842: cravat Mar 29, 2017

There is some debate as to where neckties originated, but in Europe and elsewhere, various types of neckties have been worn for centuries or even longer, especially by those in the military. Perhaps the most common type of tie today, though it may be diminishing in popularity, is the necktie, similar in style to the cravat. This resemblance is not accidental, and in much 17th century art, you'll find portraits of many European men with ruffled, oft-laced, wide ties. This fad started quite quickly after the French adopted this trend after seeing Croatian mercenaries in France whom would wear these same sort of scarves. In fact the word, 'cravat' comes from the French, 'Cravate' meaning ‘Croat’ referring to these soldiers.