This is the Balthus knot. I suspect this is the knot worn by Hannibal in the new TV show. The obvious characteristic is it’s magnificent size. It is actually a bit of a trick. I am tying the knot very shallow, or with lots of slack on the little end. Using the wider part of the tie creates a larger knot and that is what I aim to emphasize. The method is successful in making a huge knot, but also requires a vest or jacket to look normal. If you want to tie the Balthus with the intent to wear it normally, you can surely do that, it will just be smaller.
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Knot Dossier
Difficulty: Low
Although it is a lot of moves, it’s really just the same move repeated three times. Because I recommend wearing this with a vest or jacket, the length is usually not important. If you plan on wearing it without a vest, then the difficulty will increase slightly.
Fabric Consumption: Extreme
This knot consumes fabric like a cookie monster consumes cookies. Getting it to be long enough may be tricky. That is why a vest is recommended.
Symmetry: High
This is a symmetrical knot, is looks like a huge Full Windsor.
Venue: Formal, Celebratory
Because this knot almost requires a vest or jacket it probably isn’t best for causal or work. The knot pretty much screams “Look at my awesome necktie” and I am not sure you want that experience at work. But for a wedding or a formal event when a suit and tie are expected, you can’t go wrong with a massive windsor and beautiful tie.
Style: Paisley
Because it looks very much like a Windsor, which can be worn with any style of tie, this too can be worn with any style. However the size of the knot demands attention, once you get that attention you don’t want to disappoint your audience with a solid blue tie, or white dots. That is boring. Bring your best paisley pattern and put it on display!
Tips
- Wear a shirt with a wide-collar shirt.
- Wear with a vest or other layered garment.
- Utilize the large knot to showcase a beautiful tie pattern.
Diagram
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Balthus Knot was invented by a French-Polish painter Balthasar Klossowski in 1930 who named the knot after his own name. He claimed to have created it out of boredom and did not wear it with any regularity.
http://tieatieguide.com/how-to-tie-a-balthus-knot/
A simple double Windsor.
Not a simple double Windsor a simple quadruple Windsor.
I tied this with a Big and Tall tie as an average size guy. The length came out just right for a suit, and the knot is still pretty freakin huge.