subject: Father's Day - History of Neckties [print this page] Father's Day - History of Neckties Father's Day - History of Neckties
Neckties have always been one of the most popular gifts during Father's Day. Believe the statistics or not, Americans are actually known to spend more than a billion dollars every year to buy 100 million ties. Makes you think: if that is so the case, then that's at least one necktie for every American male well over the age of twenty.
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Neckties have always been used for different purposes: to let others know your social status, your occupation, or sometimes, your own identity and allegiance to a particular organization or cause. Neckwear has always had utilitarian purpose which is to protect your neck or hide the buttons of your shirt.
The oldest known version of neckties was worn by China's first emperor, Shih Huang Ti. He was found with his neckwear in a massive mausoleum that backs to 210 B.C. Shih Huang Ti was so afraid of death that he wanted to take with him an entire army in the next world. However, his advisers were able to persuade him to create life-size replicas of the soldiers instead, which he did. Each soldier in the terracotta army looked different since they were replicated from actual persons but each wear neck cloths.
Thousands of years later, a military genius named Trajan erected a marble column to commemorate the victory of the Dacians (people who now live in Romania). The column showed realistic figures and on the "sports column," there were three different styles of neckwear sported by the figures. They have shorter versions of the modern tie, simple cloths worn around the neck and tucked inside the armor, and knotted kerchiefs just like cowboy bandannas.
A lot of experts claim that the French word for the tie, cravat, is actually a corruption of the term "Croat." French kings were known to maintain an elite regiment of soldiers which were known as the Cravate Royale, until after the French Revolution in 1789. After the revolution, the French courtiers immediately copied the Croatians and created their own neck cloth, especially the military. Ordinary military men sported lace neckwear while officers used sported muslin or silk, and possibly trimmed with embroidery. This is evidenced by paintings from 17th and 18th centuries featuring people who wore these cravats from military officers to the elites and nobility, and down to the common people who also wear them.
Centuries more and the "British look" was invented through the efforts of George Bryan "Beau" Brummell. He was the one who rejected the frills that were a fad during the 18th century. He officially mandated a dark blue coat, buff-colored pantaloons and waistcoat, black boots, and a clean white nck cloth. This new fashion survives until today. They are known as the dark business suits and white shirts of our modern man. This simple fashion trend was adopted by everyone including his friend, the Prince Regent, and later King George IV.
Contemporary ties now come in all shapes and sizes and there are very few knots that are currently being used today with some gentlemen improvising their own knots.
