By Jordan Freels –

NJCU’s “MidKnight Rendezvous SGO Spring Formal” is fast approaching. Friday, April 13th, is the day for young men and women to dress to impress. For guys, one common stumper is not knowing how to tie a tie. Knowing this small skill gives men a professional look. There are many different styles of tying a tie, such as, Half Windsor, Windsor, Shell Knot, Four in Hand, and a Bow-tie; one can decide what type of style tie they want to wear.

Greek Fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon provides a snip-it of tying the five styles mentioned above in their, ‘The Teke’ Guidebook. The bow-tie outline provides six simple steps to tying. Also, according to bowtie.com this style of knot has been around since the 1700s, and it was the first official type of neckwear. This style of knot is simplistic.

While the bow-tie may be the most stylish, the Shell Knot, or better known as, the Pratt Knot is slowly inching its way to popularity. This new style of knot is no larger than the four in hand and no smaller than the half Windsor knot. This style of knot is best worn without giving the impression that the tie itself is to narrow or too wide. The one stitch is, if not tied correctly the back of the neck-tie faces up which looks wrong if it is not hidden behind the wide end of the tie.

The Half-Windsor knot is larger than the Pratt as mentioned above. This style can be worn with most collared shirts. Interestingly, this form of tie can be tied in two different ways, but the end result of how the knot looks is shockingly similar.

You could say ‘the brother’ tie is the Windsor knot. This style of knot has four ways of being tied, but only two are most commonly used. This style of knot works best with wide collared shirts and can be worn for business or political occasions. Although there are four styles to tying this type of knot, the only difference is depending on how thick of a material the tie is made out of will affect how large the knot will be.

Lastly, the Four in hand knot is a style best used with a dress shirt, and it also works well with wide neckties. It gives the tie a more narrowed, asymmetrical finish. This may sound odd but this style best fits a man with a short neck because of the knots narrowness and elongated form it stretches and gives the perception the neckline is higher than it really is.

All the styles mentioned are popular, but the final decision is left up to the young man of which style he wants to wear on a particular occasion.

Tying a tie is a life skill, something all young men should learn how to do if they do not know already. Familiarizing one’s self with different styles gives a young man a professional look; while also opening new doors of fashion.