Essential life skills: tying a tie

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Andrea Olsen

It’s knot so tough after all: With a little patience and a little practice, the classy look the ladies love is only a few steps away.

The ladies go crazy for a sharp-dressed man, but nothing ruins an outfit more than a sloppy tie. It can be little difficult, but with these simple tips you’ll be looking prim and proper in no time.

Sean Galloway, an employee in the men’s department of Weaver’s Department Store, 901 Massachusetts St., says the simplest knot is the single Windsor. It’s a casual style with a rectangular knot.

Start with the wider part of the tie on your right side, about a foot longer than the skinny side. You are going to do all of the actions with the wide part of the tie. Pull the wide side over to the left and then tuck it behind the skinny side so it’s back on the right. Then pull it over to the left again, then up and through the opening at your neck. By this time you have wrapped it twice around the skinny end. Slide the fat part of the tie down through the loop you have made and straighten it out.

If that still confuses you, Galloway recommends instructional videos on YouTube.

Getting your tie the right length takes trial and error but Galloway says you can measure by the buttons on your shirt. The biggest thing is to make sure the tie ends in the middle of your belt buckle and it is smooth at the knot.

“It really says something about a man if he knows how to tie a good knot,” Galloway says.

So practice up and send the right message.

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