 How do you tie an ascot? What are some ways you can wear an ascot? Should you wear an ascot? Why would you wear an ascot? These are all great questions about an accessory that is often overlooked. Personally, I happen to be a big fan of the ascot, though unfortunately it has a little bit of a reputation as being elitist, a little stuffy. I think the first image that comes to people's minds when they think about an ascot is Thurston Hall III from Gilligan's Island, the millionaire. Of course, the millionaire wears an ascot, but that's really a caricature of the person who we think would wear an ascot. Originally though, and somewhat ironically, since we tend to think of ascots nowadays as being very, very dressy, an ascot actually was meant to be a less formal alternative to a necktie. So you have more or less a nice smart casual look put together that you might want to add a little more polish without the formality of a necktie, and an ascot is a great way to do that. Ascot's were definitely more popular back in the day, like in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. People like Fred Astaire and Kerry Grant wore them. I always love seeing pictures of these guys wearing ascots because they're usually in some sort of more casual outfit, like I said. But the addition of the ascot really just takes that simple casual look up a few notches and gives it a hint of elegance that it wouldn't necessarily otherwise have. Ascot's definitely more popular years and years and years ago, but there's no reason why we still can't wear them today. So in this video, I'm going to do a few things. I'm going to show you how to tie an ascot. Actually, I'm going to show you three different ways to tie an ascot. I'll talk about the pros and cons and benefits of each way of tying it. We'll go over a few dos and don'ts, and then I'm going to put together a few looks to show you how to wear an ascot and some different ways you can style it in a more contemporary way without looking like you're putting on a costume. So let's jump right in now and go over the three different ways to tie an ascot. The first way I'm going to show you here is called the traditional knot. It's the traditional way that an ascot is tied. We're going to start by having one side of the ascot being three to five inches longer than the other side. Then we're going to take the longer end and cross it over the shorter end, making it pretty tight and close to your neck. Then we're going to bring that longer end underneath and around and then up and over. Then you can adjust the width and stick it inside of your shirt. This is a great way to tie an ascot. It makes a fairly stable knot, meaning that it's going to hold pretty decently and keep your ascot in place and that it's less likely to loosen up and fall down throughout the day. Next up, we have the single knot, which is the easiest way to tie an ascot. We're going to start with both ends being equal in length. Then we're going to cross one end over and bring it up and through. Adjust the width and then tuck it into your shirt. Although this is definitely the easiest way to tie an ascot, I don't recommend tying it this way. First of all, it's not a very tight knot, so it will come undone really easily and it won't stay where you want it to throughout the day. Second, because it is just a single knot, it has a very flat appearance. One of the things that can be most attractive about wearing an ascot is when it has a little bit of puff and lift to it as it peeks out from underneath your shirt. You're not going to get that here even if you do kind of fluff it up a little bit because it's a loose knot. It's not going to hold its shape, so easy to tie but not recommended. The third way I'm going to show you how to tie an ascot is called the foreign hand. It's the same foreign hand knot that you'd used to tie a tie. We're going to start with one end again, three to five inches longer. Cross the longer end over, then bring it behind, around, and up. Now, just like you're tying a tie, you're going to bring that end through the knot and then tighten it up a little bit. Now you can adjust the knot to as tight as you want it around your neck. And now you can see that the front end is much shorter than the other end. You know, if you're tying a tie, this is not what you want but this is exactly what we want for tying an ascot. So what you're going to do is to take the longer end and bring it up and over, adjust the width to how you want it, and then tuck it into your shirt. This is my preferred way to tie an ascot because it has a couple really, really great advantages. First, because it is exactly like a standard foreign hand tie knot, you can adjust it to wherever you want on your neck and it's going to stay there because it's extremely stable. Second, because you have the larger knot underneath, when you bring the wider end up and over, it's going to have a lot more volume as a result, which is something that in terms of wearing an ascot is desirable and more attractive. Now let's talk about some dos and don'ts of wearing an ascot. We're going to start with buttoning your shirt, specifically how many buttons should you button or unbutton. So when you're wearing an ascot, you should always have that top button unbuttoned. If you button the top button, it kind of defeats the purpose because you're completely covering up and hiding the ascot. You can have either just the top button unbuttoned. This to me is a more dressy approach. I think it looks really sharp this way. Or if you want to show a little bit more of the ascot and maybe have it feel just slightly more relaxed, you can go ahead and unbutton that second button as well. Neither of these ways is more correct than the other. It just kind of comes down to personal preference and the look that you're going for. However, do not unbutton more than two buttons. It just looks sloppy and doesn't look right. Now where should you position the ascot on your neck? You actually have two choices here. You can go completely underneath the collar so you don't see any of the ascot around your neck. Or you can wear it a little bit higher so you can see the ascot peeking out a little bit all the way around the collar. Again, no right or wrong here. Completely comes down to personal preference. When you're thinking about wearing an ascot, in terms of styling, you should think about it exactly the same way that you would a necktie or a pocket square. In other words, the ascot you choose should complement the rest of your outfit. It should be that element that pulls everything together and makes the entire outfit super cohesive. To illustrate that and to give you some ideas on how to wear an ascot, I've put together five different outfits. Let's take a look. First up here is just something very simple, very classic. Fans of the channel will recall seeing basically the same exact look in last week's business casual outfit video. You can check that out if you haven't seen it yet with the link right up there. I did say that I wear this basic look a lot and I wasn't kidding. The difference here, of course, is the ascot, which takes it from a simple business casual outfit into something more elevated. Speaking of the ascot, this is a classic navy polka dot silk ascot from Bud Shirtmakers in London. Super easy to style. Remember, the ascot should pull the entire outfit together and you can see that it's bringing in the blues from the window pane of the jacket, which is by Reese. And that it really provides a much needed balance to the navy trousers, which are by Pini Parma. Few more details to mention here. Pocket Square by Michael Andrews, adding in a little bit of contrast. Watch, the Cartier Tank American. And then Anchored by my favorite Johnston and Murphy tassel loafers. Here we have, again, another example of the ascot's ability to add a touch of elegance to a very classic look. Take the ascot away and you've got a great business casual or sharp casual outfit. But you know, if you're feeling like you want to elevate it slightly, give it a little bit more of a sophisticated feel, but you don't want to go with the tie. An ascot is a great substitute. Don't get me wrong, this would look great with a navy grenadine tie, but a tie is almost sort of predictable in a way. An ascot, on the other hand, completely unexpected and maybe even a bit more stylish. This look is classic, but also a little sporty. We have the brown Glen plaid jacket, paired with the denim shirt, both from the HSS Michael Andrews collection. And then simple pair of navy trousers by Pini Parma. Accessories, ascot is by Brooks Brothers. HSS Michael Andrews pocket square. On my wrist, the super classy JLC Reverso. And then finished off with the Johnston and Murphy tassel loafers. Third look here is, again, super classic. More on the preppy end of the spectrum and definitely the dressiest look of the five I'm showing you. This look is built on a simple foundation, which could definitely be referred to as something of a menswear uniform. We have a navy jacket, it is double-breasted, so therefore more formal. It's by Ring Jacket, paired with some taupe flannel trousers by Pini Parma and a simple white poplin shirt from the HSS Michael Andrews collection. Now, because of the simplicity of the foundation of this outfit, I went with an ascot that has a much more interesting paisley pattern, doing what it should, drawing your eye upward and framing my face. The color of this ascot, red, I chose specifically to highlight and compliment the more preppy overall feel of this look. On the wrist, another classic, my Rolex Datejust. Pocket square is by Michael Andrews. And my shoes, another nod to preppy style, are some GH Bass Quilty Loafers. For this look, I decided to take the idea of the menswear uniform and give it a little bit more of a sartorially casual feel and flair. Let's talk about those more casual elements. First and foremost, the denim shirt from the HSS Michael Andrews collection. Always a great way to give an otherwise dressier look a more casual feel. Jacket, same jacket as the previous outfits by Ring Jacket, navy double-breasted, except instead of wearing it buttoned up, I've chosen to wear it unbuttoned. Again, a great way to give a garment that's usually seen as on the formal side of things, a more casual feel and kind of tossed off nonchalance. Shoes also contributing to the more casual vibe here are wingtips, they're the McAllisters by Alan Edmonds. And then we have the ascot by Brooks Brothers. Great kind of understated paisley pattern with blues and browns and just these little hints of brighter colors. Instead of calling attention to itself, it more sort of anchors the whole look and again, complements everything and pulls it all together. Two more details that contribute to the cohesiveness. Pocket Square by Michael Andrews. And then my watch, which is the Vacheron Constantin Traditionel. Finally, something a little different as we are pairing the ascot with a sweater here as opposed to the more standard button-up shirt. Can you do this? Of course you can. And for me, it's kind of like an improvised turtleneck. And it's a great way, an interesting way, a very unexpected way to wear an ascot. In some ways, I think if there is a concern that an ascot looks too stuffy, that pairing it with a crew neck sweater instead of a button-up shirt completely gets rid of that whole image that we have in our minds. This is a great styling option for colder months, obviously, the ascot giving your neck a little more protection. This particular ascot is actually vintage. It's by Burberry. And then the rest of the outfit. We have the Glen plaid jacket, which is from the HSS Michael Andrews collection. Same goes for the pants. The sweater, which has gotten tons of love on Instagram and here on the channel is by Black Brown 1826. You can get it at Lord and Taylor. And you can see that I've tucked it into the trousers. Favorite look of mine this winter. Other details. Hat is by Gorin Brothers. Glasses are by Cubits. Watch, once again, the Vacheron Constantin Traditionale. And then doing some wingtip dress boots here in a great chocolate color. These are the Dalton by Alan Edmonds. Big video here and I hope it answered all your questions on how to tie an ascot and how to wear an ascot. But if you still do have questions, leave those down below in the comments. I try to get back to every comment that you guys leave. Outfits, which did you like, which didn't you like? You can also let me know that in the comments. Thumbs up if you learned something from this video. Don't forget to subscribe and hit that bell so you are the first to know when we publish new videos. That's all for now. Until next time, thanks for watching everyone and stay tailored.