The oldest history of neckties originated in Egypt, which is the most incredible part of its mysterious and exotic clothing culture. A long rectangular cloth hangs from the shoulder and wraps around the neck. It is similar to a short shawl and that is the prototype of the neckties in the legend. In ancient Egypt, this accessory has a very important implication that represents the social status of the wearer. Only nobles can use it, not ordinary civilians. In a sense, the modern tie is the derivative of a conceptual product that is a symbol of the ancient Egyptian feudal system. It represents a clear differentiation of classes and is inherited through the evolution of the tie.
There are even more stories about ties in Europe, among which the British ones are the most interesting. According to old legend, neckties were invented by British women. They are headache to stains on your husband’s clothes from food. To keep them clean, smart women attach a piece of cloth to the collar. So you can clean your mouth if necessary. In addition, some stones are also stuck into the man’s fist for decoration. Subsequently, these two British treasures become today’s ties and cufflinks and have been sought after by men around the world. Of course, there are other legends. For example, Irish fishermen used mooring lines for wind observation while fishing; his wife or mistress of Roman soldiers praying for peace with a handkerchief circa 1st century BC; or they were used to cover the battle scar by British soldiers. Nobody knows if they are real, but it seems that the practice of neckties is in fact from the war.
Although there are differing stories, the ties should originate from France based on verified historical information. Wars were frequent in Europe during the Middle Ages. In 1688, King Louis XIV of France started the war against Austria. At that time the Austrian soldiers wore a white scarf around their necks as an identity. The king liked that handkerchief which is known as Croatta. He made a scarf himself and wore it in the palace. After a while, he got bored with Croatta’s simple style, so he started making a new design for the scarf, like adding lace embroidery and making a butterfly knot. This accessory soon became popular in the palace as Louis took the lead as an example.
Also, this trend spread to the army and everyone followed it. King Louis then did more to the Croatta, so that an army was named after the Croatta. The promotion of King Louis is very important for the development of the necktie in history. It could be said that modern ties do not exist if not the rise of King Louis XIV. The king had no idea how important promoting him to modern fashion would be for hundreds of years to come. The Croatta has developed into two categories in today’s fashion industry: one is the downward-facing tie and the other is the upward-facing bow tie.