Four-in-Hand to knot.

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Windsor Knot

Windsor, full Windsor, or double Windsor all refer to the same. These names are used to distinguish it from the half Windsor. It was invented by the public to imitate the Duke of Windsor's knot, which the Duke achieved by tying a Four-in-Hand with specially made wide ties that had extra thickness.

This knot is the largest of the 4 most common knots - Four-in-Hand, Simple, Half Windsor, and Windsor. It ties a symmetrical and solid triangular knot which creates a comfortable space between the collar and the neck while holding the tie in place.

Windsor is the only knot used by all personnel in the Royal Air Force and Royal Airforce Cadets in the UK when wearing their black-tie while in uniform.

Occasions

1. Great for formal occasions

2. Weddings

3. Business meetings with highly important or powerful individuals

Best for

1. Spread collars

2. Cutaway collars

3. Complements a strong square face

4. Round face

5. Face with facial hair

6. Long ties - Windsor uses a lot of fabric when knotting

7. Men who are stout or have wider necks

8. Silk ties

9. Darker tones and more spread out patterns

Steps to Knot Windsor

Below are simple steps to knot Windsor with the image.

Step 1: Drape the necktie around your collar with the wide end on the right hanging 4-6 inches lower than your waistband.

Step 2: Cross the wide end horizontally in front of the slim end, making an X-shape just below your chin.

Step 3: Tuck the wide end up and beneath the loop around your neck, coming out point-upward behind the X. Use one finger to hold the X in place.

Step 4: Pull the wide end all the way down.

Step 5: Bring the wide end around behind the knot and pass it horizontally from right to left.

Step 6: Flip the wide end tip upward and tug it diagonally across the front of the knot.

Step 7: Loop the wide end over the top of the loop around your collar and bring it back down. It should emerge on the left of the thin end.

Step 8: Bring the wide end horizontally across the front of the knot, from left to right. This forms a horizontal band. Tuck a finger through it and hold it in place.

Step 9: Bring the wide end underneath the loop one more time, around the collar with the tip aiming upward.

Step 10: Turn the wide end downward and slide the tip through the horizontal loop you saved with your finger in step 8.

Step 11: Pull the wide end all the way down and smooth out any creases or slack in the knot.

Advantages

1. Comfortable to wear

2. Prestigious - power knot for business

3. Firm knot with a symmetrical shape

4. Projects an image of power, confidence, and authority

5. Professional look

Disadvantages

1. More complicated to knot - requires more practice to master

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Nicky Knot

The Nicky knot is widely believed to be named by the Middle-Eastern tie maker Nicky Kruschev after his visit to Milan where he noticed the knot used for mannequin displays. It is a combination of the Victorian Knot and the Four-in-Hand Knot.

The fewer steps required to tie this knot makes it appealing to some men. In size, the Nicky Knot is slightly larger than the Four-in-Hand Knot but smaller than the Half Windsor Knot.

Occasions

1. Boardroom

2. Important business meetings

3. Events

Best for

1. Tall men

2. Shorter ties

3. Skinny knit ties

4. Standard ties

5. Medium spread collars

Steps

Below are simple steps to tying the Nicky Knot with the image.

Step 1: Drape the necktie around your collar with the seam outward and the thick end on your left. It should be about two inches lower than you want the finished position.

Step 2: Cross the thick end underneath the thin end, making an X-shape below your chin.

Step 3: Flip the thick end up in front of the loop around your collar. Then tuck it down through the loop, emerging to the left of the thin end.

Step 4: Bring the tip of the thick end horizontally across the front of the knot. Slip a finger underneath the horizontal band you’ve just created across the front of the knot.

Step 5: Bring the tip of the thick end up and underneath the loop around your collar.

Step 6: Tuck the tip of the thick end down through the horizontal loop you created in Step 4.

Step 7: Pull the thick end all the way through the horizontal loop and snug it down.

Step 8: Adjust the knot as needed by holding it with one hand and pulling on the narrow end of the tie with the other.

Advantages

1. Versatile knot

2. Quick tying

3. A relatively small amount of length

4. Easy to tie

5. Self-releasing

6. Take less number of moves

Disadvantages

1. Asymmetrical