How to Tie a Tie
The Four-in-Hand is the knot most people learn first. It is slightly uneven, easy to remember, and right for almost any collar.
Materials
- A necktie
- A collared dress shirt
- A mirror (optional, helps while learning)
Steps
- Where does the name come from? One widely cited explanation points to the Four-in-Hand Club in London. It was a carriage-driving club, founded in 1856. Its members made this simple knot fashionable. The words "four-in-hand" first described driving a team of four horses with the reins held in one hand. The exact origin is not fully settled. But this is the account repeated most often.
Drape the tie around your neck
Do up the top button of your shirt. Turn the collar up. Hang the tie around your neck, under the collar. The seam should face your body.
Position the tie
Put the wide end of the tie on your right side. This is your real right side, not the one in the mirror. It should hang about 12 inches lower than the narrow end on your left.
Cross the wide end over
Cross the wide end over the narrow end.
Wrap it around and bring it back
Pass the wide end behind the narrow end, back toward your right. Then bring it across the front again to your left. This makes a flat band across the front.
Thread the knot
Lift the wide end up from underneath, through the loop around your neck. Then feed it down through the band you just made at the front. That finishes the knot.
Snug the knot
Hold the knot loosely. Pull the wide end down to .
- How to Make a Tie Dimple
- Stop while the knot is still loose The dimple has to be set before the knot closes around it, so pause at the point where the knot is formed but not yet tightened.
- Press your index finger in below the knot Put the tip of your index finger into the centre of the wide end, just underneath the knot, pushing in to start a vertical fold.
- Pinch the sides in around your finger With your thumb and middle finger, squeeze the fabric inward on either side of that finger so the fold is centred and even.
- Hold the pinch while you tighten Keep the pinch in place as you pull the wide end down and slide the knot up to your collar. The crease sets as the knot closes around it. Textured weaves hold a dimple better than smooth satin, which tends to let it fall out.
Slide it up and center it
Hold the narrow end. Slide the knot up until it sits snug against your collar. Center it as you go. The tip of the tie should end up at about the middle of your belt buckle.
- If something looks off: A small lean to one side is normal for the Four-in-Hand. Redo it only if it looks very crooked. If the knot will not sit snug against your collar, do not pull the wide end again. Hold the narrow end still and slide the knot up instead. If the tie ends up too long or too short, How to Untie a Four-in-Hand Without Damaging the Tie
- Untuck the tail and loosen the knot Pull the narrow end back out of the keeper loop, then loosen the knot by rocking it gently side to side rather than dragging it down by the wide end.
- Slide the knot down by the narrow end Hold the narrow end and ease the knot a few inches down your chest to open up the loop around your neck. Keep the wide end slack while you do it.
- Reverse the way you tied it Draw the wide end back up out of the horizontal band at the front, then back out of the neck loop - the same moves from step 5, run backwards. Never force the wide end down through a knot that is still tight; that is what stretches the lining and leaves a permanent crease.
- Hang it up before wearing it again Once the tie is flat, hang it on a rack or over a hanger for a day so the fold from the knot relaxes out before you tie it again.
- Most standard ties are about 57 to 58 inches long. Extra-long ties are about 62 to 63 inches. Perhaps the tip never lands near your belt buckle, however you change the gap in step 2. Then the tie may be the wrong length for your height and build. It is not a problem with your technique. Taller wearers, and wearers with larger necks, often need an extra-long tie.
Tuck the tail and finish
Tuck the narrow end into the fabric loop on the back of the wide end. This keeps it hidden. Then turn your collar back down.
Sources
Each step in this guide is drawn from facts stated by several of these pages independently. Sources that did not corroborate anything used here are not listed.
- How to Tie a Tie Video and Steps - Real Simple realsimple.com
- How to Tie a Tie: The Complete Guide | The Art of Manliness artofmanliness.com
- How to Tie a Tie in 3 Easy Steps - ActiveMan activeman.com
- How To Tie A Tie | #1 Guide With Step-By-Step Illustrated Instructions bespokeunit.com
- How to Tie a Tie: Easy Guide to Necktie Knots theknot.com
Leave a comment
Comments are reviewed before appearing. See our Privacy Policy for how your name and message are handled.
Comments
No comments yet.