Windsor knot

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The Windsor knot, also sometimes referred to as a full Windsor to distinguish it from the half-Windsor or erroneously as a "double Windsor", is a method of tying a necktie around one's neck and collar. The Windsor knot, compared to other methods, produces a wide triangular knot. The knot is named after the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII after abdication), however the Duke himself did not actually use a Windsor knot. The Duke preferred a wide knot and had his ties specially made with thicker cloth in order to produce a wider knot when tied with the conventional four in hand knot.

In Ian Fleming's James Bond series, the playboy spy remarked that the Windsor knot was "the mark of a cad."

[edit] How to

To tie the Windsor, place the tie around your neck and cross the broad end of the tie in front of the narrow end. Fold the broad end behind the narrow end and push it up through the inside of the loop around your neck. The left and right sides of the narrow end, and the inside of the loop, form a triangle. Continue folding the tie over the sides of this triangle, rotating around the triangle in one direction. The eighth fold should again bring the broad end up over the top of the knot from behind; push the end down through the loop in front of the knot that you made with the seventh fold, work out any wrinkles, and pull the knot tight. If the tie is unbalanced, untie the knot and try again giving yourself more or less length to work with.

This Prince of Wales famously abdicated the British throne and rejected being the King of the British Empire for his love of Mrs Simpson, an American divorcee. King Edward VIII became the Duke of Windsor. He and Mrs Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor developed into the style icons of their time and the Duke provided invaluable promotion for the Hawes & Curtis' brand.

In gratitude for the Duke's custom and warrant, Hawes & Curtis created the famous spread collar to fit the unstructured tie for The Duke of Windsor—one of this century's most stylish and powerful men. This bespoke tie had a thicker inner lining in the part of the tie that formed the knot, which complemented Hawes & Curtis' Collar. This tie knot was later named the "Windsor Knot".