How to tie a tie: A Detailed 7-Step Guide

Follow our step-by-step instructions to achieve the perfect knot, ensuring your tie falls at the right length and exudes sophistication. Can't get it right? Watch a video tutorial by fashion influencer Aydreon Wynn for expert guidance.

Brett McKay, the guy who runs the influential website and podcast “Art of Manliness,” published a list a few years ago of the “100 Skills That Every Man Should Know.”

Number 1 on that list was “Tie a Necktie.”

We’re not going to argue. Learning to tie a tie is an essential skill for guys, even in an era like ours where neckties have grown uncommon. Perhaps you don’t really need to know how to “treat a snakebite” (No. 5) or “fell a tree” (#56) – particularly if you live in a major city – but you best know how to tie a tie.

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Because while it may be unlikely you will find yourself bitten by a snake or in desperate need of firewood, you will want to wear a tie someday.

Neckties are nearly essential when attending a funeral. They are often preferred at weddings and other religious ceremonies. Some professionals still wear ties (lawyers and investment bankers, mostly). And even when you don’t need to wear a necktie, there are times when it’s just a good idea – like when you’re on your first date at a nice restaurant with someone who is out of your league. Neckties can add a dash of sophistication to even the least sophisticated among us.

Adding a tie is also the easiest way to turn your office attire into something suitable for an afterwork cocktail party, according to Joanna Medeiros, a stylist with Taelor. “You can get a pop of color with the tie,” Medeiros says. “But you wouldn’t want a big print. A smaller print is better.”

It’s also a good idea to keep a tie in the office even if casual attire is commonplace and you never go to cocktail parties. Nothing spruces up an Oxford shirt faster than a tie. Put it on before meeting with very important people – especially if they are older men who tend to wear ties often.

So if you don’t know how to tie a necktie but agree that you should, here’s a 7-step guide that will teach you the art of neckwear.

1. Drape the tie loosely around your collar. Make sure the thicker side of the tie hangs lower than the skinnier part. 
2. Cross the thicker/longer piece in front of the skinnier side. That creates a V-shaped opening under your neck.
3. Here it gets a bit tricky: Quickly loop the long piece through that V-shaped opening and let it drop to your left side. You’ll see that it has formed the beginning of a knot.
4. Next, loop that same long piece around the knot, let it hang, and then bring it back up and through the V-shape opening.
5. Now you have a loop by the knot. Take that same long piece and pull it through the loop. Viola! You have tied a necktie.
6. Now stand up straight. The tip of your tie should fall right at or on your belt buckle. It should not fall below the waistband of your pants. 
7. Odds are the first time (or the first hundred times) you tie a necktie, you won’t get it right. The won’t hang low enough, or the knot will be too loose, etc. Just keep adjusting and retrying until you have it right.

Still can’t get it right? 
The video below from Aydreon Wynn, fashion influencer and Taelor partner, will get you tying your necktie like a pro after just one viewing.  

@wynnstyling How to tie a tie #menstyle #menstyletips #suitstyle #suitandtie #howtotieatie ♬ Snooze (Instrumental) - SZA

Now that you can tie a necktie, it’s time to turn up the style dial even more. Let Taelor help. Taelor is a menswear rental subscription service dedicated to helping men look their best when it matters most. Our styling service, powered by your own personal stylist and assisted by artificial intelligence, finds the clothes that help you win – at work, on a date, at a party, or wherever you spend your time.

By Paul Conley