Can you tie a tie?

[Miss Chicken]

When I was a girl at high-school there was a strict uniform code and we had to wear hat, gloves and a tie. I remember my mother teaching me how to tie my tie in the weeks before I started high school.

After leaving high school I never wore a tie again. I know that a few times I tied my husband (now ex-husband)'s tie when he got dressed up for a funeral or wedding. However it has been more than 25 years since I have tied a tie at all and I don't think I actually remember how to do it.

Are there any people here who have never worn a tie and therefore not learnt how to tie one, or have forgotten how to tie one? And who here still wears a tie on a regular basis?

 

[clint g]

I usually tie a tie twice a year when I have to wear a dress uniform. Other than that, I never wear one. I usually need to do a few practice runs before I actually manage to make a decent looking knot

 

[RoJoHen]

I almost never wear ties. I do it MAYBE once a year (last year I only did it because my Halloween costume required it), so I usually have to refresh my memory by looking it up online.

 

[Hermiod]

A tie was part of my school uniform so yes I can. On the rare occasions I've done it since leaving school, I have not had to try to remember how.

 

[RandyS]

I wore one twenty years ago for my high school graduation, and after damn near strangling myself (because I never learned how to properly tie one, still can't.), I vowed never to wear one ever again, and I never have.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

A standard tie, yes. Part of our school uniform and formal dress code for years.

At work, due to infection control measures, ties are no longer compulsory, and are now being discouraged.

I still can tie a tie very well, as very formal suits are also something I wear some of the time.

I have been able to tie a bow tie once.

 

[Goliath]

I wear a tie at work, on days when I'm teaching, or giving an exam.

I can tie a four-in-hand or a half-windsor from memory. But I still have to consult an online guide whenever I need to tie a full windsor.

I honestly don't understand the hate so many guys seem to have for ties. I don't find them uncomfortable at all. Maybe it's because I never had any nice clothes when I was growing up.

 

[ITL]

Yes, I can tie a tie - but getting the correct length once it's tied? For someone like me who rarely wears a tie, trial and error is the thing...

 

[Goliath]

^Yeah--there are few things more discouraging than tying your tie, getting the knot just right--and then spotting the narrow end poking out below the broad end.

 

[cultcross]

Yeah, can do a tie - even though work ties are clip-on to prevent strangulation (evil, horrible things, the metal clip digs into your neck, I'd rather be strangled...) I got used to tying one at school and never lost the knack.

 

[ITL]

^Yeah--there are few things more discouraging than tying your tie, getting the knot just right--and then spotting the narrow end poking out below the broad end.

Although that is the correct way to wear a tie if you're nine years old and only have one side of your shirt tucked in.

 

[captcalhoun]

yes, after wearing one for 7 years in school i then wore one for 12 years at work. they finally ditched them last year in favour of polo shirts. no more ties for me!

even i get married, still not wearing a tie.

i usually tucked the thin end inside my shirt, so only the wide end was out.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I don't wear ties often, but I like them. I use it maybe once in a month, for job-related social events, marriages/funerals/baptisms, or some fanciful dinner with my fiancee.

I can do a four-in-hand and half-windsor, which i prefer. Four-in-hand screams "my boss makes me wear a tie on the job" to me, while half-windsor is much more classy. I've experimented with a full-windsor, but it can be bulky. Depends on the tie and the shape of the collar.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I almost never wear a tie, and I keep one around pre-tied just in case. I need a map and detailed instructions and it still takes me forever. Ties are one of the stupidest things ever invented.

 

[StolenThunder]

Yeah, wore a tie all the way through school. Just four in hand though I can do a half-windsor if I get bored. My 'workplace' was banned ties, so I don't wear them as often now, just on the odd occasion I'm required to look a little smarter.

I can tie a bow tie too.

 

[jamestyler]

I think I only have two ties left that I like, only one that I wear on occasion - suits are often worn tie-less or with t-shirts. I never wore my school tie so I have no idea how I managed to figure it out. I was never shown how... I just guessed.

I've got a clip on tie for health and safety reasons. Though never has my life been in danger because I wore a tie to work.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

I can tie a tie in the most common form (Half-Windsor knot I believe), but I never, ever have needed to wear one. And I'm not planning to.

 

[Trekker4747]

I have to wear one every day for work. Half-Windsor. Never could get the hang of the full Windsor.

 

[Philo]

Sadly, I only ever learned how to do a half-windsor (my Air Cadet manual as a child had a handy diagram ). I generally prefer the half-windsor, so I've never actually really tried to get a hang of the full windsor, but there have been times when I wished I could have (though I hear they're generally frowned upon, now? Holdfast, help me out here).

I honestly don't understand the hate so many guys seem to have for ties. I don't find them uncomfortable at all. Maybe it's because I never had any nice clothes when I was growing up.

I don't understand it either. I love wearing ties, and I go through phases where I wear them a lot (often for no discernible reason other than I want to look good ). However, I do think they can be uncomfortable (especially if it's hot out), and I can understand the resentment for people who are forced to wear them. No one should be forced to look good. They should want to.

Yes, I can tie a tie - but getting the correct length once it's tied? For someone like me who rarely wears a tie, trial and error is the thing...

Despite the fact that I wear ties pretty often, I still have this problem a lot of the time. Like RJ, there have been times when I've said, "fuck it", and just left it pre-tied (sorry Holdfast ).

Yeah, can do a tie - even though work ties are clip-on to prevent strangulation (evil, horrible things, the metal clip digs into your neck, I'd rather be strangled...) I got used to tying one at school and never lost the knack.

I can understand the reason, but ouch, that's lame. I mean, I can just imagine the letdown when those guys or gals who like a guy in uniform find out that it's not even real.

 

[Lindley]

Yeah, I can tie one. Don't very often, but I have nothing against it when the occasion warrants.