A Double Windsor knot provides a nicely balanced appearance at the collar point. Many men prefer a single Windsor as it is easier and faster to tie. Many tall men avoid a Double Windsor as the result is reduced tie length which on taller men falls far short of the belt line, exposing too much shirt between thee belt and tie.
For those who prefer a Double Windsor it really is no more difficult than tying a single Windsor. It is just a matter of repeating the single Windsor on the side opposite the first knot.
To tie a Double Windsor knot:
Note: In order to specify directions I have assumed the person tying the tie is right handed. If left handed you will need to substitute left hand for right and right hand for left in the instructions below.
These instructions refer to a “V” which is formed while tying the tie.. This “v” is simply the point at which the wide and narrow ends of the tie overlap in the tying process.
Step 1 – Lace the tie under the shirt collar with the wider section of tie feeding into your right hand.
Step 2 – Adjust the length of the tie until the narrow portion of the tie is approximately 3 inches higher than you want its’ final position to be. At this time the exposed length of the wide end will be approximately twice as long as the narrow end.
Step 3 – Holding the narrow end in the left hand wrap the wide end over the front of and around to the back of the narrow end of the tie. Looking down at the tie this would be a counter clockwise wrap.
Step 4 – As the wide end of the tie reaches the back of the narrow end hold it in place with the left thumb (While still holding the narrow end with the left hand) and use the fingers of the right hand to reach down and behind the “V” shaped knot at the collar to grasp and pull the wide portion of the tie up and over the left side of the “V” formed by the crossing wide and narrow ends of the tie.
Step 5 – As the wide end of the tie emerges from the back of the “V” pull it towards the left side of the collar forming a loosely tied knot on the left side. This loosely formed knot resembles a ‘granny knot”..
Step 6 – Fold the wide end back across the front of the knot just formed by crossing over narrow end still held in the left hand..
Step 7 – Feed the wide end of the tie back underneath the “V” portion of the tie and pull it out over the top on the right side of the “V” forming a second loosely tied knot on the right side of the collar.
Note: – At this point the wide end of the tie has been wrapped once around the narrow side of the tie to left of the collar and after feeding it through the back side of the “V” formed by the first wrap is then wrapped around the narrow side of the tie on the right side of the collar forming two adjacent knots.
Step 8 – At this point it is helpful to hold the narrow end of the tie in the left hand by positioning the left thumb on the back side of the narrow side of the tie and the three middle fingers (index, middle and ring fingers) on the front side of the narrow end.
Step 9 – Wrap the wide end of the tie over and around the the three fingers holding the narrow end of the tie, and feed the wide end once again underneath and behind the “V” formed between the two knots.
Step 10 – Feed the lead (widest) end of the tie from beneath the “V” formed by the two knots to a point at which it can be grasped by the three fingers on the front of the narrow end. Use the three fingers to pull the lead wide end through the loop formed around the three fingers.
Step 11 – Pull the wide through the loop to its’ full length, while pushing the knot upward against the collar.
Step 12 – Holding the narrow end of the tie in the left hand use the thumb and index finger of the right hand to push the left and right side knots firmly against the collar as the narrow end is pulled downward and tightened.
Step 13 – The size of the Double Windsor knot may be adjusted slightly (made smaller) by holding the knot between the thumb and index finger of the left hand while pulling down on the wide end of the tie.
If you are unfamiliar with tying ties it will help to first tie a single Windsor knot. You can do this by following steps 1 – 6 and then jump to steps 8 – 13. Once a single Windsor is mastered it is easy to add the double Windsor.
Hope this helps.
