In my previous post about classic tie knots I showed you how to tie the four classical tie knots. In this post we will go well beyond the basics and focus on a few really cool looking tie knots that can best be described as exotic and definitely will draw attention.

Exotic tie knots that draw attention!

Never heard of a tie knot drawing attention before? Well, now you're going to learn several that do. I have found these knots in various places on the internet and just like with the classic knots, I haven't invented them myself, but they are nevertheless very cool.

The Eldredge Knot

We start off with my new favourite knot; The Eldredge knot. It looks pretty amazing, don't you think?

eldredge-knot

How to tie the Eldredge Knot:

  1. Make sure the wide end of the tie ends at the mid point of your belt because you will tie this entire knot with the little end.
  2. While holding the big end in place–create a dimple–swing the little end over the front of the big end and go around the back.
  3. Bring the little end up and over the front of the loop.
  4. Bring the little end through the loop and towards the right side (make sure the knot is tight).
  5. Now bring that little end over the center (of the knot) to the other side and bring it towards the back again.
  6. Bring the little end up over the top of the knot (make sure the knot is tight).
  7. Now, this is when it gets a little tricky. Keep this part loose. Create a loose knot by bringing the little end behind and through the loop.
  8. Pull the little end through and tighten till you get a tight knot.
  9. Bring the little end behind the loop.
  10. Swing it up in front again.
  11. And over the top towards the back and to the opposite end.
  12. Go through the loop (keep it loose) in a similar fashion to step #7.
  13. Pull through and tighten the knot.
  14. Hide the remaining little end of the tie behind your loop.

Some pointers:

– Remember to start with the length of the big end to the belt line or just above the belt line as you don't have much space to adjust this knot. This entire knot is tied with the little end.

– Striped ties won't work as well since the ridges will make the knot look busy and out of balance. Instead, stick to solid colour ties or ties with subtle/consistent patterns.

– Save the diagram by BlackLapel.com and print it.

eldredge-knot-diagram

A variant of the Eldredge Knot is the Ellie Knot. It has the added benefit of not using up the entire narrow end and gives you a tail to your tie, if that's something you fancy.

The Ellie Knot

The Trinity Knot

The Trinity Knot is another unique tie knot I've come across. It looks great, even though it's not symmetrical and it works great with both skinny ties and a bit thicker ones.

trinity-knot

How to tie the Trinity Knot:

  1. Set the tie around your neck, leaving the big end at the point you want at your belt loop. The Trinity knot is tied with the little end (like the Eldredge).
  2. Bring the little end over and under the big end through the loop.
  3. Bring it over the top of the loop and put it through on the same side.
  4. Go around the back of the hanging end to the other side.
  5. Bring the end over the left side of the loop.
  6. Bring it behind to the right side of the loop.
  7. Bring the end horizontally over the knot (keep it loose).
  8. Bring the little end through the loop, over the knot and down through the horizontal loop that was created in step 7.
  9. Bring the end around the back to your left side (keep it loose).
  10. Bring the little end through the top loop.
  11. Hide the remaining little end of the tie behind your loop.

– Save the diagram by BlackLapel.com and print it.

trinity-knot-diagram

The Bow Tie

Although technically not a tie, and not used as often, not that many people know how to tie a bow tie, for lack of practice. A properly tied bow tie looks fantastic!

bowtie_diagram_final

How to tie the Bow Tie:

  1. Keep the left side (your right) 2-3 inches longer than the right.  The tip of the shorter side should be parallel with the narrow "center" of the bow on the lower side.
  2. Swing the longer side over the shorter side.
  3. Loop the longer side through the opening and pull snug. This is how snug your finished bow tie will be so keep it this snug during steps 4-9.
  4. Take the side that is in the rear and form half a bow.
  5. Bring the other side to the front over that half bow.
  6. Pinch the half bow together and gently tug away from your body so that a little loop opens up behind the pinched center.
  7. Take the dangling piece in the middle and bring it up to the left rear. Gently push it bow first through the little loop in the back forming your second bow.
  8. Grab both bows (not tips) and give them a tug to pull the knot tight. Leave enough length for the tips so you do not pull them out as you tighten the knot (like typing your shoe laces).
  9. Hold the knot in the middle tight and adjust the lengths of the bows and tips to the desired length and shape. If this resulted in a successful bow tie, then smile, you're awesome. If like us, your first attempt was not suitable for public display, then go back to step 1 and give it another go.

More Tie Knots?

There are loads more tie knots out there if you're really interested in learning more knots. To be honest, I doubt that you would need more knots than I have listed here on my blog so far, including my previous post with the classics, but here are a couple of websites that focus on how to tie a tie.

  • http://www.totieatie.com/
  • 85 ways to tie a tie
  • http://www.tie-a-tie.net/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necktie

If you have any questions regarding ties or anything else on this site, please leave a comment below.

Josef Wigren

is an active guy who loves learning and sharing his knowledge with others. He is a passionate language learner, traveller, cellist, martial artist, scientist, thinker and writer among many other things. View all posts by Josef Wigren