THE KNOTS

Of the six hundred men who knot their tie every day, very few realize the symbolism of this apparently insignificant gesture, they are lost in time. From Japan to ancient Egypt come many symbolic connotations. “A sacred knot which from tomorrow shall bond us” says Lèonor to Ariste in Moliere’s “School for Wives”. An iconic masculine symbol for union, marriage, fertility and therefore – life.
This is of no help to those, who every morning have to struggle to knot their tie, or to those who have given up the struggle because of the impossibility in doing so. They obviously have never learned the few basic rules which would allow them to knot their tie with the same ease as they tie their shoe laces. They have never learned for example, that to tie a simple knot, the most common, they have to make sure that the wide end is about thirty centimetres longer than the other, or that if they are right-handed the wide end should be on the right and vice-versa. Tall men should know that they should use a small knot and short men should use a double knot. Those who have chosen a shirt with wide spread collars should learn the advantages of the Windsor knot, and so on. A few minutes a day are sufficient to memorize how to do this, in order to avoid buying ties with pre confectioned knots.

SIMPLE KNOT: inspired by a sailor’s knot and also called “Four-In-Hand” this is the most common and the simplest to do and also to un-do. First of all, the narrow end should just about reach the waist and the wide end should be about thirty centimetres longer, this may vary according to the height of the person. For right-handed people the wide end should be on the right and vice-versa, this is important for tying all knots. It’s very simple but its outcome can’t be considered successful if the final knot doesn’t fill harmoniously the angle of the collar. It is preferable not to make the knot a perfect triangle, it should be narrow and slightly asymmetrical. It may be necessary to start over again if the wide end doesn’t reach the waist or if the narrow end is longer than the other. When possible, under the knot there should be a sort of draping called “dimple” or as the French call it “cuillère” meaning spoon. Finally pass the narrow end through the “keeper” at the back of the tie. A variant of the simple knot is the small knot, less voluminous and more difficult to untie, it isn’t adapt for all collars or all kinds of ties. However, it can be useful for very tall men or for thick or wide ties where a simple knot would be too big. On the contrary of the simple knot, in the small knot the wide end passes over the narrow end only once, at 180° at the beginning of the operation.

DOUBLE KNOT: as its name says this knot derives from the simple knot but with a second passage of the tie’s end. This second passage is to the advantage of short men because it adapts the tie to their height  It is advisable for soft, narrow ties and is perfect for long collars. The double knot, also called “Prince Albert”, is original but never extravagant or ridiculous – exactly the opposite. You start with the wide end about forty centimetres longer than the narrow end. When winding the wide end round the other you must be careful not to pull it to tight otherwise you won’t be able to pass it through the loop in the last passage. The “Diagonal Knot” is also very attractive – original and elegant at the same time and more sophisticated than the previous. For a perfect result, the knot must present a diagonal motif, which takes some ability. Like the double knot it is not suitable for heavy silk, or woollen ties.

THE WINDSOR KNOT: as often erroneously thought, this knot was not named after the Duke of Windsor, nor was the Prince of Wales checked fabric. In the 1930’s however, the Duke of Windsor wore this particular knot and it became very popular. In Italy, though it was not well accepted, because of a certain xenophilous attitude existing in that period. The Duke of Windsor advised Count Nuvoletti, author of “Eulogy to a tie”, not to wear the knot anymore as it had been imitated too much. A wise piece of advice, since the Windsor Knot had been discredited because it was worn because fashionable and not for necessity.
In his book on English elegance James Darwen considers the Windsor Knot on the same level as everything else made popular by the “terrible” Duke of Windsor: the height of vulgarity: “I beg you not to wear it if you don’t want to look like an advertisement, a British airways pilot or a fan of Mrs Thatcher”. Others will tell you that nowadays it is only worn in South America. You’ve been warned. If however, you really have to fill in a wide spread collar, you may find that this knot indispensable if the tie is of a very flimsy fabric, because its most important characteristic is its volume. To tie this knot,  the wide end of the tie must be forty centimetres longer than the other. The half-Windsor knot presents an interesting alternative,  mid-way between the Windsor knot and the simple knot. It too can be useful for particularly flimsy ties.