Perfect tie knot

[sharpsuit]

I have become a bit of a perfectionist with my ties.

I am trying to perfect this look, with a small, tight tie knot very snug against a cutaway collar - with the tie arching out from the neck so that there's a bit of space between the tie and the chest. Quite a few guys at my work manage to pull this look off quite successfully without the tie slipping at all throughout the day.

I wasn't achieving this look with my usual collars at 16" - there was just too much space between the neck and the collar. I had my neck re-measured and was told I'm borderline 15.5" and 16" - but if I wanted the sharp, snug look I'd need a 15.5".

Bought a few more shirts at 15.5" - Here's my attempt:




Although I think this looks about right, my problem is that I find I have to do the tie up a bit tighter than I am used to. That together with the slightly smaller collar means that it's not the most comfortable. In fact, after a few hours, I usually just want to loosen the tie.

It then ends up looking more like this in reality after a few hours:




What's the trick to this look without feeling a bit restricted? Also - how do people avoid slippage, and keep the tie knot perfectly in place all day?

I asked one of my colleagues and he said I just need to get used to it, that after a while you get used to the slightly snugger collar.

What do people think? Is there a way of pulling this off in a comfortable way?

 

[Claghorn]

This probably isn't going to be that helpful, but I've never really had an issue with tie slippage. This might be because I occasionally (once every couple of hours) straighten my tie without thinking about it. I think the type/quality of the tie is also a factor (better ties won't slip). As far as comfort...you could always have a shirt made for you. If that does the trick, then you can get all your shirts made. If it doesn't...well...at least you got a well fitting shirt out of the experiment.

 

[Poloboy]

There are several issues you need to address.
Your collar is not a true cutaway. It needs to have a larger spacing where it comes together.
Your tie will then fill up the open space, without the collar forcing it down, eliminating the arch you desire.
To create an arch, your FIH knot must be tied very tightly, with a correctly positioned dimple.
You have a loose knot, and it looks terrible.
I would suggest that you have a tab collar shirt made, with french cuffs.
This style is more dressy than a cutaway
Have it done so the collar and tabs are pulled together over a small brass stud.
This style collar will give you the arch you desire, and eliminate any tie slippage during the day.

 

[couch]

Good comment about tie space, but the required amount interacts with the thickness of the tie. The thicker the tie cloth and interlining, the more difficult to achieve this effect and the more tie space required, so bear that in mind.

That said, one important factor is the technique of finishing the knot. Apologies if you already do this. Just in case: You know how in snugging the knot you hold the blades with one hand and push the knot up with the other? If you want the knot to sit tight at the top of the tie space and arch out, you need to make sure that the top edge of the front wrap of the knot is closer to your neck than the bulk of the knot. To do this, on your last snugging of the knot, pull up and out on the blades, holding them nearly straight out from your body while you slip the knot into position firmly. That allows/forces the front wrap of the knot to go up and in further than the bulk of the knot below it. When you release the blades, the tie will arch out if the knot itself is fairly tightly tied and the knot is snug against the collar.

 

[sharpsuit]

Thanks for the tips Poloboy, I think you're right, I have tried a variety of off-the-peg shirts and none fit perfectly. I am basically between 15.5" or 16" - i need to go bespoke.

I am interested, when you say
"To create an arch, your FIH knot must be tied very tightly, with a correctly positioned dimple. You have a loose knot, and it looks terrible." - are you referring to photo 1 or 2?

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, clean, sans-serif]If photo 2 I am conscious this does not look good - I was merely including it to demonstrate what happens after a few hours when my tie slips down. [/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, clean, sans-serif]If you're referring to photo 1 this is already tied fairly tightly! Do you think it needs to be even tighter in order to get the arch? It's about as tight as I can go without it being uncomfortable! [/FONT]