Tie a Pratt or Shelby Necktie

By Rain Blanken, About.com Guide

The Pratt knot is as easy as the four-in-hand, but produces a symmetrical knot. This ‘inside-out’ knot uses less tie length, so it is perfect for shorter ties, or a man with a long torso. I like to use this knot to tie short, skinny scarves made of a lightweight material. When you are done, the seam of the tie should be visible at your neck.

1. Hang the tie around your neck, inside-out. The wide end of the tie should be on your left side, the narrow end at your right. Extend the wide end about 10 inches below the narrow end.
2. Cross the wide end under the narrow end.
3. Wrap the wide end behind the narrow end.
4. Pull the wide end up to flop around in your face.
5. Tuck the wide end back down, through the loop at your neck. The wide end should be pointing down again, you’ve just wrapped it around the narrow end.
6. Cross the wide end to the left, over the narrow end. We are making a ‘bridge’ that the tie will pass under in a minute.
7. Put the wide end back up through the neck loop on the left.
8. Bend the wide end down and tuck it through the ‘bridge’ that we made before.
9. Pull the tie taut by sliding the knot. Before you draw the knot up, pinch the top of the wide end to create a dimple on the front of the tie.

The Pratt knot is named after its inventor, Jerry Pratt, an employee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Jerry wore his tie in this style for about twenty years before TV personality Don Shelby adopted the style and made it famous. This is why this knot is sometimes also known as the Shelby or Shell knot.

Examples of the Pratt knot:

• Ellen Degeneres
• Ben Stiller
• Joel McHale
• Justin Timberlake
• Nathan Fillion

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• How to Tie the Pratt or Shelby
• Ben Stiller
• Ellen Degeneres
• Joel McHale
• Justin Timberlake
• Nathan Fillion

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