2,000 years of neckties

(Adapted from www.infoplease.com )

Over the centuries, men's neckwear has been made of every kind of material: silk, cotton, wool, leather, rope, string, lace, linen, rayon, and polyester. And whether they were called cravats, jabots, bandannas, bolos, ascots, bootlaces, bows, butterflies, kerchiefs, or simply ties, neckties have both functional and symbolic significance.

Ties have been used to proclaim status, occupation, and even identity, as well as allegiance to a group or cause, often military. Neckwear has also had utilitarian purposes—to protect the neck or hide buttons on a shirt.

Necktie History goes way back in time. The earliest necktie was found in the massive mausoleum of China's first emperor, Shih Huang Ti, buried in 210 B.C., with an army of terra cotta soldiers to protect him. Since silk was a great luxury, the cloths could indicate the ultimate honor: the emperor trusted his soldiers to guard him until the end of time.

Modern neckties originated with the cravat, a French corruption of "Croat," a reference to the 17th-century Croatian mercenaries who wore colorful silk kerchiefs.

In 1660, King Charles II returned to England. It was time to party, and the stylish new cravat was right on-trend.

Bandannas were first imported from India around 1700. The original ones were silk and came in an array of colors, including red, blue, green, brown, black and white, pink, and yellow. Bandannas could also be hand printed or tie-dyed with flowers or bird's eye patterns. Cowboys used red or blue bandanna to keep dust from the face. Of course, bandits also used bandannas as masks.

The “I Zingari” Cricket Club, founded by a group of Cambridge University students in 1845, is believed to have created the first sporting colors. Their ties were black, bright, orange-red, and gold, symbolizing "out of darkness, through fire, into light."

In the American South it was too hot to wear lace or silk cravats. But in the early 1800s plantation owners displayed their social superiority by wearing wide ribbons tied in bows. Worn with a low-collared shirt, the plantation tie was the first American neckwear.

As the History of the Tie travels west, becoming part of Mississippi River boat culture. Paintings of Mark Twain show him wearing a plantation tie. It was also part of the uniform, along with a fancy white shirt and a light suit, of the riverboat gambler. The leading proponent of the plantation tie nowadays is Colonel Sanders, never shown without one.

In the 1920s a pioneering Paris fashion designer, Jean Patou, invented the designer tie. He made ties from women's clothing material including patterns inspired by the latest art movements of the day, Cubism and Art Deco.

After 2,000 years of Tie History, the necktie is still a powerful way to symbolize, commemorate, or show membership. Today’s modern design methods allow an almost limitless variety of custom ties that are beautiful, tasteful, and effective ways to show who you are and what you stand for.