What is the current fashion in men's tie knots?

[maltaille]

James Bond thinks anyone who wears a full windsor is a cad, which makes a certain amount of sense when you look at the British upper class.

How formal is the occasion? Is it a business dinner, a wedding, or someone's birthday at a nightclub? What kind of suit are you wearing (you are wearing a suit, right? No suit, no tie. In fact, unless it's a formal occasion like a wedding, or you specifically want to wear a tie for some reason, no double-breasted suit, no tie - single-breasted suits usually look better without. Of course, no tie, no french cuffs).

So, all that said, collar is the most important determinent of the proper knot. Spread collar means full windsor. Always remember to put a dent just below the knot. Straight collar means the four-in-hand or half-windsor. Most other collars mean four-in-hand. You can find instructions online for tying any of them.

Cad or no, I'd prefer full windsor for a formal occasion, for which I'd choose a double-breasted suit and a spread collar. For all else I'd choose single-breasted/no tie, but if you absolutely have to wear one at a non-formal occasion, go single-breasted, straight collar, four-in-hand, no french cuffs.

Don't think you're out of the woods yet though - colour and pattern are important too. The suit, shirt, and tie must coordinate, though they don't have to match at all. I much prefer the colour of the suit and tie to be close - usually both dark, though I prefer a dark tie with a light grey suit anyway, so perhaps I'm biased here - with the shirt contrasting. Forget making the shirt and tie the same colour - not even Robert de Niro can make this look good, and you'll just look like you're trying too hard. If you have a dark coloured tie with a dark suit and a white or light-coloured shirt, it's fine to make the tie's pattern stand out. Otherwise, subtle is good. This doesn't mean weak, it just means not garish.

The tie material is important too - a tie that isn't pure silk often won't hold a full windsor properly, and it will end up looking silly. You'd never wear a tie that wasn't pure silk though, would you?

All imho, of course. There are no hard rules, any play can work in the right situation, with the right people.