Who's been knotty & nice?

It is the time of year where men usually get spiffed up and attend Christmas functions and seek spousal assistance in picking out a shirt and tie. Some fellows also need help in tying the tie.

Don't blame them. Men's fashions are tricky. To wear certain ties one needs to match them to a particular collar: a collar with a wide spread would not suit those wearing small tie knots.

Men with moderate to thin necks should wear wide collars with

• Windsor knots
• half-Windsor knots 

Men with large to wide necks should use medium spaced collars with

• Four-in-Hand knot
• Small Knot (aka Oriental)
• Prince Albert knot (aka Double)

Any colour on the tie can match any colour in your suit or sports coat or shirt.

James Bond thought that the Windsor knot was the mark of a cad.

For fun, over the years James Bond wore different ties. See if you can tell the types of knots worn by the following Bond actors (photos from The Suits of James Bond):

• Sean Connery 
• Roger Moore
• Pierce Brosnan
• Daniel Craig

It's pretty tough, isn't it?

Of course, Bond occasionally wore a bow tie:

There's even an encyclopedia of tie knots by physicist Thomas Fink, a man with eclectic interests.

Here's how to tie the common ones

• tieknot.com or 
• youtube 

With the right tie and right knot, can we all look like Agent 007, at least at Christmas? And should we be knotty or nice? <8-)