Tie knots - does it really matter?

[Brian K]

When I was a teen (40 years or so ago) I always tied a Windsor (named for Windsor Castle in honor of its resident George V, not his wastrel son) or a half Windsor mainly because it was in vogue in the 70s and fit in well with the wider lapels and wide ties of the time. As I got older I abandoned the Full Windsor and went mainly with the half Windsor. For the last 20 years ago I have stuck with the four-in-hand. In its simplicity and asymmetricality it has an elegance, rather than a showiness, that I truly like. If you buy a nice enough tie with substantial enough fabric (I look in discount places for my ties because I can't afford the retail price of most nice ties) the knot will still be large enough to not look too small, but it will also be small enough and restrained enough to not mark you as a peacock. With a slightly off center dimple it's perfect for most occasions.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, the four in hand is damned near impossible to tie symmetrically, and that is a big reason I like it. If your knot is as perfect as an isosceles triangle and the dimple is perfectly centered it looks like you either fussed and fretted over it too much or you bought it pre-tied. A well tied four-in-hand gives you the air of casual insouciance that is just right for almost any occasion.

Brian

[auld argonian]

A well tied four-in-hand gives you the air of casual insouciance that is just right for almost any occasion.

Brian

...and anyone who's spent any time in this forum knows that we only have two kinds of kilties here: the insouciant and...the souciant...I guess...

I've been following this thread and I guess that I realize that there may be some generalizations about what knot goes with which collar and what width of tie but there are no hard and fast rules; if it looks good, it goes.

Best

AA