How to Tie a Tie: Half-Windsor

Introduction

Active End: The end of the tie that will be used to tie the knot. This can be either the wide end or narrow end of the tie depending on the tie knot.

Shirt Collar: A band of material around the neck of a shirt that can either be folded or unfolded.

Neck Loop: The loop of the tie that goes around the collar.

Keeper Loop: A piece of fabric that is sewn onto the underside of the wide end of the tie that can be used to keep the narrow end of the tie hidden.

Half-Windsor Knot: A simple, large knot that is commonly used with formal wear.

What you need

Step 1 Preparation

How to Tie a Tie: Half-Windsor, Preparation: step 1, image 1 of 1

Fold the collar of your shirt up.

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Step 2

Wrap the tie around the back of your neck with the narrow end on the left side of your body and the wide end on the right side.
The wide end of the tie will be your active end.
Note: The narrow end of the tie should be around the height of your belly button or a little higher. It may need to be adjusted for personal height.

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Step 3 Tying

How to Tie a Tie: Half-Windsor, Tying: step 3, image 1 of 1

Take the active end and cross it over the narrow end, so it is pointing to the left.
Note: Be sure that the tie always lays flat so that there are no twists in the fabric.

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Step 4

Cross the active end underneath the narrow end, so it is now pointing to the right.

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Step 5

Lift the active end up over the right side of the neck loop, so it is pointing up.

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Step 6

Pull the active end down through the loop around your neck so that it is pointing down and to the left.

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Step 7

Cross it over the top of the knot to the right, so that it is now pointing to the right.
Note: leave this wrap a little loose, as it will be used in step 9.

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Step 8

Pull the active end up through the loop around your neck, so that it is pointing straight up.

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Step 9

Pull the active end down through the wrap you created in step 7 (see second picture).

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Step 10 Finishing

How to Tie a Tie: Half-Windsor, Finishing: step 10, image 1 of 1

Tighten the knot by pulling down on the active end and up on the knot, adjusting for size and evenness.

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Step 11

Tighten the neck loop by pulling down on the narrow end of the tie and sliding the knot up toward your neck.

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Step 12

Tuck the narrow end of the tie through the keeper loop.
Note: if the narrow end is too long, a simple solution lies in tucking the narrow end between two buttons of your shirt.
Fold your collar down when the knot is finished.