Knot-Making Sense

Words and Pictures by Andrew Snavely via Primer :: These days guys like variety in their ties. Different textures, different fabrics. Once abhorred by sartorialists, these days a guy wearing a narrow cotton tie looks great at his boss’s barbeque. A textured wool tie can take some of the Wall Street edge off of your suit for the office, and transition perfectly for a less casual atmosphere out on the town. The problem is, with the combination of skinnier ties and thicker fabrics, our old standby knots don’t give us the results we need. Here are two suggestions for skinnier ties. The Nicky and The Kelvin.

The Nicky Knot

The Nicky knot is a brother of the Pratt, creating a symmetrical, moderate sized knot. Textured wool ties look fantastic, but you’re stuck using a Four in Hand because of the tie’s thickness. If you wanted to pair a wool tie with a semi-spread collar you’d be stuck with an asymmetrical Four in Hand knot hanging far between the collar. Some may try to make use of a Windsor, but a 2.5 inch tie isn’t wide enough to cover all the crossovers in the knot, as shown above.

A better option is The Nicky, a symmetrical knot that will fill the semi-spread collar, without causing a lot of bulk with the wool’s thickness.The Nicky is achieved in only six moves, compared to the Windsor’s nine.

The Kelvin Knot

Perfect for a cotton, 2.5 inch tie. Most guys will default to a Four in Hand, for the casual asymmetrical look, however because of the slimmer tie, a four in hand knot will create a very, very small knot. To make up for this, we use The Kelvin knot: A variation on the Four in Hand which adds size, without bulk.