17 replies to this topic

[Will4u]

Hi All!
I am a big 007-fan.
On Mar 30, I have to go for a grand dinner party with many delegates (it is going to prove a Big Day for me), I think to have myself a decent attire matching with that of James Bond. And, I just thought of getting a three piece suit and a dark maroon tie. But never had tied a neck-tie in my life. Thanks to Google that helped me to get a website that taught me to wear a bow tie.
I learned the following tie-knots out of the 15 different tie-knots that this site teaches:
Windsor Knot
Half-Windsor
Four-in-Hand Knot
Pratt Knot
Hanover Knot
Bow Tie



My dilemma is what tie-knot best suits the Bond attire?

[Jim]

Hi All!
I am a big 007-fan.
On Mar 30, I have to go for a grand dinner party with many delegates (it is going to prove a Big Day for me), I think to have myself a decent attire matching with that of James Bond. And, I just thought of getting a three piece suit and a dark maroon tie. But never had tied a neck-tie in my life. Thanks to Google that helped me to get a website that taught me to wear a bow tie.
I learned the following tie-knots out of the 15 different tie-knots that this site teaches:
Windsor Knot
Half-Windsor
Four-in-Hand Knot
Pratt Knot
Hanover Knot
Bow Tie



My dilemma is what tie-knot best suits the Bond attire?

I seem to remember that in From Russia with Love, the book anyway, Grant's wearing of a Windsor Knot does not impress Bond; albeit he is masquerading as Nash, Bond's reaction to the tie is the important thing.

Four-in-hand probably most suitable.

Never wear a bow tie of any other colour than black or, if with tails, white.

[sharpshooter]

I despise that style of tie, the red one just above here. It looks sloppy.

[MkB]

I'd say: a knot just untied by a gorgeous woman would suit him best

[doublenoughtspy]

I don't think Bond would be caught dead in a wing collar.



Jim - am I alone in my disdain for that type? I've never seen anyone in the royal family for instance, use the wing collar. Not that I choose my wardrobe based on them...

[Jim]

I don't think Bond would be caught dead in a wing collar.



Jim - am I alone in my disdain for that type? I've never seen anyone in the royal family for instance, use the wing collar. Not that I choose my wardrobe based on them...

Although I appreciate that my little CBn profile pic has a wing collar, I agree with you and consider them appropriate only for waiting staff and male strippers.

Draw your own conclusions upon why my picture has one.

From memory, Bond was drawn in one in Serpent's Tooth and it looked damned awful.

[Trident]

What kind of tie-knot?

'Bond mistrusted anyone who tied his tie with a Windsor knot. It showed too much vanity.'

From Russia With Love, chapter 25, page 214

So it looks as if no Windsor knot (and for the same reason, no Half-Windsor) seems appropriate for a Bond outfit. My bet would be Four-In-Hand. It's simple, no-nonsense, neither too casual nor too flashy. Just the thing Bond would seem to be in favour of. Stick with that one.

[plankattack]

Silk-knit ties, in black or blue, with a four-in-hand knot. I could have sworn that Benson's Bedside companion talks about it, referencing the novels from which he draws his conclusion. Early Connery films, and Dalton in TLD both stuck with these options - the latter not completely, but I thought it was a nice touch when he wore them at both the safe house and when seeing Q.

[Double-0-7]

I wear a tie to work every day, and I am a four-in-hand man. It is pretty straightforward, and gives a nice looking knot.

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Four-in-hand, most definitely.

Although I think it does depend on your body type and what sort of shirt you're wearing. Could be wrong on that one, though.

[mccartney007]

I don't think Bond would be caught dead in a wing collar.



Jim - am I alone in my disdain for that type? I've never seen anyone in the royal family for instance, use the wing collar. Not that I choose my wardrobe based on them...

I cringe everytime I see a wing collar. When I was 13 and working in a restaurant I went out and bought my own shirt so that I didn't have to wear the wing collar shirt they provided.

[Professor Dent]

The Windsor was the first knot I learned how to tie. While nostalgic to me because of this personal fact, I never use it anymore. The four-in-hand is my personal favorite. Simple, yet versatile.

[Arbogast777]

See I'm going to have to vote for the one I use, the Half-Windsor. I like it because it symmetric, whereas the four-in-hand is asymmetric. I think that gives it a cleaner look. (although keep in mind the knot used would depend on the collar, so another good discussion could be about the type of collar Bond would use).

I think it's funny about Fleming's comments regarding the Windsor knot, as it appears to be the knot Bond used in "Casino Royale" (especially in the last shot).

[darkpath]

See I'm going to have to vote for the one I use, the Half-Windsor. I like it because it symmetric, whereas the four-in-hand is asymmetric. I think that gives it a cleaner look. (although keep in mind the knot used would depend on the collar, so another good discussion could be about the type of collar Bond would use).

I think it's funny about Fleming's comments regarding the Windsor knot, as it appears to be the knot Bond used in "Casino Royale" (especially in the last shot).

I also have to agree with the Half-Windsor. It lacks the gargantuan size and pretentiousness of the Windsor; but it's a neater, more professional look than the Four-in-Hand knot, with a uniform triangular shape that the Four-in-Hand doesn't achieve, in my experience.

[Judo chop]

Glad to see some love for the Half-Windsor coming about in here. It

[00Twelve]

I echo your thoughts re: Four in hand. I think it's reasonably good-looking only if the tie is a pretty thick one, as the knot doesn't look so tiny and crooked. I have a fair amount of ties with low-to-medium thickness, so I usually use a full- or half-windsor. I have maybe one or two ties, tops, that looks even half-way decent with a four-in-hand.

If I'm seeing my tie knots correctly, I think the best use of the half-windsor I've seen in Bond is in Brosnan's suits. Say what we will about his Bond, but the fellow could wear a suit and wear it really well (best examples: GE MI6 scenes, meeting Elektra in TWINE, and leaving Hong Kong in DAD...IMO).

[urhash]

All of Brosnan's tie knots to me look like a four-in-hand.

[urhash]

I should add I've seen an interview with Connery on BBC (which was posted on youtube, now pulled) where Connery says he used a Windsor knot for his ties as Bond. Seems strange given what was written in the novels. It was in a passing description of the style of the early films, in which he talked about the Turnbull & Asser shirts, the shoes from Lobbs, etc.