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Saturday, November 22, 2008

A Brief History of the Necktie

By Robert Kelsey

When you look at the history of the necktie you will soon discover that this particular item of clothing has been around for many centuries now in a number of different guises. Yet it was not until the latter part of the 19th Century that we saw neckties being introduced that are similar to those worn today.

In this article we will look at some of the main stages that the neckties have been through. Although there are images depicting the ancient Egyptian's, Chinese and Romans wearing pieces of cloth around their necks these did not actually resemble what we see as the contemporary neckties men wear today.

The first neckties that were seen being worn were those that Croatian mercenaries would be wearing during the Thirty Year War (1618-1648) and which was seen by Parisians. It was these young French people who decided they made a wonderful fashion accessory and would be worn by men and women.

Then in the latter part of the 17th Century men began to wear lace cravats rather than pieces of fabric which required a large amount of time and effort to arrange them. To help keep such items of clothing in place strings would be used to hold the cravats in place.

However during the Battle of Steenkerque in 1692 because the princes were rushing to get ready for battle rather than spending hours sorting out their cravats they just wound them around the neck. They would then twist each end of the fabric together and then pass these through a buttonhole in their jacket. These types of cravats a precursor for the necktie were often referred to as Steinkirks.

Over the next 100 years the cravat began to be used less and less and the stock came into fashion. This was made from muslin cloth that was folded into a narrow band prior to it being wound around the collar of a shirt. Although this item of neckwear remained prevalent right through the 18th Century during the latter part the cravat made a return being worn by young French and Englishmen.

However it was the industrial revolution which helped with the creation of the kinds of neckties we see people wearing today. Through the late part of the 19th Century and early part of the 20th Century men wanted to wear some form of necktie that would be comfortable, could be put on easily and wouldn't come undone during the day.

It was during this part of the history of the necktie that the long thin design was introduced which was easy for any man to knot. However it was a New York tie maker who came up with the necktie that has more elasticity to it which meant the tie would return to its original shape after being taken off. Since this development and the work done by a company in Belfast that the ties of varying shapes, sizes and designs are being worn today.

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