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(un)tie knots-which is your favorite?

Bic Pentameter

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My anal question for the day:

Everyone seems to agree that a necktie should be well knotted, so that it "pops" out from the shirt and doesn't loosely hang from the neck like a dead fish.  This suggests that there must be a firmness and tension in the knot itself.

The conventional wisdom also seems to be that pulling the thin blade of the necktie through the knot is tough on the stitching and damages tie.

Are these two concepts at odds with each other?

I am no good when it comes to untying knots (Watch my eyes tear when I get a good knot in a shoe lace.  It takes too long for these nearly nail-less stubby fingers to pull one of the ends of the lace free.).

When I have tried to undo my necktie knot, I end up "picking" at the fabric with my fingers.  It strikes me that this may also not be terribly kind to the tie.

I must confess that as a result, I have always pulled the thin blade through the knot.  I slide the thin blade toward the knot, then hold the very end of the thin blade with my right hand while giving the knot a final tug.  Would anyone sanction this behaviour, or will I rot in cravate pugatory, tormented by the souls of neckties that died a premature death at my hands?


Your kind advice would be appreciated. . .

Bic
 

rayk

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Being on occasion obtuse, especially at 4:30 AM, I won't pretend to be able to visualize the method that you describe for untying a tie knot.  What has always worked best for me, and has seemed to preserve my ties, has been to simply reverse the process of tying.  Begin by gently pulling the wide blade of the tie up through the knot, and continue the reversal process until the knot is out.

Putting undue stresses on tie fabrics by unceremoniously pulling and yanking at them will certainly have an adverse affect on their shapes, appearances, and longevity.
 

j

(stands for Jerk)
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I think you are better off pulling the narrow end through and possibly hurting its fabric than picking at the wide end's fabric if the knot is that tight. My reasoning is that though one rarely sees the narrow end, a different knot might show the part of the wide end you picked at and destroyed by doing so. That said, perhaps you should not be tying your knots so tightly. What I typically do is to slide the narrow end out enough to get the tie over my head, and then I have enough room to work on getting the knot apart properly. Usually you can just pinch the wide end above where it goes through the horizontal part and pinch it, then pull it through and it is apart.
 

gregory

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Everyone seems to agree that a necktie should be well knotted, so that it "pops" out from the shirt and doesn't loosely hang from the neck like a dead fish.  
I've seen many well-dressed men able to tie their ties so that it "pops" out. I've never been able to accomplish this? Can someone give some directions?

Thanks
 

rayk

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Direction alone won't do it. Â Pay strict attention to the purchase of only highest quality ties, and obtain a guide to proper tie knots. Â This combination, with practice, will provide all that is needed to achieve the perfect knot. Â It's somewhat astounding how few men (forum members excluided, of course
smile.gif
) are seen with a properly tied tie. Â It is a simple exercise that overlooked is inexcusable, and all too commonly ignored.
 

A Harris

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If you want the tie to arch properly, then the fit of your shirt collar must be perfect.
 

j

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I can get it to pop out even with a cheaper tie, but as A Harris notes, the fit of the collar must be perfect. Also the collar must be stiff enough to support the weight of the tie. In my experience this is the hardest part to get right with a RTW shirt. Your average shirt has a weak collar that will not hold up a heavy tie.
 

rayk

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Perhaps some are more adept at tying than I, but cheap, unsubstantial acetate-backed abominations, even if initially tied to look acceptable, will not hold their shapes, perfect bespoke shirt collars notwithstanding.

I am in agreement that a well constructed shirt collar is a requirement for proper tie presentation.
 

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