How to Tie Your Necktie in a Pratt Knot

There are several rights of passage for a young man in life. You must register with selective services, you register to vote, and you learn to tie a necktie. Now, facing the possibility of a draft can be scary, deciding what political party you belong to and who to vote for is intimidating, but learning to tie a necktie, that one is easy.

There are several different knots necktie styles; each one serves a specific purpose. For someone who is trying to learn to tie their first tie, or for someone looking for a general purpose tie knot, I recommend a basic Pratt Knot. The Pratt knot is a general purpose, wide knot that will suit any dress shirt and will look good on most store-bought neck ties. Also, the Pratt knot is very simple to learn and can be tied very easily.

To learn to tie a necktie with a Pratt Knot, you will need:
A standard medium width necktie
A mirror
This guide complete with photos
5 minutes
A bit of perseverance

Learn to tie a necktie with a Pratt Knot:
1. The Pratt Knot starts with the tie draped around your shoulders, inside out - that is to say with the underside of the tie facing up. The narrow end should be on top of the wide end, and the wide end should be in your left hand. See image #1.
2. Loop the wide end over the narrow end between your collar and your neck, and feed it back down under the narrow end to the left. Pull this loop down and tighten it. See image #2.
3. Take the wide end over the narrow end to the right. Loop it up under your chin; this will create a loop. See image #3
4. Bring the wide end (it will be right-side out now) down through the loop you have created. Gently tighten the knot until it looks professional, but is still comfortable. See image #4.

There you have it, you have just learned to tie a necktie. This Pratt Knot will serve you well, and will meet all of your general necktie needs. Good Luck.