How to tie a necktie: Tying a double Windsor tie knot

Some people call this popular necktie knot “double Windsor knot”. Others call it a “full Windsor knot”. Then others again simply call it “the Windsor knot”. This popular tie knot was named after the Duke of Windsor. Their large and symmetrical triangular looks make this tie knot so popular.

Instructions on how tie a double Windsor knot:

1. As with every tie knot, flip up your shirt collars and place the tie around your neck. Since the double Windsor knot is a larger tie knot, it will require two wrappings when making the knot. With this in mind, make sure to leave a little extra length for the wider part of the tie. Take the wide part of the tie and place it over the narrow end. As a tip: hold down the narrow end and the unfinished knot with one hand at all times. This will ensure the knot stays in shape.
2. Just like you would do when tying a half Windsor tie knot, wrap the wide part around the part of the tie that is on your right side of your collar. Pull it slightly tight and hold it down with your other hand to make sure it stays in place.
3. Then take the wide side of the tie with your other hand and pull it back behind the narrow part. Again pull it slightly tight.
4. What makes the double Windsor larger and more symmetrical than the smaller full Windsor is done in this step. Take the wide end of the tie and pull it over the part of the tie that comes from your left collar. Pull it over and around the tie and pull it slightly tight. Now, let’s create the loop needed to tighten the tie knot. Take the wide end of the tie, pull it over the narrow end and back through the part of the tie that comes from your left collar. Don’t tighten the tie this time, but keep the loop open with your other hand, that are the same time keeps the knot in place.
5. Take the wide part of the tie and pull it through the loop.
6. Slowly pull the Windsor tight.
7. Tighten the Windsor tie knot and flip down your collars. Tying a double Windsor knot takes a little bit of practice. The most common mistake done when tying a full Windsor tie knot is done in the 4th step. Often times the narrow end of the tie will slide to one side and is visible from the front. If this happens reason on:

How to Tie a Double Windsor Knot Video

Most common mistakes when tying a full Windsor tie knot:

1. Problem: The part most men have most difficulty in is in the 4th step of tying a double Windsor knot. Make sure to close any gap at the center of the tie knot. The easiest way to do this is to overlap both wrappings. You can do this by pulling the tie more down than outward after pulling each wrapping tight. If the gap is not closed, then the wide part of the tie will slide into it. As a result the tie knot will look asymmetrical and slide to one side so that the narrow part of the tie is visible.
2. Problem: Your tie is tied too short. Like any larger tie knot, more length of the tie is needed for tying the double Windsor. With this in mind, make sure you let the wide part of the tie hang lower. If you still can’t get it right then you are either too tall and/or have to wide of a neck. At cheap neckties we recommend XL neckties for men that are taller than 6’3”. Extra long ties are best suited for tying larger tie knots including the double Windsor knot. XL ties are about 2-3 inches longer than a regular sized necktie (around 57-59 inches).