Fashion: A long war, a fearless regiment of Croatian mercenaries and a boy king; The true story behind the Neck tie

The neck tie is a piece of clothing/ fabric worn majorly by men all around the world, Have you wondered how the neck tie came to be? It may interest you to know that the trend of putting on neck ties dates as far back as the 16^th century.  You would agree with me that this piece of fabric around the neck doesn’t keep you any warm neither does it add any comfort, but a lot of people love the neck tie myself included, so how did the necktie come about?  My curiosities lead me to discover the amazing story behind the neck tie.

A 30 year war in France saw a fearless and ruthless group from Croatia highly regarded as the very best soldiers pay visit to Paris. In 1660 in celebration of its victory over the Ottoman Empire

King Louis XIV invited his hired Croatian mercenaries to Paris, this crack regiment from the Croatian military turned out in Paris in an impressive piece of cloth around their neck as part of their uniform. They wore brightly colored handkerchief of silk around their necks (see picture above).

However this left an effect on the boy King, who was impressed by this piece of clothing on the necks of the soldiers presented to him as ‘glorious heroes’ of the war. These neck cloths struck the kings fancy, and he soon made them an ‘insignia’ of royalty as he created a regiment of Royal Cravattes. He also made these ties a mandatory wear for royal gatherings. To honor the Croatian soldiers he gave this clothing piece the name “La Cravate” derived from the à la croate meaning in the style of the Croats. The word "cravat" is the name for necktie in French to this day.

 

The boy-king Louis XIV began wearing a lace cravat about 1646, at seven, and set the fashion for French nobility. However this new clothing accessory started a fashion craze in Europe; with both men and women wearing pieces of fabric around their necks. From its introduction by the French king, men wore lace cravats that took a large amount of time and effort to arrange, tied in place by cravat strings, arranged neatly and tied in a bow. The immense skill required to tie the cravat in certain styles, quickly became a mark of a man's elegance and wealth.

Another kind of neck-wear, called "stocks" made its appearance gaining popularity in the 17^th century. The term originally referred to a leather collar, laced at the back, worn by soldiers to promote holding the head high in a military bearing. Their popularity eclipsed the white cravat, except for formal and evening wear. But by 1850s another form of neck-wear worn was the scarf. In this case a neckerchief was held in place by slipping the ends through a finger or scarf ring at the neck instead of using a knot. Then sailor neck wear style and may have been adopted from them. Again around this time the "pre-tied", also know as the clip-on necktie is (i.e. bow tie affixed by clip or hook, to the shirt front without the aid of a band around the neck) made appearance.

The four-in-hand necktie became popular in Great Britain in the 1850s. At this time, there was much interest in the way to tie a proper cravat and this led to a series of publications. The book Neckclothitania was the first book which contained instructions and illustrations on how to tie 14 different cravats.

By 19^th century a seven fold tie made its appearance, its origination is attributed to Parisian shirt maker Washington Tremlett for an American customer. Latter a six-fold tie became the modern alteration of the seven-fold tie.

 

With the spread of the industrial revolution people wanted neckwear that was easy to put on, comfortable, and would last an entire workday. Neckties were designed long, thin and easy to knot, and they did not come undone. This necktie design is still worn by millions of men today.

The fifties are most famous for the emergence of the skinny tie; a necktie that is narrower than the standard tie having widths of around 2 ¹⁄₂ inches, unlike the usual 3 to 4 inches for regular ties. First popularized in the late 1950s and early 1960s by British bands (i.e. the Beatles and the Kinks. And later re-popularized in the 70s and early 80s by bands such as the Knack, Blondie and Duran). Worth mentioning is the ultra wide “Kipper Tie” which was embraced by the disco movement of the 70s. The creation of the Bolo Tie (aka Western Tie) in 71 became Arizona’s official state neckwear.

Today, ties expresses a modern mans personal style, we have them available in many widths, cuts, fabrics, and patterns. International Necktie Day is celebrated on October 18 in Croatia and in various cities around the world.