Tie Knot for the Wizard From "Wicked"

When I saw pictures of the Wizard's outfit from the movie "Wicked," I knew I had to have it. So many watch chains! Anyhoo, my research lead me to pictures of the actual costume. This revealed something interesting. Now, I'm not talking about the bib with the eyeball stick pin; I'm talking about the cloth that goes around his neck. In the second picture, you can see that the fabric is knotted horizontally instead of vertically, like a usual tie or ascot. No matter how hard I searched, I could not find a horizontal neckwear knot. Therefore, I had to figure it out for myself. Herein I document how to tie this knot. I do NOT include any instructions on making the ascot itself. I have some material on order and will create a pattern instruction after that arrives. In the meantime, here is how I made this knot.

You will need an ascot of some sort to practice with. I got the one in the pictures from Historical Emporium for $24 plus shipping. You can practice the knot (without the pleat) using a regular necktie from the thrift store (I miss ARC in Colorado) if that is more to your spending desire.

You will need one side very short and one side very long. The long side will eventually go around your neck. The short end is going to get tucked under your waistcoat shoulder. If I think about it when tying, I'll try to get a measurement for how long the short end should be.

Pleat the short end.

Put a bend in the pleated short end. For support, the bend should include the pleats. The tail should be on the top of the bend, while the long part of the should be on the bottom of the bend.

Wrap the long end around your neck.

Reaching through the bend you created in in step 3, grab the long end. Pull it through the bend.

Take the long end up in front of the top of the bend. Tuck the long end behind all of the layers of tie fabric; it should be touching your shirt. Pull the long end all the way through so it is wrapped around the pleated top of the bend.

Push the long end through the bed so that it wraps around the bottom of the bend. Reach behind to grab the fabric, and pull the entire long end through.

Tighten the knot, and adjust the ends. You may need to play with the pleats to keep them folded as you tuck the end under your waistcoat.

And there you have it. The knot worn by the Wizard in "Wicked." I will be the first to state that it is not yet exact. The ascot I am using to perfect the knot is too thick and too long to replicate this Wizard's tie perfectly. It is, however, a start. My tie fabric has arrived, so I will be doing more testing and practice. That will be posted as an update step in this Instructables. Now, don't show up at conventions wearing the same outfit!