7 Tips before you start knotting

Are you going to tie your tie for the first time? First check our 7 tips and your knot ‘can-knot’ fail!

1. Do you have an old tie? Ideal! You can use this for practicing new knots. This way, your new tie won't suffer when you end up in a tangle!
2. Before you put your tie around your neck; turn the collar upwards and fasten the top button of your shirt.
3. A common beginner's mistake: tying your tie too tightly. Try to tie your tie as loosely as you can, you can always pull it a little tighter later. Too tight a tie knot does not do much good for the result and also negatively influences the lifespan of the tie - and perhaps the wearer.
4. You have tied the tie perfectly if it lightly taps the top of your belt.
5. The tail of the tie (the narrow part) should never be longer than the front. It must be passed through the passantino (loop on the back, under the brand label) so that it stays neatly in place.
6. Completed the knot? Close the upper button and lower your collar again.
7. It is tempting to leave the knot in your tie after use for the next time but if you do this your tie will wear faster. It is better to take the knot out, roll the tie loosely and put it in your closet or hang it over a clothes hanger.

More than 80 Tie Knots

Physicists Fink and Mao have calculated that there are no fewer than 85 options for tying a tie of a standard size. But, if you master a basic repertoire of four knots, it is enough. Probably you don't have time every morning for a complicated knot like the Grantchester or the Christensen ... So, no worries, if you master the Four in Hand, Half Windsor, Double Windsor, and the Pratt Knot, then you have the skill set to knot each tie right. Depending on the shape of your collar, your height, and the fabric quality of your tie, you choose a specific tie knot. If you find it important that the tie positively underlines your style and appearance, choose the knot that suits you. Take plenty of time and practice so that you can experience for yourself what the result of the four most important knots looks and feels like. In many cases it will be the Four in Hand knot, but the Windsor or Pratt knot can become some of your favorites!