Tying a tie for your husband or boyfriend sounds simple enough — until you’re actually standing there, unsure where to begin. Here are two foundational knots that are easy to learn and even easier to execute, so you can make him look polished every single morning.
1. The Four In Hand Knot
Four steps. No fuss. This is the everyday knot and especially well-suited to pointed collar shirts and narrower ties (around 7cm) in softer fabrics.
How to tie it:
Prep: Drape the tie around his collar, front-facing toward you. The wide blade sits on your left, the narrow blade on your right. Let the wide blade hang about 30cm lower than the narrow one.
Step 1: Cross the wide blade over the narrow one, holding both close to the collar.
Step 2: Bring the wide blade underneath the narrow one and pull it to one side.
Step 3: Loop the wide blade back over the front of the narrow one once more at the crossover point.
Step 4: Tuck the wide blade up through the loop you’ve just formed and draw it down.
Once done, slide the knot up snugly to the collar and fold the collar down. The ideal length lands with the wide blade just grazing his belt.
2. The Half Windsor Knot
A step up on occasion, the Half Windsor is a refined variation of the classic Windsor, versatile enough to work with nearly any collar style, tie width, or fabric weight.
How to tie it:
Prep: Drape the tie around his collar, front-facing toward you. Wide blade on your left, narrow on your right, with the wide blade sitting about 30cm lower.
Step 1: Cross the wide blade over the narrow one, then tuck it underneath. The seam side should face upward.
Step 2: Bring the wide blade up toward the collar and hold the knot firmly in place.
Step 3: Thread the wide blade through the inside of the knot and pull it down to the right.
Step 4: Fold the wide blade across the front of the knot once more — it should now be sitting on your left.
Step 5: Bring the wide blade up and behind the knot.
Step 6: Loosen the front loop slightly, then thread the wide blade down through it from above.
Step 7: Hold the narrow blade steady with one hand while the other gently eases the knot up to sit flush against the collar.
And there you have it — two knots, two occasions. One for the everyday, one for when he needs to look his sharpest. Stay tuned for the next installment, where we’ll explore even more styles. Happy tying!
