How to Tie a Necktie Like Donna Tartt

Unless you’re a radio-less cave dweller in the bowels of Appalachia, you’ve probably heard of Donna Tartt. Since she debuted her 1992 cult classic The Secret History at the age of 28, she’s been likened to Charles Dickens for her prose and J.D. Salinger for her enigmatic personality. Her third book, The Goldfinch, became an instant sensation this year and secured the Mississippi-born author the Pulitzer Prize.

Along with her critical acclaim, Tartt has received nods for her personal style from the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. “Even now I feel a real funniness about women’s costume,” she told The Telegraph. “To really put on high heels and a frilly dress, do you know what I’m saying? It seems kind of…comical.”

Instead, the gamine nymph (she’s barely five feet tall) with porcelain skin and a Louise Brooks bob is most often dressed in sharp black suits, crisp white button-downs and a pair of menswear-inspired brogues. To top it off, she typically dons a tie. But not just any tie. She has a penchant for ascots and day cravats. Here, at a book signing in London, the author sports a double four-in-hand, otherwise known as the Neapolitan knot, which was popularized by Italian business tycoon and Fiat bigwig Gianni Agnelli in the 60s. For a step-by-step on how to tie a necktie just like Tartt, we turned to our friends at GQ. 

Want more? To purchase ties in the style of the prolific author, we’ve gathered up a handful that will do the trick. The rest is up to you.