Bob Schwartz

Tag: ties

Five Ways to Wear a Tie This Holiday Season

I am not an expert on clothing styles, though it interests me—mostly as a spectator. My personal style has long been…well, I’ll leave it to others to describe it. I’d say it is in the middle, not too conservative, not too edgy.

I do know a lot about ties, choosing them and tying them. My father passed this love of ties to me. He took me tie shopping with him, which is how I learned what to look for. As far as tying, I can make all of the major knots, including bow ties (yes, I own some, and yes, there was a period when I kind of wore a few, unironically).

This style article in the Wall Street Journal today made me smile, and laugh a little.

There are two ways of looking at the suggested tie styles below. One is to see it as a creative and personal approach to wearing an admittedly boring piece of cloth around your neck. The other is to see it as an absurd attempt to create a weird style option where none is needed. You be the judge.

If you’ve ever tried to tie a tie, on yourself or someone else, and failed, a few of these knots look exactly like what you’d get. Except planned. But as I said, I’m no style expert.


Style Guide: Five Ways to Wear a Tie This Holiday Season
The knot of this Saint Laurent tie can be just as much an accessory as the item itself

Leveling up your holiday outfit can be as simple as tying your tie a different way. A good old-fashioned Windsor knot won’t ever be a bad choice, but there are so many more creative options to test out.

Wall Street Journal
Dec. 2, 2025

1. The Trinity Knot.
2. The Eldredge Knot.
3. The Van Wijk Knot.
4. The Scale Knot.
5. The Butterfly Knot.

Trump’s Ties: The Tragic Comic Idiosyncrasies of Dictators

“The general contemporary rule of thumb is that your tie should fall right at the top of your belt buckle, regardless of tie length, style of the tie, or how tall you are.”

Sometimes, as the Freudian cliche goes, a cigar is just a cigar. And a tie is just a tie.

In the case of Trump’s ludicrously long ties, which point at his crotch, it’s obvious something else is going on.

Dictators are often known for their idiosyncrasies. Sometimes there is a psychological basis. Sometimes it is a signature, part of a brand. Sometimes it is just a personal preference. Fidel Castro, for example, was associated with his cigar, which he obviously liked, which is Cuba’s best-known product, and which, well, is more than a cigar.

Trump is the first president to regularly refer to the size of his “hands”, his “button”, and once in a while, almost directly, his “penis”. The only evidence we have so far about this is from Stormy Daniels, who has only said that Trump is “average.” God willing, that is the only detail we ever have to deal with. But absent evidence, we only have Trump’s word for it. We all know what that’s worth. So most people don’t believe him. Or his ties.