While you might have been taught the four-in-hand knot the night before big-boy school for its time-saving simplicity, as you mature into worldly men, it might be time to step up your knot game. And it doesn’t get more big-boy than the Windsor knot.

What Is A Windsor Knot?

The Windsor Knot, also known as the Double Windsor or the Full Windsor (we know, confusing stuff), is probably the second most common way to tie a tie after the four-in-hand (the one your Dad tried to show you in that designated father/son time you had to go through as an awkward blackhead-laden teen).

This is the alpha male of tie knots. Big and bold, it’s perfect for board meetings, formal weddings and deal-making. Harvey Specter always wears one. The knot sits wide against your collar and should be a perfectly symmetrical triangle.

How To Tie A Windsor Knot

Step One

Hold the tie around your collar with the wide end on the right and the skinny end on the left. Leave the skinny side short because you’ll need the extra length for the knot. Lift the wide end over the skinny end, only moving the wide end as you do this.

Step Two

Pull the wide end up through the neck loop from underneath and then pull it back to the left.

Step Three

Pull it around the skinny end to the right but lifting it up, over and through the neck loop and back down to the right over the top.

Step Four

Move the wide end across the front to the left and then up into the neck loop from underneath.

Step Five

Bring the wide end down through the loop you’ve created in the front and tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Then it’s just a matter of sliding the knot up and adjusting according to the size and tightness you want.

Things To Consider With A Windsor Knot

Collar Shape

After you’ve spent those hard-earned minutes loop de looping your tie through the neck loop with the steady hands of a heart surgeon, you’re going to want a type of shirt collar that shows off your masterpiece to the full.