Anybody else only wear their ties four-in-hand? Can one get by with only this style?

Ever since I've started wearing ties on a semi-regular basis three years ago with my suit, sports jacket, and dress shirts, I've been wearing it almost exclusively in the four-in-hand knot style, although I did briefly try doing the Pratt and half-Windsor knots. Does anybody else find themselves only tying their ties into four-in-hands anymore? I do it because of its simplicity, and appreciate the slightly asymmetrical look it brings. The only drawback with it, is that it doesn't use up a whole lot of the length of my ties (the average today being 57 inches), and leaves the back end being three or four inches longer than the front one. With that in mind, I'm seriously considering a custom-made tie about 54 inches.

What do you think, is the four-in-hand knot considered acceptable (enough to be well-dressed) for conservative office/suit jobs these days, or is it looked down upon by those in the know of sartorial matters?

FIH is almost never wrong. The only occasion when it would be wrong is with a very thin tie where a FIH ties a knot that is much too small (or a particularly thick tie where it would be too large). In any other situation a FIH is acceptable (though you can use others if you prefer).

Personally I always use either a FIH or, with thicker ties where a FIH might produce a knot too large, an oriental/small knot. A FIH is rarely too large for most people though, but I'm a bit smaller than average.

As noted above, the FIH is not an option with slim tie. The last batch of ties I bought were slim (yea, I guess I jumped on bandwagon, but I am slim and short, so really, I don't think fat ties will look well on me). I mostly tie half Windsors or pratt knot.

I use nothing but the four-in-hand.

I almost never use a four-in-hand due to my difficultly of obtaining a reasonable facsimile of a symmetrical knot and any form of dimple while using the FIH as a youth.

I use my personal adaption of a kind of a half-Windsor that is quick, efficient, and has modest self locking capabilities. In fact, my knot is really a derivation of the four-in-hand itself.

Being somewhat right-handed, I just loop it over the top of the knot on the right side, from front to back, after crossing the front and behind, like the first half of a FIH knot. I bring it out the right side of the short end and continue with a four-in-hand, if you will.

In summary, just before taking the second wrap for a four-in-hand, bring it over the top and out the right side, before continuing with your four-in-hand.


Nice knot that makes it easy to get a great dimple, if you take your time to pinch it properly when drawing it tight; for which I always receive compliments.

When dressing left handed or when tying the knot on someone else, I merely do the same on the left side of the knot, as if tying a mirror image FIH.

Be careful when untying this knot, because it has some self-locking feature that might cause you to pull your tie out of shape if you are apt to vigorously rip the short end through the knot to undo it, as I was most apt to do as a youth or in a fit of passion.

A final feature of the knot, is that it holds together quite nicely, if you do not ease the short end all the way out. You can merely put the remaining loop back over your head before re-tightening, as you might when removing your tie for only a short time such as at the gym or for a tryst.

I find the FIH to be a rather casual knot for which I rarely find utility, even if I find myself struggling with a tie made somewhat shorter than average.

I almost never use a four-in-hand due to my difficultly of obtaining a reasonable facsimile of a symmetrical knot and any form of dimple while using the FIH as a youth.

I use my personal adaption of a kind of a half-Windsor that is quick, efficient, and has modest self locking capabilities. In fact, my knot is really a derivation of the four-in-hand itself.

Being somewhat right-handed, I just loop it over the top of the knot on the right side, from front to back, after crossing the front and behind, like the first half of a FIH knot. I bring it out the right side of the short end and continue with a four-in-hand, if you will.

In summary, just before taking the second wrap for a four-in-hand, bring it over the top and out the right side, before continuing with your four-in-hand.


Nice knot that makes it easy to get a great dimple, if you take your time to pinch it properly when drawing it tight; for which I always receive compliments.

When dressing left handed or when tying the knot on someone else, I merely do the same on the left side of the knot, as if tying a mirror image FIH.

Be careful when untying this knot, because it has some self-locking feature that might cause you to pull your tie out of shape if you are apt to vigorously rip the short end through the knot to undo it, as I was most apt to do as a youth or in a fit of passion.

A final feature of the knot, is that it holds together quite nicely, if you do not ease the short end all the way out. You can merely put the remaining loop back over your head before re-tightening, as you might when removing your tie for only a short time such as at the gym or for a tryst.

I find the FIH to be a rather casual knot for which I rarely find utility, even if I find myself struggling with a tie made somewhat shorter than average.

I can't do anything else other than a four-in-hand.

I've tried doing windsors and half-windsors, but I can never manage to get them to work. When I need a bigger knot, I tend to do a double four-in-hand.



DocHolliday said:

I use nothing but the four-in-hand.

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This. Unless its a double 4.

'



DocHolliday said:

I use nothing but the four-in-hand.

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do what doc does

There's a great video of Phat Guido (RIP) doing the double FIH floating around somewhere on the forum. Use it 99% of the time.



Macallan9 said:

There's a great video of Phat Guido (RIP) doing the double FIH floating around somewhere on the forum. Use it 99% of the time.

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Pick one.

I was taught, by my mother, to tie a full Windsor and used it for years. Lately, because the ties I am buying are fuller cut, I use the FIH. However, I still have some light weight ties that really require a Windsor to fill the space in a spread collar. For BD collars, a FIH is fine.

depending on the tie I pretty mush use:

4 in hand
Double 4 in hand
Full wIndsor
Half windsor

I do have a question on the tie after it's been fasten, and I will attempt to explain it without any photos for now: it's quite popular that people fasten their tie with a dimple on the face of the tie right underneath the knot whereas the dimple is in the center; I'm wonder if there is a name for the finished that the tie essentially have "two dimples," whereas they're not centered, but rather on the edge of each side, almost as if a reverse of a real dimple. I understand how silly this sounds, I supposed I'd best take some photos. I am not shame to admit that I am way too lazy to tie both of them and take photos of it lol.



Jay Biondo said:

The only drawback with it, is that it doesn't use up a whole lot of the length of my ties (the average today being 57 inches), and leaves the back end being three or four inches longer than the front one. With that in mind, I'm seriously considering a custom-made tie about 54 inches.

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When this happens to me, I just use the double FIH instead.