How to Tie & Style the Eldredge Tie Knot

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Learn when it's appropriate to wear this fun, complex knot

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: July 9, 2026 Fact Checked

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Tying an Eldredge Knot

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Styling Tips

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When to Wear It

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Removing an Eldredge Knot

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Video

The Eldredge knot is a fancy, four-banded tie knot that will have everyone at the party oohing and ahhing at your sense of style! Thick, multi-layered, and attention-grabbing, this tie knot is one of the most challenging to master. But with enough practice (and this helpful guide), you'll be able to tie it within a couple of minutes and look fly all night. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions on tying an Eldredge tie knot. We'll also share styling tips and |when to wear this knot for the best impact. Let's go!

How do you start an Eldredge tie knot?

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An illustration showing step-by-step instructions for tying an Eldredge knot.

The Eldredge knot is a complex knot with four overlapping bands. Unlike most tie knots, it's tied by manipulating the narrow end instead of the wide end (the blade). It looks best with solid, medium-weight ties. Here are the first steps to get you started on this knot:

Hang the tie around your neck with the narrow end on your left and the wide end on your right.
Cross the narrow end of the necktie over the wide end.
Wrap the narrow end of the necktie behind the wide end.
Wrap the narrow end over the top of the left side of the loop around your neck.
Pull the narrow end down and under the right side of the neck loop.
Cross the narrow end over the wide end once again.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Tie an Eldredge Tie Knot

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Drape the tie around your neck and lay the narrow end on your left side. Raise the sides and back of your collar so you can loop the tie around your neck. Next, lay the narrow end of the tie on the left side of your torso, and the wide end (AKA the blade) on the right side. Lastly, lower the blade to the level where you want it to sit on the front of your shirt when the knot is finished.^{[1]
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- Best necktie: Standard or skinny tie in medium thickness
- Difficulty level: Hard
- Symmetry: None
- When to wear: Weddings, galas, parties, mixers, and casual hangouts^{[2]
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Pass the narrow end of the tie over the blade, from your left side to your right side.^{[3]
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Make a loop by wrapping the narrow end of the necktie behind the blade. This movement will pass the narrow end back over to the left side of your chest.^{[4]
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Now that the narrow end is back on the left side of your chest, lift it and cross it up and over the left side of the loop around your neck.^{[5]
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Cross the narrow end over the knot and stick it under the right side of the loop that circles your neck. Pull it down and through the loop.^{[6]
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Repeat step 2 by pulling the narrow end of the tie across the blade.^{[7]
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Instead of crossing the narrow end over the left side of the loop circling your neck as you did in step 4, tuck it underneath that loop. Then pull it up until it's taut.^{[8]
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Cross the narrow end down over the knot from left to right. Then, tuck the narrow end behind the blade.^{[9]
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Lift the narrow end, cross it back over the blade from left to right, and slip it into the loop. Pull the knot tight.^{[10]
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Lift the narrow end of the tie and pass it underneath the necktie loop on the right side of your collar. Tug the end to pull it through.^{[11]
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Pull what's left of the narrow end of the tie from the right to the left side of the knot. Next, tuck it behind the left collar loop, then pull it down. Leave a little bit of slack to make a loop.^{[12]
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Remember the loop you left at the end of the previous step? Slip the narrow end of the necktie through that loop and pull it tight.^{[13]
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Slip the narrow end of the collar into the loop on the right side of your collar. The tail shouldn't be too long and should be easy to conceal.^{[14]
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Fold the sides and back of your collar down to conceal the tie loop. Next, gently tug the Eldredge knot up or down and adjust it according to your desired look. Then you're finished!^{[15]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Style an Eldredge Tie Knot

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The Eldredge knot requires a lot of tie real estate, so you don't want to skimp out on length here. You do, however, want to hold back on the tie's weight and thickness. Look for a standard medium-weight tie and avoid wide ties that feel heavy and bulky. Skinny ties also look great with this knot!^{[16]
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The complexity of the Eldredge knot is enhanced by solid colors or ties with a small, subtle pattern. Avoid stripes and other large, busy patterns, as these will obscure the knot and make it look chaotic instead of stylish.^{[17]
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The Eldredge knot is quite large, so you'll want to make sure that you're wearing a button-down shirt with a wide spread collar. The spread of the collar refers to the distance between the collar's corners. These should be somewhat far apart to accommodate the many loops of your Eldredge knot.^{[18]
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If you finish the Eldredge knot and notice that the wide end of the tie doesn't extend as far down as you'd like, don a vest. Then tuck the wide end, or the blade, behind the vest to conceal how short it looks.

Section 3 of 4:

When to Wear an Eldredge Tie Knot

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Wear the Eldredge knot to special occasions, parties, and casual hangouts. The Eldredge knot is fun and ostentatious, and therefore a great statement piece for weddings, mixers, and other special or social events. It's also an effective icebreaker for times when you don't know what else to talk about.^{[19]
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- Bonus tip: You might be able to get away with wearing this knot to work, provided your office has a very casual dress code.
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Avoid wearing the Eldredge knot for serious events and formal business settings. Because the Eldredge knot is large and in charge, it will stick out like a sore thumb in serious situations. Opt for a more subdued, classic Windsor knot for everyday workwear, business meetings, funerals, and any other scenario when you want to appear strictly professional.^{[20]
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- Did you know? The Eldredge knot was invented by Jeffrey Eldredge, a systems administrator by day and a drag race participant in his spare time. He landed on the idea for the Eldredge knot when he became bored with the standard four-in-hand knot for everyday office wear.^{[21]
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Section 4 of 4:

How to Remove an Eldredge Knot Tie

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Untuck the narrow end of the tie and gently tug the knot back and forth. First, pop your collar and pull out the narrow end of the tie from where you hid it in the neck loop. Next, grasp the tie knot with your thumb and forefinger and gently tug it back and forth.^{[22]
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- This action will pull the Eldredge knot further down your chest and help loosen it for the next step.
Once your tie knot is loosened, start unraveling the narrow end from the neck loop. Then, gently tug the narrow end back out of every loop in the knot, retracing the steps you used to tie the Eldredge knot, but in reverse.^{[23]
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