The Windsor Knot is the knot for special occasions. Typically English, it owes its name to the Duke of Windsor who made it popular.
As the finished knot has considerable volume it is preferable to restrict its use to wide-spaced collars such as Italian collars or Windsor collars.
This knot is complicated to form. It has to fit exactly between the two ends of the collar and must completely hide the top button of the shirt.
Preparation: Slide the tie around your neck after first having buttoned up the top button of your shirt and turned up the collar. The two ends of the tie must be of different lengths. The wide end must hang down much longer than the narrow end.
The steps:
Step 1: Lay the wide end over the narrow end.
Step 2: Bring the wide end up through the gap between the layover and your neck.
Step 3: Take the wide end to the right behind the layover, then forwards and up, then down into the gap between the layover and your neck.
Step 4: Take the wide end round the front of the layover, up close to your neck, and down through the loop just formed.
Step 5: Hold the narrow end and tighten the finished knot by pulling it gently up to centre it on your collar.
The Windsor Knot in a few words:
Names: Windsor Knot, Full Windsor, Double Windsor
Difficulty: ***
Popularity: *****
Morphology: medium height, shorter men, narrow chests, thin necks.
Types of collar: classic, wide-spaced.
Types of tie: standard, long, lightweight fabrics.