Ask Mike: The history of the necktie
Hey Guys,
With the rise of the casual office, the men’s necktie has lost much of its mojo. Who came up with the necktie in the first place?
Opinions vary, but many believe the concept originated in Croatia. Sometime during the thirty years war of the 17th century, Croatian soldiers visited King Louis XIV of France. The soldiers apparently wore loose scarves around their necks. Louis liked the look. “By 1650, Louis and his court were wearing Croatian neck scarves instead of the full lace ruffs that had previously been fashionable.”
Some argue that the necktie goes much further back. The terracotta soldiers buried with Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti seem to wear a kind of neck scarf that may be a type of early necktie. That’s from 210 B.C. Another possible originator — Ancient Rome. On a marble column constructed in 113 A.D., a group of soldiers appear to have neckwear.
Whether those instances “count” as neckties is open to debate, but most folks give King Louis XIV credit with making the look popular. Sister site Ask Yahoo! explains: “Exiled King Charles II of England brought the French cravat with him when he returned to his throne. Englishmen soon began sporting stylish neck scarves and tied them in as many as 100 different knots.”
Thanks for reading,
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I was told that neckties were for a time cheap, and to be used as bibs to protect the more expensive shirt from being ruined when someone is eating soup and dribbles
It originated in Tieland.
i think you are great
I thought that necktie concept could had been originated in America or Britain but Wow the origin place is Croatia! thanks for information, and it is possible, the terracotta soldier who wear neck scarf in China might not be high lighted and spread as a concept of necktie. In India the rural peoples used to wear thin cotton scarves like cloth piece in their necks from ancient times, but that also could not be taken as an idea for necktie. In fact India has taken concept of necktie from Britain after 16th century. Any ways thanks to increase our GK Mike. good wishes.
It was actually invented back in mideval times when they used to hang people. upon viewing an execution, a man was fascinated by how the noose looks on someone’s neck. he made his own nooses and sold them to people as a fashion statement. he met his death when an angry widow, furious at her husband’s death, killed him in his sleep.
i think you are very great and clever.
Does anyone were suits at the office anymore? since the dot com industry boom to bust, it seems people were polo shirts. I would come to work dressed up with a tie because it made me feel better but also it was mandatory back in the day prior to the 90s concept of coming to work in a tshirt and Khakis shorts while riding a f***ing segway. turtle necks are back out of style again but I would wear those in the winter. but everything is “F4ggy” today. maybe they should just let people come to work with jeans too long and tshirts looking like a Woman’s nighty. or we could all wear hoodies. I like mine.. it’s comfortable in the winter. hoody with nothing underneath. I’m all for that.. especially with the ladies!
It started with Jesus
That is fascinating, but what I really wonder is how long before it finally goes the way of the men’s powdered wig? BTW, I LOVE the Tieland comment!
Of course the necktie originates from Croatia, if you visit the country you will hear plenty of people proud of this contribution of our country to the world culture.
And it is called cravat for a reason – originally one called this piece of garment a tie “a la Cravat” which shows the french origin of the phrase but also that the Croatia is conserved in the word etymology.
I think necktie is from ancient persia and achaemeniades.
They was using it for injured soldiers to pull them on the ground to decrease hurts.
hey that’s neat. I read an article about neckties years ago and it even had a clip out for you to learn how to tie a necktie,lol. it had some extra information in it, here’s what I found IF it’s ok to post it. I’ve never really made a comment to Mike before.
Who Invented the Necktie?
BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN GERMANY
AROUND the world some 600 million men wear them regularly. In Germany the average man owns about 20 neckties. Many a man has wondered with some irritation, while putting on a necktie, ‘Whose idea was this, anyway?’ Where did the tie originate?
Steenkerke, a town in Belgium, claims the honor of having “invented” the necktie. In 1692, English forces made a surprise attack on French troops stationed there. According to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, “the [French] officers had no time to dress correctly. But without ado, they tied their uniform scarves around the neck with a loose knot and pushed the ends through the buttonholes of their jacket. Voilà, the birth of the necktie in its original form.”
However, the soldiers’ fashion novelty was not exactly unprecedented. Experts on the history of neckties point out that centuries earlier, warriors for the Chinese emperor Cheng (Shih Huang Ti) wore a scarflike cloth folded around the neck, indicating their rank.
Perhaps the most famous, though, were the scarves worn by Croatians fighting for King Louis XIV of France. During a victory parade in Paris, the French were so taken by the Croatians’ scarves that they called them cravates, from Cravate, a Croat, and began wearing the scarves as well. “From then on,” writes the aforementioned newspaper, “there was no stopping necktie fashions, although the soldiers in Steenkerke were the first to make the scarf into a knotted tie.”
During the French Revolution (1789-99), a man would indicate his political inclination by the color of the “croat,” or scarf, around his neck. In the 19th century, elegant European society “discovered” this form of attire. It was then that the cravat was elevated from the military and political arena and entered the wardrobe of the male population at large. Today the necktie is more than accepted in many societies worldwide; in certain settings, it is even mandatory.
If you worked at the Pentagon, you would see they are very much still in use today.
uhhhh i donjt know but can u anwser 1 of my questions on my blog thanx
your make and work very good.please sent what you have.thank you.
The necktie is the male version of CLEAVAGE!!
First defining what is a necktie vs. a scarf is important, as I beleive at somepoint these might have had a similar purpose… to keep someone warm. While I do not claim to know the specific origin my understanding in terms of purpose was that this was a final closure for what we know would refer to as a “dress shirt” or a “button down” shirt. If you could imagine that clothes were at best ill fitting and that it would be easier to err on the side of too loose than too tight and that button closures were not as precise as they are today. So the necktie would be a way of keeping the shirt closed at the neck as well as covering the area where the buttons are (and gaps in the material of the shirt). This would be a way of being fashionable and to help keep warm.
I heard they came from Thailand.
Re the Falkl;ands question. After a lapse of thirty years it is time to put an end to this confrontation between two erstwhile friendly countries that have mutually benefitted from a relationship over 200 plus years..The late Nicholas Ridley of the Foreign office reached a compromise with the Argentine Foreign ministry in 1998 This was given short thrift by the Commons and therein lies the seeds of the eventual conflict. It is time to think again and reach a new understanding as so cogently urged by by Mathew Parris in 1998 which should be taken v ery serously indeed..It deserves a wider publication. He states that for a wealth of reassons we nicked the place as was the habit of a muscular imperial power and that the British claim is deeply flawed, We need to forge a new undersrtanding well away from local political issues on both sides. Incidentally I am an Anglo-Argentine with some five years service in the British Army during WW2. .
I do not think you can attribute it to any single event or group of people. Having something around your neck to keep it warm or to absorb sweat is one of those things that is so practical that everyone (culture) would probably do at sometime in their evolution. Even today when I work I grab something and put it around my neck to keep the dirt out, or absorb sweat or have a good place to wipe my hands. Did I think hard when I did this, no it was a responsive sort of thing. So I think it was a universal invention, sort of like pyramids. They are all over the world from ancient times yet none of the cultures ever met. Then again, some people think it was alien technology, yes, that is it. Aliens brought us neck ties.
yup,in croatia.
cravat = croat
croatia <3
I’ve known about the French connection for decades, but the Croation origin is new to me.
Curse them all! I hate ties!
I don’t know, but whoever did, was a sadist on a serious power trip. A necktie is just a leash. It’s just a formal way of saying “if you want to play along, you have to put on the leash
”. Snap! Snap!, here little doggie…
What I wonder is, who invented the Colombian necktie (both versions)?
Somehow, people keep managing to keep coming up with more and more deranged ways to degrade people with ties.
I still think I’d still rather wear a Colombian necktie (either version) than wear a freaking bolo tie though.
The only purpose served by a necktie is protect one’s shirt when one dribbles while eating lunch. People who wear ties are telling the world “I dribble my lunch down the front of my shirt.” Companies that require their employees to wear a tie are blatantly advising the world “we only hire people who dribble their lunch down the front of their shirts.” Why any company would do this is beyond me.
You know what would be cool… A humor personalized tee w/ a necktie screen printed.
http://www.customizo.com/t-shirts/office-humor-t-shirt-designs.html
You could even wear it to the office
It was the cravat that was invented in Hrvatska, which is the correct name of Croatia, though written in the Cyrillic alphabet (like the Russian one). They still wear them there and in Bosnia.
Surely the tie (as we say in England) was originally just that – to tie the top of a shirt together in days when buttons were expensive. The knot used was simple to undo – a slip knot in fact. The ends hung down and became larger and ornamental as shirts all acquired buttons.
Neck ties are a nice way to finish a piece of a man’s outfit. He looks like he has a serious side, and appears well dressed. When my boyfriend wears a tie, I understand he means the occasion is meant for me to appear dressy too. So it’s a greater date for us than the usual budgers and fries! A tie for him, means we go to church or to experience a play, etc. I know he will carry me as his special lady, because he appreciates to be Seen.
Than you.I am from Croatia so I am happy to see that my country is popular all over the world!
“With the rise of the casual office, the men’s necktie has lost much of its mojo.” Show me the “study” that proves that obviously opinion-only statement. Do you show up for a job interview in a polo shirt and khakis? I wear a suit every time! Even IT personnel in the hospitals with which I consult wear ties.
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