How much do you really know about tying a tie? Chances are, you’re still using the old four-in-hand technique – the stuff of schoolyard scruffbags and fresh-out-of-college admin assistants. A grown man needs a full compliment of knots in his style arsenal.

While the full or double Windsor knot – actually both the same thing – boast the rep for being the big boys’ knot, the half windsor tie knot is the one for the man who knows his stuff. Not big, bolshie, and boastful, but cool and considered.

“It gives a slightly slimmer feel than the full Windsor,” says Charlie Baker-Collingwood of Henry Herbert Tailors. “But it’s larger than most of the smaller and less-well-known knots, such as the pratt knot, which is very skinny by today’s terms.”

“It says you are confident but modest,” says Austen Pickles, tailor and founder of Johnny Tuxedo. “You know how to dress yourself and you mean business.”

T.M.Lewin

What is a Half Windsor Knot?

Though named for being a smaller version of the Windsor – which itself was named after King Edward VIII, who abdicated the British throne and settled for being the Duke of Windsor instead – it’s not actually half the size.

“Calling it a half Windsor is a bit misleading,” says Baker-Collingwood. “It’s about three quarters the size of a full Windsor rather half the size. It’s slim, smart, and soft-looking. It looks good with medium lightweight fabrics.”

The half Windsor is also known for its defined dimple, which sits just below the knot itself.

“This is my favorite knot,” says Pickles. “If you are going to learn one knot in your life, this is it. Tied properly you are left with a small-medium sized triangular knot, slightly bigger than the four-in-hand. The thin end of the tie should always be shorter than the fat end. And the fat end should finish just above the top of your trousers. Perfect.”