Whether you’re a city slicker or a hot-desking digital nomad, it’s unlikely, even in this relatively informal day and age, that you’re going to get through your adult life without wearing a necktie at some point. Why fight it? Men have been wearing such appurtenances around their necks since the 17th century, when King Louis XIII of France first spotted the look on visiting Croatian soldiers, stole it and decreed it fashionable. (This, by the way, is where the word “cravat” comes from, see below. The king’s other sartorial innovation, giant powdered wigs, has not endured in quite the same way.)

Today, the necktie might not seem to serve much practical purpose beyond covering the buttons of your shirt, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a source of fun as well as formality. A well-chosen tie, fastened with the right type of knot for the mood, shirt and occasion, can be a wonderful way of adding personality to a tailored outfit. To ensure you have all the necessary tools to make this happen, we thought it high time we gathered together all the appropriate knowledge in one place. Scroll down for our tips on how to tie a tie, which knots to choose and video guides on how to perfect your four-in-hand, half Windsor, Windsor and bow tie knots. As an added extra, we’ve even thrown in some tips on achieving the perfect tie dimple.

In this guide, we are focusing on knots for a standard necktie. Should that prove a little too mundane for you, there are, of course, other options.

This is, technically, a catch-all term for any type of necktie, derived from an archaic French spelling of “Croat”. All ties are cravats, but generally when people say “cravat” they’re referring to a silk neckerchief fastened round the neck with a rudimentary knot and tucked into the open collar of your shirt. Or, confusingly, an Ascot tie.

This is a type of cravat with wide, pointed ends and a thin neckband. The main way that you can spot an Ascot is that it it is worn over the collar (typically, the end is tucked into a waistcoat or morning jacket). It is considered less formal than the type of cravat described above, but it is only really worn as part of morning dress at a wedding. Both Ascots and other types of cravat have their fans, but can seem rather affected if worn on a day-to-day basis.

The anecdotal history of this tie – a metal-tipped string fastened by a sliding brooch or clasp – is that it originated in Arizona in the 1940s. Since 1971, it has been the official neckwear of that state and is associated with the style of the American southwest. For those of us in other parts of the world, it has been fashionable now and again – SAINT LAURENT, for example, is one of many brands to have pushed westernwear, including bolo ties, in recent seasons – but it’s probably not one for the everyday office wardrobe.

The necktie as we know it today emerged in the early 20th century, as men’s fashion became increasingly casual and comfort oriented. It is defined by its relatively long length, which allows for the tying of many kinds of knot, and outwardly tapering shape (ie, it is widest at the bottom of one end). The two main types we recommend at MR PORTER are woven and knitted ties. The former are stiffer, shinier and more formal, while the latter have an art-teachery charm that feels more contemporary. Unless you are a decided eccentric, this is the tie you will be wearing most of the time and is what we will focus on below.

The most important thing you can do before you start tying your tie is figure out which knot is going to make the most of it. There are many, many tie knots out there. Some of them, such as the Nicky knot, the Kelvin knot and the Pratt knot, have particularly fun names, but to keep things simple, we would suggest sticking to the classics: the four-in-hand, the half Windsor and the full Windsor. There is only one way to do a bow tie, of course, and it takes some practice. To become proficient in all the above knots, scroll down and watch our carefully tested videos.

This one is straightforward, but shouldn’t be overlooked. If you have a long tie, chances are it will look better with a more complex knot such as the half Windsor or Windsor. If it’s on the shorter side, you might need to go for a four-in-hand.

The width of a tie fluctuates wildly with trends. For example, during Mr Hedi Slimane’s heyday at Dior Homme, ties were far more likely to be pencil-thin. In the 1970s, they were roughly the size of a wild salmon. These days, we have many options. The trick is to figure out which is which. Generally speaking, we would say that a tie with a width of 7cm and above is a wide tie, and a tie that is less than 7cm wide is a slim tie. The wider the tie, the bigger the knot you will need to balance it. Most slim ties look best with a four-in-hand or half Windsor.

In the distant past, the function of the tie was to hold a shirt collar together. Now, we have buttons, but it’s still important to match your knot to your collar. The rules here are exactly what you might expect. Cutaway and spread-collar shirts will look better with bigger, wider knots, whereas button-down collars should be worn with a four-in-hand.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing the right tie knot for the right occasion, but the more complex the knot, the more formal it will seem. A full Windsor knot is likely to be a bit over the top for most occasions other than weddings or very fancy parties and even then you may decide that a half Windsor looks less ostentatious. The four-in-hand is a great knot for the office and other everyday scenarios, but might come across as a bit scruffy if you are lucky enough to be a best man or have convinced someone to marry you.

This is the knot that most men will already know. It is the simplest and smallest and, if you went to a school that required uniform, probably the kind you wore during those golden days of your youth.

When to wear it:  Day to day in the office, or for smart-casual situations.

Best for:  Button-down shirts or those with narrow, pointed collars with a small spread.

A half Windsor tie knot is similar to the four-in-hand, but with an extra step where you wrap the wide end of the tie behind and in front of the knot, resulting in a final knot this is both wider and longer.

When to wear it:  For smart-casual and formal situations, depending on the size and shape of your shirt collar.

Best for:  Large, pointed shirt collars with a small or medium spread.

We find this classic knot to be a little on the chunky side these days. It is very much like the half Windsor, except the wrapping behind and across happens twice before the knot is complete. You will need a long, wide tie for this, otherwise you’re going to run out of fabric and have the thing end up halfway down your chest. Deploy with caution. The only excuse for going for this one is a very formal occasion and a very wide collar.

When to wear it:  If you’re getting married or knighted.

Best for:  Spread and cutaway-collar shirts. Do not attempt it with anything smaller. It will look preposterous.

You can skip this particular tutorial if you want. You can now get excellent pre-tied bow ties from many of the world’s finest brands, so if you’re not fussed about doing it properly, there is no need to know how. However, we are aware that many of MR PORTER’s readers do like to do things properly, so we would recommend you learn this knot. It is not incredibly difficult, but it does take a lot of practice to get a bow tie right. That is, tightly knotted, but pleasingly droopy.

When to wear it:  At black-tie events. There was a bit of a trend in the mid-2000s for people wearing jazzy bow ties with tweed jackets and suchlike in their day-to-day lives, and that is absolutely fine by us, but it did beg the question: why?

Best for:  A wing-collared shirt, but it will also work with a point-collar shirt if you want to look a little less like Mr Ludwig Van Beethoven.

This is a bonus skill. It is, of course, perfectly fine to wear a tie without a dimple, but, because a dimple is the result of decisive tie-tying, there is always something impressive about the presence of one. Again, it takes some practice and is an imprecise art, but the tips in the video above should help you on the way.