How to tie a double Windsor knot

1. Drape the tie around your neck so the skinny end is at the 2nd or 3rd button. The wide end should be near your waist.
2. Cross the wide end over the skinny end.
3. Wrap the wide end around, and bring it up through the loop created by your neck.
4. Bring the wide end around the back, and then around the front.
5. Bring it up through your neck and tuck it under the loop created by the knot.
6. Hold onto the skinny side as you feed it through.
7. Adjust as needed to make the knot tight, clean, and bold.
8. Slide the knot up to your neck.
9. Make sure your collar is in proportion to the Windsor knot you tie. A double Windsor knot looks best with a bigger collar.

JENNIFER: Hi I'm Jennifer Morris for howdini and today we're going to learn how to tie a windsor knot, also known as a double windsor knot and to help us do that is Brett Fahlgren who is the style correspondent for GQ magazine.

BRETT: The first step when tying a windsor, also known as the double windsor is to make sure you have it adjustly properly before you even start.

JENNIFER: So you want to have the mini part up to like the second or third button.

BRETT: Exactly. There's going to be more fabric that goes into the knot. So you want to put it in the front and bring it right up through the loop created by your neck. Just like that.

JENNIFER: Okay. Simple enough.

BRETT: Now the next step is when the knot really starts to take shape. You bring it around the back, around the front, and there you can see it right there.

JENNIFER: This is exciting.

BRETT: And then the last step, there it is, the last step--whenever you feel like you're starting to lose control a little bit, hold on to the narrow part of the tie. The last step is one full motion. I can do it.

JENNIFER: I'm sure you can. I think we're in good hands here.

BRETT: Bring it up through your neck and tuck it back down through the loop created. And again notice how I'm holding onto the back here as I feed it through the knot.

JENNIFER: And like magic we have a double windsor knot.

BRETT: And the key here is as you do it to make adjustments and to make sure this part is going in nice and clean.

JENNIFER: And puff it up and make it look nice and clean.

BRETT: Yeah and nice and bold. And make it have that really nice shape. And then you get it nice and tight. And at this point, hopefully I've done it properly, and you bring it right up to your neck. And then is when you can help me.

JENNIFER: Okay.

BRETT: With the collar.

JENNIFER: I get to fix the collar. Your lovely assistant.

BRETT: And this is a more European looking knot. The Italians, French--a lot of them use the windsor double knot.

JENNIFER: Now what about the collar, would you use that collar?

BRETT: This collar is on a slightly smaller side, but you want to make sure as a rule that your ties and your collars are proportionate. So if you go with a bigger, bolder knot, you want your collar on your dress shirt to be a little bit bigger.

JENNIFER: Now here's a question. Do you--are there specific kinds of ties that go better with the windsor knot, like patterns, besides the larger tie?

BRETT: No not necessarily. It depends on your style. Sometimes silk ties really look sharp when they're in a double windsor, windsor tie. They are no rules specifically with that.

JENNIFER: Okay excellent well there we have it, the double windsor. Thank you so much Brett. I'm Jennifer Morris for howdini and now we all know how to tie a double windsor knot. I'm going to go home and try it on myself.