Knot Just a Tie

Knot Just a Tie
By Nitin Nair, Features Editor GULF NEWS Published: March 03, 2008, 00:47

Want to look spiffing for the big interview? Learn how to tie a Windsor knot

And you thought this was just a thick, fat knot. Somewhere in that knot is a story about love and the abdication of the British throne.

Though he denies having invented it, the Windsor knot is widely attributed to the Duke of Windsor. The Duke was King Edward VIII before he gave up the title of the king of the British Empire to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Something of a style icon in his times, the Duke patronised Hawes and Curtis, a London-based clothing company that made bespoke lounge suits, blazers and shirts for him.

Now that he was doing so much for its brand in British aristocratic circles, the company created a bespoke tie that had a thicker inner lining in the part of the tie that formed the knot.

The result was a thicker, broader tie knot, a style that pleased the Duke. In his honour, the knot was christened the Windsor knot - the most formal of all tie-knots.

REMEMBER: The Windsor knot needs space, so forget the button-down shirts; this works best with spread collar shirts.

"Any tie can create the knot, but of course a thicker tie creates the best knot as this is the whole point of it. Although it is the way that it is knotted and not the tie that makes it definitive as the Windsor knot," says Damien Paul, menswear buyer, Harvey Nichols Dubai.

WHEN TO WEAR IT: Ideal for men with long necks since the wide form shortens the perceived height of the neck. The Windsor is best suited for presentations and job interviews because it supposedly projects confidence. "Since it is thought of as a sign of high society, it is best suited for formal events, interviews, weddings etc," says Paul.

The Windsor in Five steps

Hang the tie around your neck with your right hand holding the narrow end. Transfer the narrow end to your left hand and with your right, cross the wide end of the tie over the narrow end. Bring the wide end up through the inside of the loop.
Bring the wide end down to your right, around and behind the narrow end, on your left. Now, bring the wide end over and down through the neck loop and pull it out to your left side.
Next, cross the wide side in front of the tie and to the right.
Now go up through the neck loop and down the loop made by the previous cross at the front of the tie.
Tighten the knot, draw up to the collar and straighten.