A Gentlemanly Art

Adolpho perfects the art of matching his tie to the wallpaper.

Apparently fake ties are quite comme il faut amongst professional bouncers. Why? Because when a bouncer gets dragged (quite by his own fault of course) into an unseemly bout of fisticuffs, he can’t be strangled by his own tie. The elastic defeats the most determined of unruly barflies.

Better yet is the bowtie: because it is considered amusing, even clownish, it is sure to defuse a tense situation, thereby avoiding brawls with pugnacious patrons.

Apparently fake ties are quite comme il faut amongst professional bouncers.

However, if the gentleman – or the lady interested in storming this last bastion of men’s attire – is not a doorman, he might be interested in the half-windsor knot. Or even the four-in-hand.

Perhaps in fact, he – or she – is not well-versed in such niceties. 

Standing his ground: Adolpho demonstrates the art of withstanding all forms of blandishment.

In this case, let us today examine the half-windsor knot. This is a symmetrical tie that will be appropriate for any dress shirt, unlike the aforementioned four-in-hand which is oddly skewed (but good for button-down shirts seemingly).

Click on image for larger version. Download and print for future reference.

Doesn’t look complicated at all, does it? Be thankful that this is not the heydey of the cravat. This neckband originated in 17th century Croatia, and by many accounts there were hundreds of complicated styles to choose from, and tying them was in fact an artform. Crumpling three in a row and taking half an hour to knot one was a common occurrence.

Click image for larger version. (L-R) A self-patterned foulard cravat fastened with a cluster pearl pin is worn in the neck of a tailored suit with short revers; Kendal Milne fashion (Ph. Chaloner Woods, Getty Images); the modern man’s cravat in white, Burberry Prorsum Fall 2009; Oh, Mr Darcy! (Colin Firth as); a black cravat for today’s fashionista, Reyes Fall 2007; the original incarnation: Portrait of a Dandy with a White Cravat (c. 1815), Louis-Léopold Boilly.Still want to expand your horizons? Go to Tie-A-Tie for more than you ever thought you’d need to know about this gentlemanly art.

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Many thanks to Volodya for his patience, good humour and willingness to throw himself into any robe role!