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Necktie (or Tie) as we know today is a long piece of cloth worn around the neck. It rests under the shirt collar and is knotted at the throat. Men wear neckties as part of regular formal wear. It can also be part of a uniform (military, school, etc).

People have worn accessories around the neck since a very long time ago. In Stone Age era, they wore the accessories to distinguished hierarchy of a man. In the era of ancient Rome, a long fabric was worn to protect neck and throat especially by the official spokesman. In the next phase, Rome’s military soldier wore the neckerchief too.

Other famous neck accessories came up in the era of Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) which is called “ruff”. The stiff collar of white cloth in a shape of large plate encircled the neck. To retain the shape, ruff were intentionally stiffed with starch. But later, people considered the ruffed which was layered causing irritation.

And then Cravat came up in 1660’s when Louis XIV ruled in France. But, to be precise, Croatia is the truly origin of the necktie. It seems the word itself came after the name of Croatia which is voiced Hvratska in local language. Cravat means ‘people from Croatia’.

This is recorded in Francoise Chaile’s book, La Grande Historie de la Cravate (Flamarion, Paris 1994) which said,
”… in the 1635’s, about six thousand soldiers and knights arrived in Paris. They were hired by Louis XIII and Richelieu. They wore attractive traditional article of clothing, kerchief worn at the neck in a special way. The kerchief made of various fabrics, from a thick one, soft cotton to silk. The unique style quickly was more practical. The neckerchief was knotted with the edge left untied.”

The new article clothing started a fashion craze in Europe. Both men and women wore cravat in their neck. The cravat was often tied in place by cravat strings neatly and in a bow. The accessories showed the social class of the wearer. It is said that Beau Brummer (1778 – 1840), the trendsetter spent long hours to knot his cravat.

A lot of books printed to show people how to knot the cravat. One of them gave 32 out of 100 ways. Some even created their own unique ways knotting the cravat. And, never try to touch other man’s cravat those days because it meant duel.

They also had superstitious around the cravat. It is said when Napoleon won a battle, he must have worn a black cravat twisted two times. And the only moment Napoleon wore the white cravat was in Waterloo. He lost the battle there.

In 1860, Cravat appeared in a long tip, more similar than the modern neckerchief, the tie. When shirt with collar started to be popular, people knot the tie under the chin, the tip was dangled.

At the present days, necktie shows up with different colors, patterns, designs and textures. More than 100 millions neckties ‘invade’ necktie store each year.