Tie knot recommendations

Try the half windsor--more of the tie is involved in the knot so less of it hangs below the wide-end's tip.

I second the half-windsor: I've also found that it's easier to get the tie dimple with that.

i 3rd the half windsor nice substantial knot but not too large

I usually use a half windsor, but on occasion will use the  Pratt-Shelby knot.  It's a quit nice knot that isn't difficult to tie but holds its position and shape very well.

pratt-shelby--so that is what its called. I switched from half windsor to this because it seemed to work well for me. And I usually can get it right the first time.

I've noticed that in the last 10 years the length of ties has grown by several inches, something I find annoying. I'm 5'10" and every tie that I would tie with a standard four in hand either will hang too low or I have to tuck the short end into my trousers. A buddy of my speculates that the length increase is to accomodate America's ever expanding waist lines.

As a guy of below average size 5'8" 15" neck ties are just too long especially with the 4-in hand so I (came up with) I'm sure Im not the first a version of it that works better. Real simple just like tying a regular 4-in hand make one extra loop around the small end befor going behind and back out the rabit hole. This step makes the 4-in hand a little bigger takes more tie and makes tying some tricky ties just a little easier. I hope that was clear if not I can try to expain better, Im not a particularly good descriptive writing. hope this helps, Joseph

Another possibility for those members who are not so tall is to consider custom ties.  OTP ties have always been of proper length for me, so I can't provide you with a practical referral for custom, but I'm sure that others here can; however, should a trip to Napoli be in your future, be sure to visit E. Marinella which makes some of the finest ties available, and has a custom program.

I find all I can do with most ties is 4 in hand and an occasional half Windsor. And 18 inch neck developed through years of grappling, wrestling and judo prohibits any full Windsor's... ....

I won't malign the full windsor, but I think that you will find few who use this knot often. If you are, as I am, fond of high quality ties, you can appreciate that you can usually achieve a tight and substantial knot without more complexity than that offered by the four-in-hand.  If you're familiar with Robert Talbott Seven-Fold ties, which come standard in 58", you will have noted that there is little more required for a perfect knot than a four-in-hand; however, Talbott ties MSRP will run you $195.00..  I've picked up a few NWT on ebay from a seller of impeccible reputation, but wouldn't pay full retail for a RT 7-fold, mostly because the designs are just unattractive (IMHO).  Other true or "modified" 7-folds really don't do much better...dog-ugly patterns, i.e. Kiton & Brioni.  What I've found is that for the money, you simply can't do better than Carlo Franco ties.  Chuck produces a great tie, period...  I've the best ties in the world, and I just can't fault Chuck for his effort to offer a tie of the highest quality for a price that is reasonable. Hell, for $99.00 plus shipping, and Chuck's guarantee that if you're not satisified he'll take the item back, no one can reasonably bitch until they have at least an objective point from which to argue.

On the flip side of the discussion, does anyone have a recommendation for ties that are particularly well suited for the tall? I'm 6'3" and have a 17 neck, and I find that the skinny part of most of the ties I own is too narrow to give me the substantial knot that i'm looking for -- both with a four-in-hand and half windsor (and not nearly enough tie length for a full windsor). The higher pricepoint Brooks Brothers ties seem to pretty consistently have a wider narrow end, but they don't have much of a selection at the higher pricepoint. Any suggestions?