After we ad launched our How To Tie A Bow Tie Video, quite a few men asked us to do the same for Tie Knot videos and we are happy to oblige.
Today, we kickstart our tie knot series with the easiest, most simple and smallest tie knot you can tie: The Oriental
For some reason, it is not very well known in the Western world, and so most men learn the four-in-hand-knot when they first tie a tie. However, the Oriental is useful because it is similar in size, yet it is more symmetrical than the four-in-hand-knot.
Transcript:
The Oriental is called that way because it’s one of the most popular tie knots in Asia. The Oriental is the easiest tie knot that you can find, and it is also the smallest tie knot.
I recommend using the Oriental tie knot when you have a tie that is very short, or if you’re very tall because that way, you don’t use a lot of tie material forming the knot. It is also great if you are a fan of small knots and let’s say you have the tie is rather thick, and you want a smaller knot, the Oriental is the best way to achieve that.
In terms of the length of the tie, historically, ties in the 30s were very short, they would reach up to your waistline or belly button. Today they are often tied longer, but they should never extend past your waistband because you want to accentuate your face, and you want people to look in your face, not down your body. Especially when you wear a jacket, it does not look good if your tie peaks out from underneath the buttoning point, so I always want to make sure that the tie is short enough that you only see it on top, not at the bottom.Otherwise, it looks odd and not stylish at all.
The oriental knot is great if you want to wear collar pins, collar bars or collar clips because it is so small that something easily fits underneath here.
If you want to learn more about these accessories, check out my collar pin video. If you want to buy these, click here.
The oriental knot works best with a classic collar or a medium spread collar. Right now, I’m wearing a medium spread collar so either the tips could be further down to the middle to work but it does not work with a more spread collar or like a cutaway collar in more extreme. Bear it in mind when you wear this know.
Here’s how to tie the oriental knot. The wide end is going to be much longer than the slim end. I usually have the slim end about a hand above my waistband or my trousers, but it’s different with everybody, so you have to figure it out. Okay, first the slim end goes on top of the wide end.Pinch it here and you bring it over once like so, pull it slightly tight. Now you take this end, goes through behind the knot, pull it up, pull it nice and tight then you take this end and get it through here. You hold your knot while you pull it through gently. Now your knot is a little thick so what you do here to get a dimple, pinch on top and pull through. Always gently, gently pull and then you bring it up until you like the look.
Here you go, the oriental knot.
Make sure to also check out our video on quality hallmarks of a tie and if you are in the market for ties, visit our store.
Nice video but one hazard I tripped over – when I finished the top part of my tie was back to front I.e. seam facing forward. When I watched your video again I noticed you started with the tie seam facing out rather than toward your body. That cracked it and I got a nice symmetric knot with all the bits facing the right way! I even had two dimples so the tie had a central bulge with a dimple either side, both side edges curling forward, something I’ve never achieved before.
I’ve never seen this knot so I’m glad you started with it. I’m looking forward to the next one!
I should have mentioned it. and will add an annotation to the video. I thought it was obvious but it seems like many here didn’t see that….
Raphael ,
Nice video again ; I go for this knot on a knitted tie which I wear during the cooler months with cashmere jackets , flannel trousers and light weight brouges.
By the way; who is the baritone saxophone player on your theme ?
Regards
Mark
Good choice.
In the video you did not point out that for this knot the tie should be draped with the backside exposed instead of the front. It took a couple of viewings to see. Thanks and keep posting the informative videos.
I thought that was extremely obvious but I should have made it even more clear and hit you over the head ;).
I thought that knot was called a Four-in-Hand. Is that just a different name for this knot, or is the four-in-Hand tied differently?
Thanks, I like your videos.
Curt
In the four-in-hand one starts with the seam towards the neck. Then the blade is crossed over the tail, around the back, over the tail again, around and up, then down and through. This gives one thickness of the tie on one side and two thicknesses of the tie on the opposite side, making the four-in-hand asymmetrical.
The four in hand is a different knot. Stay tuned for a video on the four in hand shortly.
Is the ‘four in hand’ the same knot that we call the Windsor knot in the UK?
Tie knots should have a single dimple, and the edges of the tie right below the knot should face the shirt, not away from the shirt. I agree with Kurt re four-in-hand, and will be interested to see Raphael’s response.
Greetings Raphael,
I love the simplicity of this knot; the symmetry is far superior than that of the four in hand. I do have one question though. What is the reasoning behind having a dimple in your ties? I spent eighteen and a half years in the Canadian Air Force where dimples in ties are equated with sloppiness. I am having a very difficult time breaking that habit but I like bow ties better in the summer anyway so no worries until autumn.
Haha! I feel your pain Joe. Though my issue is the reverse (where I must remember to remove the dimple when putting on my uniform). The reason they don’t want us to wear a simple is simple – uniformity. We can’t all make a dimple in the same spot, so it is easier to ban the dimple.
Joe, it just adds dimension and looks better. As Elliot points out, military says no dimple because you have to find the lowest common denominator. Learn more about dimples here.
Ah well, this is the tie knot I have learned as youngster from my Dad and I use it all the time. Didn’t know it’s called the Oriental, I just referred to it as the ‘simple tie knot’. Almost all my ties are from the 30’s or 40’s and in deed they’re shorter than modern ones.
I tend to do a similar knot I’ve seen often called the shell knot. Effectively the same knot, except one loops the material around before finishing it (these things are more complicated and difficult to explain clearly than I’d like). It typically comes out very symmetrical, but can sometimes be a little thick, so I think I like the idea of this one better and I’ll have to try it more often.
Thanks Sven!
I really appreciate this instructional video Mr. Schneider. I learned how to tie an Oriental knot within 15 minutes practice in the mirror with a dimple every time. Previous, I had no knot-tying skills. I am a tall man (6’6″) and your information on a hand length over the trouser line worked well with the slim end of the tie.
I am glad to hear that Andrew!
Dear Sir,
I enjoyed your article but I have to disagree on the length of the tie never extending past your waistband. I was taught that a (men’s) tie should extend to ‘the base of the penis’, sic! Shorter would automatically signal that this person was a ‘peasant’.
I have no idea who taught you this length, but there is absolutely nothing in classic men’s history to back up that claim. That aside, it looks horrible in my opinion but each to his own.