Which Knots for Tie?

Are there some tie knots that are more/less acceptable than others? I have an interview tomorrow, so I don't want to commit a fashion faux pas. It's at a tech startup, but I don't think that should matter, so even IB fashion advice should still hold. Also, are there any particular sites/videos you guys found really useful for learning how to tie a tie?

 

You're interviewing at a tech startup - are you sure you want to wear a tie?

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

I agree with CaptK here. Tech Startups are notorious for shunning the suit and tie crowd.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

if you do end up going for a tie, it's about the shape of your face, not so much the collar. True, if you have a spread collar and a slim/long face, you can get away with a full windsor a little more. But still, in general - if you have a slender, longer face, go for a smaller knot.

Follow me on insta @FinancialDemigod
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

CaptK, I was thinking about that too. But, I really don't have anything else to wear (it was last minute and I'm broke). Also, I feel like it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed (since I'm really not sure with this specific company).

 
econ:
CaptK, I was thinking about that too. But, I really don't have anything else to wear (it was last minute and I'm broke). Also, I feel like it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed (since I'm really not sure with this specific company).
Dude go suit no tie. You'll look professional, without being over the top.
- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 
Best Response
CaptK:
econ:
CaptK, I was thinking about that too. But, I really don't have anything else to wear (it was last minute and I'm broke). Also, I feel like it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed (since I'm really not sure with this specific company).
Dude go suit no tie. You'll look professional, without being over the top.

^^ This...just make sure you don't have the shirt unbuttoned low (and PLEASE keep the collar within the jacket...you don't want to look like Joey Bag Odonuts. Techies won't give a fuck what you are wearing, just keep it simple - wear loafers instead of lace-ups.

"Jesus, he's like a gremlin; comes with instructions and shit"
 

Agree with op, better over than under dressed. You should've asked what their office attire is and if it's different for people interviewing. If you didn't get a clear answer, go suit tie and look sharp. If, as you walk in, see that everyone is way under dressed, just say that you didn't know what would be appropriate to wear/what you should expect and thought to be safe rather than sorry.

 

Full windsor, symetrical and looks neat and balanced. Hate when tie knots look like right triangles or little tubes.

"One should recognize reality even when one doesn't like it, indeed, especially when one doesn't like it." - Charlie Munger
 

You do not select knots by "look" you select knots by the ties fabric.

Please don't make me talk to you like an asshole...
 

If you're going to go for a tie, go four-in-hand. I've never understood why anyone wears a windsor knot, it reeks of supreme douchiness. Especially if you're interviewing at a low-key place like a start-up. I'm sure this has been quoted endlessly, but I'm going to do it again:

From the Ian Fleming's "From Russia, With Love":

“Bond mistrusted anyone who tied his tie with a Windsor Knot. It showed too much vanity. It was often the mark of a cad.”

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
Otter.:
If you're going to go for a tie, go four-in-hand. I've never understood why anyone wears a windsor knot, it reeks of supreme douchiness. Especially if you're interviewing at a low-key place like a start-up. I'm sure this has been quoted endlessly, but I'm going to do it again:

From the Ian Fleming's "From Russia, With Love":

“Bond mistrusted anyone who tied his tie with a Windsor Knot. It showed too much vanity. It was often the mark of a cad.”

Agree with this. Full Windsor knots are just so douchey its unbelievable. To wide and pompous. When in doubt go with a four-in-hand knot and put a dimple in it. Looks fine.

 
DJ Long Straddle:
I wouldn't really over think it. Just show up and impress. They aren't hiring you to partake in Fashion Week.

Haha, thanks. Very true.

 

Now I know how to tie a tie, but I can't get it to look really nice? Honestly, the knot part kinda looks like sh*t. Any tips?

 
econ:
Now I know how to tie a tie, but I can't get it to look really nice? Honestly, the knot part kinda looks like sh*t. Any tips?

1) Pinch and form the knot part with your fingers

2) Practice tying a lot of knots

Wall Street leaders now understand that they made a mistake, one born of their innocent and trusting nature. They trusted ordinary Americans to behave more responsibly than they themselves ever would, and these ordinary Americans betrayed their trust.
 

Thomas Pink has my favorite ties. I love their patterned selections, but take heed, the store options usually vary widely between location and versus what you can find at their online store.

The knot depends on my collar and what I'm doing that day. half-Windsor is the superior knot but most days I use a four-in-hand

 
adapt or die:
Thomas Pink, tight full windsor

Not some fugazi Merrill Hodge look

Ha ha +1 for you for calling out that ass-fuck Merril Hoge. Not only is he a back peddling pussy piece of shit ("Tebow will never win a game as a starter,"), he also dresses like a fucking $2 gigolo. I have no clue what that knot is that he rocks every time I see him on TV, but it looks like dogshit.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

Four-in-hand only. Don't like any kind of windsors at all.

I'm wearing a Drakes tie today. Favorites are Charvet, Drakes, Panta, Battistoni, Zegna, and Kiton. Don't own any T&A or Thomas Pink, but I've seen them around a lot and they look pretty nice.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
ensalada:
Four-in-hand only for me as well. J Press and Brooks are my default, but Drakes and Charvet are nice as well.

I have a few Brooks left over from the beginning of college but I'm slowly phasing them out as I don't think they knot as well as my others, but they're definitely a go-to standard. I like my J. Press ties too, especially because they have them on sale a few times a year for ~$20, so I stock up then.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

Haines and Bonner. $15 at Marshalls/TJ Maxx. Twice as thick and better knot than my Brooks Bros ties.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

Half-Windsor for normal collars, full for spread. Either way, I really like Ferragamo ties- they always make a great knot, and they stay fixed. I have a couple Hermes, but I just don't like them as much.

As an aside, buy your ties second hand. You can get authentic Ferragamo/Charvet/Borrelli/Hermes for prices that give Sears a run for its money. Think about it: men get ties for father's day, birthdays, christmas, etc...but after a few years, do you really need another?

They end up on Ebay and in yard sales often. I got my first real tie (a Borrelli) from a yard sale in the nice part of town my freshman summer back from college. I think I paid $10?

 
Ace Rothstein:
I tie a four-in-hand with all but my widest collars, for which I tie a Windsor. There's no reason not to learn both of these knots, unless you only own shirts of a common collar width.

Some people definitely wear windsors, but I would rather just tie a double four-in-hand to get a thicker knot to wear with a wider spread collar. I associate windsor knots with negative things for whatever reason, which is why I don't like to wear them. Doesn't have as much to do with the actual look of them, I guess.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

it also depends on the type of shirt you are wearing. I.e. spread collar - full Windsor, etc.

------------ I'm making it up as I go along.
 

What's wrong with this? Looks sharp enough to me, could use a little more triangular shape, but nothing too terrible in my opinion. Is this considered sloppy?

 

Actually, that's the only thing that's "off" in my opinion with Harvey's appearance. That fat knot should belong to Louis only. Harvey would look more dashing sporting a smaller, slightly askew tie knot.

 

Half windsor because it's the only one I know how to do. Just use a thicker tie if I'm wearing a spread collar.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

The fact that kids think that looks fine is the problem. If you don't want to look like a clown, then don't do the full windsor. Just stick with the half windsor.

 

Half windsor usually. Don't really see the point in anything else, it's the best compromise between looks and complexity.

"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
 

This is a Prince Albert knot. Tie it like a four in hand, but wrap it twice. When you create the knot, make sure the tie goes through both loops.

 

Fugit perferendis numquam est autem possimus. Reiciendis dolor cupiditate aliquam omnis. Nostrum quod est voluptatem in debitis libero iure.

Facere temporibus doloribus modi odit omnis natus. Delectus autem quis voluptatem voluptatum. Id reprehenderit nihil nobis.

 

Similique molestias quam quod est ut. Ut in non sed qui odio eligendi provident iusto. Veritatis quia voluptates velit odio. Fugit explicabo et eveniet illum tenetur. Et quidem accusantium reprehenderit cumque earum distinctio aut.

Ut pariatur earum eveniet et accusantium doloribus magni. Corrupti tempore adipisci sunt repudiandae dolorem. Iusto aut deleniti corrupti impedit et accusamus et. Perferendis laborum laboriosam officia voluptatibus quae iusto.

 

Ut eligendi aut adipisci doloribus. Quo similique qui accusantium qui rerum earum maiores. Ipsum corrupti eos saepe dolorum rerum distinctio. Nobis cum vitae repudiandae. Blanditiis aperiam quod necessitatibus consequuntur voluptates tempore.

Ut quia odit aperiam dolorum. Voluptates illo vitae eos qui debitis incidunt rerum fuga. Ut vero illo reiciendis unde. Ratione totam nihil excepturi et tempore qui veritatis. Veritatis quia velit pariatur.

Quia blanditiis maiores non laudantium tempora voluptatem voluptatem inventore. Voluptatem dolorum accusantium libero minus voluptate eius. Architecto sint perferendis neque iusto laborum in accusantium delectus. Itaque aut et harum et. Natus quaerat hic error et praesentium. Sunt saepe neque tenetur nostrum culpa praesentium. Ut rem ut neque natus dolore.

 

Animi ex nobis architecto est perferendis ullam magnam. Aut et mollitia perferendis velit quae. Quia rem tempore ipsam officiis eveniet. At voluptates et consequuntur enim.

Deserunt perspiciatis consequatur ab dolor labore. Asperiores rem suscipit quos exercitationem rerum aut.

Similique natus molestiae praesentium et ratione. Rerum est rerum et omnis minus iure.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Nam ipsa fugiat quisquam et eveniet. At unde sint praesentium autem consequuntur. Recusandae vel atque quas cumque nihil odit tempore in. Est commodi quasi debitis odio vitae rerum optio. Commodi et esse assumenda nisi fugiat modi natus iste.

Accusantium fuga voluptas sed. Consectetur voluptas ex tempore modi porro eos praesentium. Quia autem et dolorem cumque. Cupiditate deleniti in repellat dignissimos voluptas non. Sapiente sit odit quibusdam eaque voluptas et repellat voluptas.

 

Temporibus sequi ea rerum quisquam. Consequatur maiores sunt itaque autem architecto corrupti. Quia ut amet voluptatem perferendis. Itaque aliquid qui et qui incidunt. Molestias sint quia mollitia dignissimos.

Est non rerum repellat voluptas velit enim occaecati aut. Voluptate nam rerum corrupti. Repudiandae nisi voluptatibus adipisci earum ut assumenda. Quo assumenda officiis sed quia dolor voluptates laboriosam. Velit rem dolores sunt assumenda. Molestiae magni dicta placeat cumque ab adipisci aut id.

Quod voluptatem assumenda quam. Harum aut laborum nam maxime deserunt inventore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 98.9%
  • Lazard Freres 01 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. 24 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.9%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 97.7%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners New 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.9%
  • Perella Weinberg Partners 18 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 16 97.7%
  • Moelis & Company 06 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (148) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”