For ties, does anybody else think Four-In-Hand knot looks so ugly?

I always thought the four-in-hand was ugly. It's small, asymmetrical, and just looks sloppy. I would never wear one myself, and I see people having this type of look in their LinkedIn profile pics, and arriving to superdays with this knot.

After researching more into it, I discovered that the four-in-hand knot is considered the simplest, most basic type of tie knot (requiring only 5 motions), and that it's supposed to be only for casual events, like a Friday afternoon.

Coincidentally, every person I've met, who favours the four-in-hand knot to the point they would use it for their LinkedIn pic, was also sloppy in other aspects of their appearance / work output.

Has anybody else shared these experiences? Maybe there's something I'm missing, open to hearing your thoughts on the four-in-hand knot, and why you might prefer/not prefer this look.

10 Comments
 

Yeah not a fan of the four in hand at all, but eh, each to their own. I usually wear a half windsor if I have to wear a tie (but would prefer suit no tie if up to me)

 
Most Helpful

It really depends, in my opinion. Four in hands work for some type of people who tend to favor narrower collars, where a full Windsor would look huge and a half-Windsor might look a little out of place. Knots with quality ties with more folds can also start to look big if you go full Windsor.

In my opinion, it all comes down to your body build, face structure, etc + preferences. Being relatively tall and slim, a larger knot just starts to look weirdly big on me where a four in hand often ends up falling in the right proportions.

 

The four in hand is a great knot....If you're in high school.

Realistically, a half-windsor is ideal for most people. It's neat, symmetrical, good looking, and understated. Some people with wider necks can get away with a full windsor, but most of the time it just ends up looking too bulky. Most novelty knots, like the eldredge mentioned above, end up making you look like a pompous d**che. (I know that comment was a joke, btw.)

I'm also a fan of skipping the tie. Since I'm buy-side and non client facing that is my standard, even in the rare occasion when I put on a suit. Seriously, I met a team from Goldman in khakis and a sweater once. That's a power move. A four in hand says, 'I don't want to wear a tie, but one of my superiors made me.'

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Stabbing myself in the eyes with shards of glass, just after pouring acid into them only to rub sand in my eyes, would be less painful than to watch someone wear a four-in-hand.
I wouldn't even hang myself from a tree with a four-in-hand tie.

It's a very sloppy way of tying your tie, and 98% of people wearing a four-in-hand will look like a bum with their stupid uneven tie.

So yea, completely a no-go for me.

 

Nemo ducimus ut in est sint. Et nisi similique aut aut veniam rerum odit. Sit ut neque saepe consequatur distinctio.

Sint dolore aut aliquam quam ut nemo. Vel perferendis deleniti mollitia voluptas quo sunt voluptates. Itaque quia id perspiciatis accusantium voluptatem earum nisi. Voluptatum ratione sed voluptas debitis iure impedit.

Sed aliquid accusamus sunt fugit. Quis aspernatur provident temporibus rerum ut consequatur. Et quis facere quam quaerat.

Omnis quo cumque ea illo ratione consequuntur atque. Et dolores totam rerum quia error dolorem non. Consectetur accusantium sunt ad voluptas voluptatem cum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”