To tie or not to tie?

I know that there has to be a ton of people that have no idea on how to tie, as I was one of those people. I can do many things, but wasn’t great at it and usually always had to ask someone to help.

In my research of how to tie a men’s tie, I came across some very interesting things, no way did I ever figure there would be so many different types of ties and how many ways to tie them, didn’t know there was a special way to care for a tie as well! Did you know that the tie came to play in about 1600? Crazy!

Ties are a part of a man’s life at some point in time. It really doesn’t matter whether you are young, high school, college or older in the work force, you are going to know how to tie a tie. So, whether you are going into a corporate meeting, going on a hot date or just going to a nice dinner I have great information for you! I am not going to make this a drawn out affair because there are many sites great for learning how to do this, but here is the basic information for you.

There are many different types of ties first of all, I only listed a few. You have:

• The Bow tie
• The Ascot tie
• The Bolo tie
• The Clip-on tie
  

There are different “knots” as well:

• The Windsor - (also known as the full Windsor or double Windsor) is a wide triangular knot that is usually worn for formal occasions. This type of knot looks best worn with a shirt collar that is considerably cut-away.
• The Half Windsor - A medium triangular knot that is worn more formal than the four-in-hand, it can be worn for any occasion (preferably with standard shirt collars) and works best with somewhat wider ties made from light to medium fabrics.
• The Small knot - as the name implies, is small and is suitable for ties made from a thick fabric (woven silk, for example) and for close-fitting collars
• The Four in Hand Knot - Known as a simple knot, the four-in-hand is said to be the most popular method of tying ties due to its simplicity and usually is used for all occasions. It works best with wide ties made from heavy fabrics and should be worn with a tab, button-down or regular spread collar.
• The Prince Albert knot - A very compact knot, the Prince Albert goes well with shirts with long collars. The best result is achieved with narrow ties made of soft materials.
• The Bow Tie - is primarily worn with formal attire, such as suits or dinner jackets.
  

One of the most common “knots” are the Windsor. There are many steps but here is the meat and potatoes of tying a Windsor knot:

• Step 1: Drape the necktie around your collar and start with the wider end extending approximately 12 inches below the narrow end; cross it over.
• Step 2: Wrap the wide end around, and bring it up over and through the loop between the collar and the tie. Then pull it down toward the front.
• Step 3: Curl the wide end that is left behind the narrow end.
• Step 4: Bring the wide end back up again through the loop
• Step 5: Put down through loop and pull around across narrow end as shown .
• Step 6: Bring the wide end up and tuck it through the loop a third time, and bring it back down to the front
• Step 7: Finally, pull down on the wide end carefully to tighten and draw up the knot snugly to your collar.
• Step 8: If both ends don't meet perfectly, simply start over and adjust the length of your tie accordingly. Make sure your collar falls nicely all around, and center the knot as best you can.

For more information and extensive directions on tying a men’s necktie, search the web.There is a ton of information on Men's neckties and where to buy nice ties that are good for all occasions, even to wear to a Georgia Bulldog game!