The Cravat

The cravat was born in 1660 when a regiment from Croatia visited Paris. These soldiers were greeted as heroes and were presented as such to Louis XIV, who was well-known for his obsession with clothes.

The officers of the Croatian regiment wore brightly colored silk neckerchiefs, and the king was taken with them. Shortly thereafter, he made them his insignia. He even created a regiment of Royal Cravattes. The word cravat is derived from the word Croat.

The Four-in-hand

This tie made of rectangular strips was fashionable in Great Britain in the 1850s. “Four in hand” originally was applied to a carriage with four horses and a driver. The term was also borrowed for a gentlemen’s club. It is said that the carriage driver used the four-in-hand knot to tie his carriage reins. Others say the drivers wore their scarves knotted in this way. It’s more likely that it came from the members of the gentlemen’s club who chose to wear their neck gear knotted in this way, and it became fashionable.

Toward the second half of the 19th century, the four-in-hand knot and the four-in-hand tie were synonymous. However, as the stiff shirt collars began to be replaced by softer ones that were turned down, the knot began to be popular. Since it wasn’t needed any longer to identify the neck piece, it was shortened to “long tie” and just “tie.” When Jesse Langsdorf from New York began to cut them on the bias, any stripe began to appear diagonally. These are the ties we know today, usually made from silk, cotton, polyester, or wool. The range of colors and designs is enormous and novelty ties such as cartoons and even some with flashing lights can be found.

Six- and Seven-fold Tie

This is a variant of the four-in-hand that emerged after the Great Depression. It’s constructed of a square yard of silk folded to seven sections of silk between the folds and doesn’t have a lining. The fabric itself makes up the weight and body. There are many spinoffs for this one, including the four-fold, which also gets its weight and heft from the fabric itself. These are also sometimes called six-fold ties. Most of these are made in Italy although they are beginning to be made elsewhere. Sometimes this style is called “Italian style.” What distinguishes the classic sevenfold tie is that it has no interfacing yet it drapes beautifully due to the precise folding of the silk. These ties are handmade, are typically made of very high-quality silk, and are treasured by those who own them.

The Clip-on Tie

Wouldn’t you know it—enough men got tired of tying their ties every morning that an ingenious person came up with the clip-on to fill that need. The knot on these ties is a permanent one, and the metal clip attaches to the front of the shirt collar. It’s a 20th century invention and they are generally considered stylishly inferior. Even so, they’re used appropriately in some occupations such as law enforcement where a traditional tie could pose a hazard.