3 Ways To Tie Your Tie

The image of a sitcom man immediately loosening his necktie upon the end of the workday is a ubiquitous dramatic device. He’s done for the day and worked hard, and now it’s time to relax... or to get busy in a different way. Neckties for women are decidedly less of an iconic symbol of hard work, but still very intertwined with professional dress code. I think it’s time to reclaim the necktie as a general tool of style and stop treating it with career and masculinity-obsessed reverence.

I was lucky enough to have a plethora of vintage women’s ties given to me by my grandmother, and it’s been so fun learning how to wear each type while jazzing up my outfits to amazing heights. Today I’m going to show you three ways to tie a necktie that you can not only apply to any piece of string or scarf that your heart desires, but use to make your look inimitable. Vintage ties and scarves of any shape, size, and color (and there are many options) are one of the cheapest accessories you can buy online or at thrift stores. Most are under three dollars and even big designer name scarves are usually under 20!

You can recreate these looks for yourself with a skinny tie, wide tie, scarf, or even a piece of ribbon or two bandannas tied together. Notice how it remixes a simple chambray three ways, making the look more unique and giving you more options for wearing the same article of clothing over and over. Paired with any button down in your collection, you'll feel like your wardrobe has instantly doubled.

1. Basic Single Knot

This technique is one part school uniform, one part Suffragette, and one part chic as hell. By rocking a baroque skinny with a faux chain design, you take that basic denim and make it look like a Man Repeller//Penny Lovell masterpiece of nuanced accent. Tie this look by making a simple four-in-hand knot. It's adjustable, so pair it with as many buttons fastened as you feel comfortable with and arrange the tie accordingly.

2. Single Loop Look

Wear this when you don’t want to go full bowtie but want the colorful ‘70s pop for Gidget vibes well after office hours. Simply tie as if you were tying your shoelaces, but leave one end longer to make the half bow. This is casual but also "styled" — a 30 second way to make an outfit on super fleek.

3. Loose Bow Look

My favorite item in the collection from my grandma is this silk apricot striped tie. It goes so well with every color of shirt and adds an ‘80s secretary feel to any outfit. My favorite way to wear this is in a loose bow with a sweater on top. It’s stylish without being loud, and makes winter layering much less sad. Similar ties sell for a dollar at my local Salvation Army, so get to digging to get the look!

You can pull this off with or without neck jewelry, but I find that piling it on to your heart's content is absolutely best. You’ll often find me rocking a droopy bowtie on top of my many necklaces, being as anti-Chanel as humanly possible. With cheap thrift thrills like neckties, the sky's the limit!

Photos: Maria Penaloza