Different Tie Knots

Men have been wearing ties, or some kind of neckwear, since the 16th century, and there are now different tie knots to hold them in place. At first, the neckwear was attached to the shirt. Later, it was put on separately. Any necktie can also be referred to as a cravat, though the cravat, which originated in Croatia in the 1600’s, was a lace-edged cloth of linen or lawn that was arranged around the neck.

In the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, a patterned or plain tie or neckcloth had begun to be worn. They could be tied in bows or knots. They could be narrow, or wide and full. The Ascot and the Octagon tie knots were quite popular by the second half of the 19th century. Nowadays the Ascot knot is utilized for formal dresswear, as is the Ruche knot.

During the Victorian era, there had come to be many different tie knots, including the Oriental knot, American, Irish, horse collar and Gordian knots, the barrel knot, and the Trone d’Amour. There are still dozens of ways to tie a knot, though the most popular is the four-in-hand-knot, or the schoolboy knot, which is easy to make but can be a bit sloppy and usually isn’t worn for more formal occasions. Other knots include the elegant half-Windsor and Windsor knots, which were named for Edward VIII, or the Duke of Windsor. There’s also the diagonal knot, the Lord Kelvin knot, and the St. Andrew, Cavendish, Pratt and Hanover knots.

By the 20th century there were a great variety of neckties. The knots were often held by pins or clips, though tacks have become popular as well. By around 1920, a knotted tie was the norm, though after World War II ties became so narrow that they were given the name string ties, though even these ties were knotted. The fat, wide knot returned in the 1970s.