The most popular necktie knots are Windsor, half Windsor and the four-in-hand. The first two types look professional and streamline, but they wrap around several times making the tie shorter. A Four-In-Hand Knot wraps around a couple times and allows for a longer tie. This is especially important if you are tall and tend to have ties that look too short. As with any knot, be patient with yourself and try it a few times to get the hang of it.

Untie your tie if you have tried a Windsor or a half Windsor knot and it looks too short. If you haven’t tied anything yet, move to the next step.

Place the tie around your neck and extend the short end about 1 foot below your collar. The long end should be on the right and the short end on the left. Bring the long end across the top of the shorter end so it is pointing to the lower left corner of your shirt. The intersection of the two should be at the level of your shirt pockets.

Hold the tie down with your finger where the large end crosses over the smaller one. Grab the large end and fold it back so the backside of the large end is showing and it is now pointing to the direct right, running across the right shirt pocket.

Grab the end of the large end and fold it directly back so it crosses the left shirt pocket and the backside of the tie is facing down again. At this point, the folds are all located at the intersection point of the two ends. This is directly between the shirt pockets on the button line that runs vertically down the shirt.

Take the large end and bring it up toward the loop around the neck. Go under the left side of the loop at the front of your throat. As you do this, the large end should point directly up with the back of the tie facing away from your face and shirt.

Pull the tip of the large end through the top of your folded loop. Continue to pull the large end down until the knot is snug. Make adjustments as needed to make the knot uniform. To bring the tie closer to your throat, hold the knot and pull the small end down.