Instructions on How to Tie a Tie

To tie a typical triangular-shaped tie is not as easy as it looks. One needs practice for it. And if you are successful in tying it, the elegance of your attire is increased greatly. But there is no such thing as a free meal. Before going into the instructions, let us take a look at a few details of a necktie. It is a neck-wear, generally worn by men. A neck tie is a very long and slender piece of men's clothing, especially designed to be worn around the neck. Commonly used variants are the ascot tie, clip-on tie, bow tie and bolo tie. A neck tie is among the most-used office attire around the world. Although it is most commonly worn in an office setting, many people use it as normal fashion as well.

Historical Facts of the Neck Tie

• The earliest known neckties were worn by Croatian mercenaries during the famous thirty years of war (1618-1648). It has been a part of men's fashion, since then.
• Neck ties were known as stienkirks, from 1650 to 1720.
• From 1800 to 1850, a group of Englishmen who called themselves macaronis, propagated the fashion of neckties.
• From 1850 onwards, many variants of the necktie came into existence. The first world war was actually responsible for making the necktie fashionable in America.

There are four kinds of tie knots that are predominantly tied all over the world. They are Four in Hand knot, Pratty knot, Half Windsor knot, and Windsor knot. In this following extract, I shall be explaining the Half Windsor knot and Windsor Knot, as I feel them to be the most elegant and common among all the different types of tie knots.

Instructions

Half Windsor Knot
The following steps are the most simple. Please do not miss out on any one of them.

Step #1: Select a nice looking tie and put it around your collar. See to it, that the wide end of the tie extends towards 'your' left side. Let the wide end be at least 12 inches below the narrow end which is on 'your' right.

Step #2: This is probably the simplest of all instructions. Cross the wide end of the tie over the narrow end of the tie.

Step #3: Swerve the wide end behind the narrow end and hold the formation.

Step #4: Bring the wide end up and hold it that way.

Step #5: Pull the wide end through the loop around the tie piece, which is coming out of the right collar.

Step #6: Here, the internal side of the wide should be visible to you. Bring the wide end of the tie in front of the entire formation.

Step #7: Now bring the wide end from behind the semi-formed knot and hold it upright.

Step #8: Now all you have to do is to bring the wide end through the knot.

Step #9:: This is the final step. Now pull the knot up till it reaches the collar button. With this step done, you have your half Windsor knot ready.

Windsor Knot
Now we go on to the actual Windsor tie knot. A few steps are similar to the half Windsor tie knot.

Step #1 Again, you have to let the wide end of the tie be at least twelve inches below the narrow end. The narrow end should be to the right and the wide end to the left.

Step #2 You will have to cross the wide end over the narrow end.

Step #3 In the loop that you have just formed, bring the wide end through it .

Step #4 Now bring the wide end back towards your right side and pull it down.

Step #5 Pull the wide end from under the narrow end and take the tie through the loop towards your left again.

Step #6 Bring the wide end across the front from left to right.

Step #7 Pull the wide end through the loop now.

Step #8 The wide end has to come down through the knot now.

Step #9 Once you pull the knot up, you Windsor knot is ready.

The above steps were instructions on how to tie a tie. Step-by-step execution will surely get you there. But you have to practice though, without which, you won't get it right.