Q. I admit to being a bit obsessive compulsive and this means that tie knots bother me; they either are not centered perfectly or they make the tie length too short. Is there any solution that is better than the four-in-hand knot or the Windsor?
A. Yes, and I have a suggestion for you. But, first, I am going to assume you meant the half-Windsor, since the full-Windsor has been out of style for many years, and any man who understands men's style enough to ask such a question has not been tying that knot.
A knot called the Shelby (others call it the Pratt) is the least well-known of the popular necktie knots. It has been around for years even though most men have never heard of it. When I worked in the men's division of Neiman Marcus some time ago, I learned from the manager about this theoretically new knot ... he had learned it years before in prep school. As they say, there is nothing much new under the sun. He tied the best knot of any man I have ever seen. It always looked perfect.
The knot is a beauty. It has several advantages: It does not have the askew twist and the narrow shape of a traditional four-in-hand knot and it does not have the ugly extra bulk of the full-Windsor, but it does have the handsome symmetry and triangular precision of the half-Windsor. It seems to create the requisite dimple very easily, without any fuss. And it is really fun to describe when your colleagues compliment you on it.
Part of what makes this knot unique is starting out with the tie upside down. Although the lining side faces up as you begin, the underside does not show when the knot is complete. You will see the result is a medium-size knot with a look that is between a well-tied four-in-hand and a perfect half-Windsor.
The Shelby knot has the advantage of spanning various types of dressing. Because of the knot's shape and size, it works well with button-down, spread and semi-spread collars. It is flexible because it fills the right amount of space between the shirt collar points. For those considering dressing more formally and looking for a knot with more substance and symmetry than the four-in-hand, you might opt for the Shelby.
When exploring the road to dressing well, a man may find advice that tells him to base his choice of what knot to tie on the shape of his face. I strongly urge ignoring such misguided and unhelpful advice. Of far more relevance is a man's overall dressing style. If one's clothing category is Ivy League/preppy/professorial/slightly casual (as exemplified by button-down collar shirts, shirts with a narrow collar spread, and soft-shouldered jackets), then the natural knot is the four-in-hand. For the slicker/sharper/crisper/dressier/more formal type of dresser (as exemplified by spread-collar shirts and more shaped suit jackets), one usually goes with the half-Windsor knot. These very different types of dressers who dress with two very different types of clothing will never be completely at home dressed in the others' style.
The tie knot you choose should reflect your collar style, which should be a reflection of your overall dressing style. If you learn the Shelby and like it, you can avoid worrying which category you fit in.
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High Profile on 10/22/2017