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What is the history of neckties ?

Necktie becomes a very common accessorie in any businessman's wardrobe. It helps covering the buttons of a shirt and adds color to the austerity of the business suit. But centuries ago, men tighten neck clothes for others purposes.
Croatia is considered as the mother country of the modern necktie in the 17th century. But before that lots of fabrics were knoted...

From antiquity to Croatians
The earliest known version of the necktie has been found in China. It was a simple fabric tighten around the neck. In the mausoleum of the China's first emperor we can find thousand replicas of soldiers wearing all neck cloths. It was a sign to celebrate great fighters, dedicated to a certain class of the population. The neck cloth remained a mark of allegiance but it was then used for another purpose.
Roman soldiers often wore cloths to keep their throats warm, it was the focalium.
Years after, it became a fashion to wear something around the neck. But neck cloths were often worn so high that a man could not move his head without turning his whole body.

The necktie is born
Under the influence of Croatian mercenaries, who used to wear a picturesque scarves tied around their neck, the necktie became a new article of clothing in France under the reign of Louis XIV. The french word for necktie "cravate" appeared only in 1650. The military immediately began copying the Croatians: ordinary soldiers began adorning their necks with lace, while officers sported muslin or silk. Even the french court of Versailles espouse this fashion.
Over the years this fashion of neckties spread across Europe. No gentleman would have considered himself well dressed without sporting some sort of cloth around his neck. In the early 19th century, George Bryan Brummel tailored simple, functional and discreet clothes and was the first to view a neck cloth as a stylish clothing item.
Everybody adopted his business suit and for the fist time, poorer men hoping to make their way in the world could easily imitate upper class fashion. Various way of making knot tie appeared at this time.

The 20th century
In the 20th century, there was a definite lapse in the inclination of men to wear ties but this trend as reverse when a plenitude of materials and styles became available.
Nowadays, neckties gradually begun to whiter in importance, it is quite permissible for men to appear dressed for business with no trace of neck cloth. But a necktie still remains one of the few items through which a man can reveal his personality or mood.