Where and Why the Tie ?

Question

What is the history of "the Tie" and why has it become so business like ?

Answer 1

Today the principal purpose of neckwear is to add luxury and color to the austerity of business attire. The first neckwear was also intended to provide the same dash of color and style to the wearer.

There is much written about the connection between the French word cravat and the French word for Croatian -croat - to suggest that the French King Louis XIV took up the fashion of neckerchiefs after seeing them on victorious Croatian mercenaries during the Thirty Years' War.

Immediately following the wars, the style of neck scarves of silk in vibrant colors became fashionable. Eventually, after an evolution that included white lace, long bows, "stocks" of bound cotton, and a variety of other impenetrable garments, the four-in-hand was born, itself a product of a modern lifestyle brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and the dressed work force's need for simplicity and greater comfort.

It appeared in the 1860s in both Europe and America, and was originally worn with the starched, detachable upturn collars that remained in use through the early part of the century. Like the newer turndown collars which came into wide use in the early part of the current century, it was easy to wear, and more comfortable. The English called it the four-in-hand because its knot with two long, trailing ends resembled the reins of the four-horse carriages used by the British aristocracy.

The tie as we know it today has been around since the 1920s, but the four-in-hand, in its early chrysalis stage, was in fashion in the 1860s in England. Unlike its progenitors which warmed the neck, or simply made a statement of fashion, the late 19th century variety served the purpose of showing the wearer's affiliations.

With the expansion of English public schools during the late 19th century came the tradition of intercollegiate sports. Sporting colors became de rigeur. At first, supporters wore school colors on hat bands around boaters, but eventually someone started the practice of putting the stripes around the neck. The old school tie was born, and with it, the beginning of neckties as we know them today. Regiments followed suit, by using the colors of their uniform facings to evidence their necktie colors, after the British army began to shed its colorful tunics for practical khaki, less visible to the enemy.

Not every organization developed a stripe. Club colors were sometimes expressed in heraldic shields designed for the club or school. Other organizations chose colors which had significance to them. Many a story has passed down the pike. For example, The Royal Tank Corps takes its stripes from the brown mud, red blood and green fields of Flanders. The dark blue and magenta Brigade of Guards tie is intended to represent the blue blood of the Royal Family along with the red blood of the Brigade.

Sometimes the story behind a tie is as colorful as the tie itself. One afternoon in the 1920s, for example, the actor Norman Forbes Robertson wore a salmon-and-cucumber number to lunch at London's exclusive Garrick Club, joking that it was the official club tie. So many members wanted one that the club formally adopted it. The I Zingari Cricket Club boasts the colors black, red and gold, symbolizing the motto "Out of darkness, through fire, into light." The orange, black, blue and yellow tie worn by the old boys of Wellington College takes its hues from the ribbon of the Crimean War medal.

In the 1920's, the four-in-hand and the turndown collar had become the standard, aided by the manufacturing methods of a New York tie maker, J. Langsdorf, who developed the idea of cutting the fabric of the tie on the bias and sewing it in three segments. He also added the "slip-stitch," which provided elasticity and allowed the tie to return to its former shape after wear. The finer-cut, modern necktie has been manufactured in the same way since that time. back to top

Answer 2

The tie as we know it today probably started life back in the 18th century when neckerchief were worn. The word neckerchief is actually a reference to the rope used to hang someone at Tyburn here in London [horrid thought]. From this neckerchief we eventually evolved via slavery to fashion into the modern tie which was first used in the late 19th or early 20th century. Old men in my childhood of the 1940s and 50s still wore those strange bow tie things with wing collars of the 19th century. Rather like seeing someone today wearing 1970s fashions.

Answer 3

The Origin of neck tie history dates back a mere hundred years or so, for they came into existence as the direct result of a war. In 1660, in celebration of its hard fought victory over Turkey, a crack regiment from Croatia (then part of the Austro Hungarian Empire) visited Paris. There, the soldiers were presented as glorious heroes to Louis XIV, a monarch well known for his eye toward personal adornment. It so happened that the officers of this regiment were wearing brightly colored handkerchiefs fashioned of silk around their necks. These neck cloths, which probably descended from the Roman fascalia worn by orators to warm the vocal chords, struck the fancy of the king, and he soon made them an insignia of royalty as he created a regiment of Royal Cravattes. The word "cravat," incidentally, is derived from the word "Croat."

How to account for the continued popularity of neckties? For years, fashion historians and sociologists predicted their demise, the one element of a man's attire with no obvious function. Perhaps they are merely part of an inherited tradition. As long as world and business leaders continue to wear ties, the young executives will follow suit and ties will remain a key to the boardroom. On the other hand, there does seem to be some aesthetic value in wearing a tie. In addition to covering the buttons of a shirt and giving emphasis to the verticality of a man's body (in the same way that the buttons on a military uniform do), it adds a sense of luxury and richness, color and texture, to the austerity of the dress shirt and business suit.

Answer 4

shirts were originally made with the opening at the top [no buttons] so another piece of fabric was used to pull the neck hole together ,which evolved in to a tie. And then they became a symbol of status.

Answer 5

don't know its history but the purpose is to center yourself. brings balance which is probally why it became so popular for workers