Revelation
For my first job after college, I had to wear a tie every day. I worked there for 14 months.
I've worn a tie to dozens of Easter Sunday church services, baptisms, weddings, and funerals in my life.
I have been on more job interviews than I care to think about, and have worn a tie to each and every one. You could throw a couple of job fairs in there also.
I can think of two or three formal family portraits I've been in where I had to wear a tie.
I have lived on this planet for 30 years, six months, and some change. I've worn lots of ties. All along, I was under the impression I was tying a half-Windsor knot. I just found out that I'm wrong. I've been using a crooked variation of the four-in-hand knot all along.
I feel embarrassed. Lied to. Mad. My pedestrian fashion awareness is not news, but this is tying a tie. Tying a tie is like a rite of passage, a skill necessary to go from boy to man. And I've been doing it wrong.
Sometimes, I can't believe I'm someone's dad. Thank goodness I haven't had the "how to tie a tie" talk with my boy yet.
Comments
daniel said:
I too had a similar revelation this summer. Whereas I thought I was always tying a full windsor, I was actually tying a half. I have since switched to the full, and am trying to get over the sense of betrayal.
Jonathan said:
How did this come up?
Look on the bright side you get a chance to put an end to the lies.
Btw for those of you who don't know the difference either and are going to look it up –
Half Windsor and Four in hand are helpful(I needed to look)
Jonathan said:
held for approval? My last message got held. Is this a new feature?
I said:
Not exactly a "feature." I got out of the habit of checking the comment spam folder, because my spam comment blocking thing on the OLD version of movable type worked so well. It didn't work initially with the NEW version, so the spam catching thing is on. I found your comments on this post, plus ones from cadiz12 and Syar on previous posts. My bad!
Jonathan said:
Does it only block them if there is html in them? Ie the href? Its strange one posted and the other didn't
Tori :) said:
Well, I made up my own knot for when I had to tie my son's ties and apparently the knot I "made up" was a Four in Hand. Who knew???
Becky said:
Wow. I hope this doesn't mean that "other practices" need to be corrected before any other "major talks" with the boy (wink wink).
No Cool Story said:
I don't speak "boy".
But thanks to Jonathan's helpful links now I know something I never even knew existed, like tie knots with names and tie knot lies.
Silandara said:
I went to private schools and had to wear a tie every day -- and I have no idea what kind of knot I tied. It didn't take long and wasn't complicated, so it was probably that four-in-hand jobby.
I'm sorry you were wrong, Omar. But, the tie was tied, what does it matter what the knot is called?
Jon said:
Thanks for exploding my world today Omar. I'm a "four in hand" knot loser too. I don't even know why they call it that. At no point in time is there four of anything in my hand. Thanks to Jonathan's links, I now also know that the difference between the two is almost indecifignantable. That's a word I just made up specifically to tell the difference between a half Windsor and a four in hand necktie knot. I've got to go change the knots on all of my ties now, so if you'll excuse me...
cadiz12 said:
i've always loved a man in a tie and made my dad teach me how to tie one when i was a teenager because i was convinced that my husband would wear one to work every day and every morning i'd have to wipe my hands on my apron to help him with his tie.
yeah, i watched too many oldschool sitcoms and Bollywood movies when i was a kid. and none of my boyfriends have had to wear a tie to work.
Radioactive Jam said:
The noose of The Man by any other name...
elasticwaistbandlady said:
What are you, some kind of bow-tie snob? Because that would solve all your tie problems right there.
Omar 'Pee Wee' Phillips.....Oooh, I like the sound of that.
Can you send you a candy apple red bow tie as a Christmas present?
I said:
Becky - Not funny.
Jonathan - This came up because a student was dressed up for an interview, and I noticed the amazing symmetry of the knot in his tie (it was a full Windsor).
Silandara - I could go to the grocery store in a 1985 Yugo GV, or I could go in an '08 Infiniti G37. It's all about style. And though I freely admit that I don't really have much style, it's a big deal because I thought I had some. But I don't.
Becky said:
come on, you thought it was a little bit funny.
cadiz12 said:
just to be clear, i always envisioned taking off the apron before leaving to run my own company at the top of some downtown highrise.
Syar said:
There's a whole extra 3 steps difference between the two. And that headless shirt with it's self-tying tie looks WAY more impressive than the four-in-hand. I hope you start tying those 3 extra steps with more fervor than ever before!
P.S Why do I always get caught in the spam folder? Blow to the ego, man.