The Four-in-hand
The four-in-hand is the all-time classic of tie knots. It is by far the most used, because it is simple to tie. It works well for most types of tie and with nearly all types of shirt collar. It is perfect for men of medium height and for tall men.Conical and elongated, the Four-in-hand is narrow when tied with a lightweight fabric and wider when formed with a thick material.
The Double Knot
The Double Knot is very similar to the Four-in-Hand. It has just one more layover. At the beginning the wide end is turned twice over the narrow end.
The slightly thicker finished knot makes it ideal for use with most shirts. It is also perfect with all types of tie, with the exception of very thick fabrics.
The Windsor Knot
The Windsor Knot is the knot for special occasions. Typically English, it owes its name to the Duke of Windsor who made it popular.
As the finished knot has considerable volume it is preferable to restrict its use to wide-spaced collars such as Italian collars or Windsor collars.
This knot is complicated to form. It has to fit exactly between the two ends of the collar and must completely hide the top button of the shirt.
The Half Windsor
The Half Windsor is similar to the Full Windsor although slightly less bulky, and easier to do.
It is ideal for lightweight or not too thick fabrics. This elegant triangular knot works well with shirts with a classic collar or an open-collar.
The Small Knot
As its name clearly indicates, this is a small knot.
Its great advantage is its use with heavy fabrics and/or with close-cut collars. Do not use it on collars that are long or wide-spaced.
Easy to do, even with its 180° twist, the Small Knot is by far the easiest of all the knots.
The Bow Tie
Bow ties are available in the same ranges of colours and patterns as the classic tie.
Generally black, a bow tie is worn with black evening dress and a white shirt with a “broken” collar. It can also be worn more casually with a suit and a shirt with a wide-spaced collar.
The Humour Knot
The Prince Albert Knot
The Ascot Tie