“La cravate, c, est l’homme.”
Honore de Balzac
Being a connoisseur of all things fashionable, the Cravat now more commonly known as the Tie has always been a men’s style accessory that I appreciate; a symbol of male elegance. A well fitted suit paired with a great tie provides a way for a man to show his individuality and good taste.
The Cravat has a long distinguished and stylish past, with a story as colorful as the Cravat itself.
According to history, Croatians popularized the fashion of wearing a scarf tied around ones neck. After the Turkish attacks, a Croatian cavalry was formed under the name Royal- Cravate and became an inexhaustible source for other European battlefields. They were easily recognizable due to the scarves worn around their necks. – a predecessor of the Cravat.
It has been suggested that French King Louis XIV, after seeing them worn on the Croatian mercenaries, switched from the starched high lace collar the French used to wear and started wearing the Cravat, due to its style and practicality. Thereafter, the Cravat’s popularity quickly rose as the style spread across Europe.
The common Cravat was designed in white until the 19th century when the English introduced color to them giving the Cravat wearer a more individualized style. Soon after, American textile manufacturer Jesse Langsdorf made a revolutionary step by cutting the fabric into three parts and sewing it back together in such a way that it enabled more simple tying techniques and easier development of the product. In 1924, Langsdorf patented his creation, known today as the Tie.
Apparently there are 85 ways to knot a Cravat; however, only a dozen of them suit the usual notions of symmetry and balance when wearing it. The most recognized being the Single or Double Windsor, introduced by the Duke of Windsor, and the most popular shapes of Cravats being the elongated ones, bow ties and the ascot-tie.
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Arianne St. Claire
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