How to tie a tie

The Four in Hand Knot makes for a narrow, more discreet and slightly asymmetrical tie knot. It is best suited for a standard button-down dress shirt and works best with wide neckties made from heavy fabrics.

While this tie knot can be worn by anyone, it looks especially well on men with shorter necks as the knot's rather narrow and elongated form stretches the perceived height of the neck a tiny bit.

 

To tie the Four in Hand Knot, select a necktie of your choice and stand in front of a mirror. Then simply follow the steps below:
Start with the wide end ("W") of your necktie on the right, extending about 12 inches below the narrow end ("N") on the left.
Then cross the wide end over the narrow end.
Turn the wide end back underneath the narrow end.
Continue by bringing the wide end back over in front of the narrow end again.
Then, pull the wide end up and through the loop around your neck.
Hold the front of the knot loosely with your index finger and bring the wide end down through the front loop.
At last, remove your finger and tighten the knot carefully to the collar by holding the narrow end and sliding the knot up.

That's it! That is all there is to the Four in Hand Knot. You will quickly learn to tie this necktie knot in less and less time every time you practice it. Just keep going, my friend!
Black tie refers to a formal evening dress code that typically requires men to be dressed in tuxedo and women in evening gown. Below is a basic guide on men's black tie attire. It is my goal to make this black tie guide as concise and simple as possible.

The 30 Second Black Tie Guide

The classic black tie dress code consists of a black tuxedo, white dress shirt, black bow tie, and black dress shoes. These items make up the gold standard of a black tie ensemble. If you are interested to learn more then I discuss each clothing item in much more detail below. I hope you find my black tie guide helpful!
The Gold Standard

If you want to adhere to the classic black tie dress code then choose the traditional tuxedo pictured above. As you can see from the picture, the classic black tie tux is solid black in color, is single breasted, has one single button, has a peaked satin-faced lapel, does not have vents at the back, and is made from grosgrain fabric. If you don't want to go with a standard look but still want to stick to the black tie dress code then read on. In the next few paragraphs I will cover acceptable tuxedo color, cut, and fabric options.

Acceptable Tuxedo Colors

As I had mentioned, black is the classic tuxedo color for black tie functions but a dark midnight blue is an acceptable, and equally suited alternative. Both, black and midnight blue, are acceptable black tie tux colors for evening wear. White dinner jackets worn with black pants are common for day time black tie functions. This type of dress code is commonly referred to "warm weather black tie".

Tuxedo Cuts & Styles

Besides color there are several designs and cuts available when choosing a tuxedo. First, let's talk about the cut. Most common is the single breasted tuxedo. The other choice available is a double breasted jacket. The single breasted style is traditional and more classic. The double breasted cut was introduced in the 1930s. While the single breasted tux is typically worn unbuttoned, the double breasted cut should be worn buttoned - making a waist covering unnecessary (see below for waistcoat and cummerbund options). If you want to keep it traditional then choose the single breasted style, if you want something slightly out of the ordinary then the double breasted jacket would be a suited alternative. Keep in mind that the double breasted cut can be slightly less comfortable when sitting down.

Next, let's talk about lapel styles. Most classic is the peaked lapel. Slightly less common but equally formal is the shawl lapel. Even though notch lapels are more common nowadays they are considered to be slightly less formal. Typically the lapel has a shiny silk facing that matches the facing on the jacket's buttons.