While tying a tie is a rite of passage for every gentleman, being able to discern which tie knot complements which collar type and facial structure type is equally important. After all, what good is a perfectly tied knot if it doesn’t work in proportion to your dress shirt collar or serve to flatter your facial features. In this detailed guide, we cover how to pair tie knots with your dress shirt collars and which knots will complement or flatter your facial structure type.
The occasion is set. Whether it’s that all consuming, all important upcoming presentation. Or that destination wedding reception you’ve been priming your energy for. Or that elusive job prospect that you’ve finally landed an interview for. You run through your stylistic checklist. Crisply ironed dress shirt. Check. Swanky suit in a solid or subtle patterned fabric. Check. Sheeny, Shiny Oxford Cap Toes, polished to the nines. Damn straight. Double check. It’s all going smoothly. Your confidence and energy levels are gearing up as you’re ready to dress with intention and make an impression.
You’re almost done. You throw on your favorite tie – and just as you’re lining it up to tie your knot – you realize – you don’t know which tie knot to opt for. A seemingly innocuous problem consisting of three choices – the four in hand, half or full windsor suddenly turns to dread. Does it fit the collar width? Is it going to make you appear fuller in the face or not? And is it going to make said impression that you were intending to make?
A Half Windsor Knot featuring The Dark Knot's Berkshire Abstract Burgundy / Blue Silk Tie.
Fret not. In this detailed guide, we will cover tie knots as they pertain to different types of dress shirt collars, and how certain tie knots can help accentuate desirable features when dressing up!
Four In Hand Knot
A Four In Hand Knot, perfectly complemented by a pointed collar dress shirt. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Fort Covington Olive Green Foulard Silk Tie.
The Four-In-Hand Knot, widely considered as one of the easiest tie knots to tie, and the defacto rite of passage for every boy as he transitions to adulthood, is characterized by a asymmetrical, narrow knot that is relatively small in size. The informal nature of the tie knot makes it most appropriate for casual to semi-formal occasions.
Four in hand knots, given the small nature of the tie knot, typically work best with a narrow or medium spread collar. The elongated feature of the knot accentuates vertical lines, in particular for men with larger builds and /or rounder faces.
While conventional wisdom states that a longer knot like the four in hand can help counterbalance wider features of a man, we do ultimately think that one should experiment with knots to see what works best with you and your preferences. We can also understand the argument that a man with broader shoulders and maybe a rounder face would best be served by a half or full windsor knot, helping keep proportions in check.
Half Windsor Knot
A Half Windsor Knot, perfectly complemented by a pointed collar dress shirt. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Millbury Foulard Brown / Gold Silk Tie.
Standing in between the more casual four-in-hand tie knot and the classically formal double windsor knot, the half windsor is a highly versatile tie knot that can be worn across semi-formal and formal settings.
The Half Windsor Knot is characterized by a nearly symmetrical, triangular shape that is of considerable substance, but less than a full windsor knot! Half Windsor tie knots are perfectly complemented by a medium to wide spread dress shirt collar.
While the Half Windsor Knot is a step down from the Full Windsor Knot in terms of formality, its highly versatile nature makes it ideal for a range of settings, whether its an important presentation, a sales meeting, a job interview, cocktail party or your next wedding reception.
A Half Windsor Knot, which sits half way on the spectrum between a four-in-hand knot and full windsor knot, similarly complements an oval facial structure that is in between a round face (best for four-in-hand knots) and angular face (best for full windsor tie knots), but can also work with both the aforementioned face types given its versatility.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of exquisite silk ties. Each of our ties are interlined with a double layer of wool & cotton, yielding a rich, thick knot. The envy of every gentleman.
Please feel free to check out this incredibly useful tie tying video by Antonio Centeno of Real Men Real Style, featuring some ties from The Dark Knot!
Full Windsor Knot
A Full Windsor Knot is perfectly complemented by a spread collar. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Dorchester Foulard Burgundy Silk Tie.
The granddaddy of tie knots, the full windsor knot is considered the most formal tie knot, and perfectly complements a wide or cutaway dress shirt collar. As such, the full windsor knot works best with more formal settings.
The full windsor knot is characterized by a wide, symmetrical and triangular shaped knot, that also happens to be of substantial shape.
The full windsor knot, given that it is characterized by a wider, fuller and more substantive knot, is best suited for faces that are angular in nature, thereby helping accentuate perceived horizontal lines.
Similar to what we stated with the four-in-hand knot - while conventional wisdom states that a fuller, more formal tie knot like the full windsor can help counterbalance the more angular features of a man’s face, we do ultimately think that one should experiment with knots to see what works best with you and your preferences. We can also understand the argument that a man with a more angular face would best be served by a four-in-hand knot or a full windsor knot.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of stunning silk ties – that are interlined with a double layer of wool & cotton, yielding that elusive rich, thick, dimple infused knot.
For those of you that are taller, or are around 6’0 tall but with broader shoulders, longer ties are often required for tying more substantial knots such as the half or full windsor. Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s stunning range of extra long silk ties.
Bonus Tie Knots:
Pratt Knot
The Pratt Knot is a highly versatile knot and great substitute for a Half Windsor! Featuring The Dark Knot’s Oakland Foulard Red / Navy Silk Tie.
The Pratt Knot, alternatively known as the Shelby Knot, is a versatile and medium sized tie knot that sits somewhere between the four in hand knot and half windsor knot in terms of size and symmetry.
The Pratt Knot is a highly versatile tie knot, given that it is not as substantive as any of the aforementioned knots. Given its less substantive nature, it can be worn across a range of settings, including business / professional or semi-formal situations.
The Pratt Knot, given its modest size, is best complemented by a point or medium spread dress shirt collar.
The Pratt Knot, again – because it is moderately sized and fairly symmetrical, is best suited towards a rounder, square or oval face, helping accentuate perceived vertical lines. However, its highly versatile nature allows it to work with all facial structures.
Double Four-In-Hand Knot
The double four-in-hand knot is a more substantive version of the four-in-hand, that works incredibly well with a point collar dress shirt and across a range of settings. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Columbia Foulard Bluish Grey Silk Tie.
The double four-in-hand knot, is similar knot to the regular four-in-hand knot, that involves wrapping the wide end of the tie around the neck twice to create a larger, more visually prominent knot.
The double four in hand knot is a medium sized, asymmetrical knot that is slightly larger than the four-in-hand knot. As such, this is a highly versatile knot that can work in casual and more formal business settings.
The double four-in-hand knot is substantive enough that it helps provide a more layered look. However, given the elongated nature of the tie knot, it works best with a point collar, buttoned down collar or narrow spread collar dress shirt.
The elongated nature of the knot also perfectly complements a oval, round or square facial structure, by helping add perceived vertical lines.
Summary
In summary, the table below highlights the five aforementioned tie knots, and the types of dress shirt collars and facial structures that they work best with:
|
Knot Type |
Best Shirt Collar |
Best Facial Structure |
|
Four-In-Hand |
Narrow/Standard Point, Button-Down |
Round, Square (adds length to face) |
|
Half Windsor |
Semi-Spread, Point Collar |
Oval, Round (balanced knot for symmetry) |
|
Full Windsor |
Spread, Cutaway |
Long, Thin (adds width for balance) |
|
Pratt Knot |
Semi-Spread, Point Collar |
Oval, Diamond (medium width, balanced look) |
|
Double Four-In-Hand |
Standard Point, Button-Down |
Round, Square (elongates and adds elegance) |
Collar Type & Tie Knot Summary
Point Collar: Narrow spacing, requires smaller longer tie knots
Spread / Semi-Spread Collars: Medium spacing, works well with balanced tie knots such as the half windsor or pratt knot.
Cutaway / Wide Spread: Wide spacing; needs large, symmetrical knots like the Full Windsor.
Face Shape & Tie Knot Summary
Round: Avoid wider knots, opt for vertical slimming knots (e.g four-in-hand)
Square: Prefer slightly fuller knots to balance ones jawline (e.g half or full windsor)
Oval: Versatile, where most tie knots will complement your facial structure
Long / rectangular: Avoid overly elongated knots such as the four-in-hand, and use balanced, wider knots instead (e.g full windsor)
Courtesy of www.effortessgent.com
As a final note, and as mentioned a couple of times above, while tie knots can help accentuate perceived vertical lines (four-in-hand knot) for a rounder face and perceived horizontal lines for a more angular face (full windsor knot), some people choose to opt for ties that work in direct proportion with their facial structure. Hence, men with slim faces will often opt for a four-in-hand knot, and broader men with a larger build may opt for a half or full windsor knot.
While what we have suggested in this article are guidelines, ultimately, it depends on the wearer and what you feel resonates best with you.
And that’s a wrap for this one. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as we did writing it!
