At dawn of mankind, man has sensed the exigency to bind some fabric around one's own neck so that also the ancient Egyptians, for instance, used to bind a piece of fabric with the tie of Iside around the neck of the deceaseds, in sign of protection.
The foremother of the present necktie was a simple fabric stripe. The first people to wear it, for hygienic and climatic reasons, have been the Roman legionaries, settled in the northern regions of Nordic Europe. A fabric stripe, named "focale", wrapped around the neck with a tie, just letting the two ends hanging on the chest, with the main goal to protect oneself from the cold weather.
Originally worn by the soldiers with thios aim, afterwards tie appears in France with an ornamental function. French people adopt such a "neckercief", borrowing it from the Croatian mercenaries, who had been wearing it during the thirty years' war (1618-1648). It consisted of a foulard of white or red linen, the KRAVATSKA ( from the Slavonic language: Croatian), that was part of the Croatian troops, in the pay of Louis 14th. It had a romantic meaning: it dealt with the present given by wives, fiancès and lovers to the soldiers leaving off to war. Bound around one's neck it represented a sign of fidelity for the loved woman.
Towards the first middle of the XVIIth century the Croatian soldiers achieved great successes in many wars and the Croatian knighthood becomes famous all over Europe, with its characteristic accessory which becomes therefore a culture and elegance symbol among the bourgeoisie.
Anyhow, it fascinates first of all king and courtiers irreparably. In 1661 infact Louis 14th instituted the post of "cravattaio" of the king, gentleman encharged to help the sovereign in beautifying and binding the necktie. Successively, also the duchess of La Vallière, the royal mistress is enraptured by this fashion becoming the first woman wearing a necktie.
People rival in boldness and elegance by adding laces and silk ribbons. The fashion of the necktie spreads all over Europe. Worn by reach people and dandies, the tie has gone through centuries and continents, assuming always new shapes.
Charles IInd Stuard introduces in England this latest charm of the fashion and it took a very short time to conquer the entire Europe and the most of colonies on the American continent, asserting oneself as necessary and indispensable accessory. Once become an integral part of the collettive custom, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) in one of his most famous works "The importance of being Earnest" had mentioned it writing a sentence considered historical: "A well tied necktie is the first serious step in one's live", that appears certainly facetiuos but also full of significance. Actually, it was not only a question of mere custom and bon ton, but also cultural, educational.
In the second part of 19th century, following innovations introduced by the industrial revolution also in the textile field, a more functional necktie appeared, longer and narrower. Baptized "Sailor necktie", such an accessory enters the history and remains still today the point of departure from where the modern necktie has been born.
It is in 1926 that a tiemaker in New York, Jesse Langdorsf, has the brillant idea to cut the tiefabric in a diagonal way and into three distinct parts, that in a later moment he had to reassemble with some stitchings.In such a way the CURRENT NECKTIE had been created, quite similar to that one we know and that compared to the forefathers it presented itself long, more elastic and stable, in other words, it did not twist.
Nowadays, from the Nepalese schoolboys to women, Manhattan's businessmen, hundreds of million people use to wear neckties allover the world. Necktie expresses the personality and the mood of the person who wears it and it is a tool of a big importance in the social relationships and in the working field.
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