THANK YOU, CROATIA

Hats off (or on) to Croatia for the contribution of introducing the necktie globally. As early as the mid-1600s, during the European Thirty Year War, from around 1618-1648, Croatian soldiers fought in various regions of Europe. The traditional Croatian military dress included a noteworthy scarf tied around the neck, which is very similar to the style in which the necktie is worn today.
The setting is now in Prague; the year, 1618.  Some Prague agents of the Holy Roman Emperor were in a state of dissent when a group of citizens threw the agents out of a window. The agents landed on a dunghill and happened to survive. Being foul tempered because of this angst with Prague, it is said that the 30 Year War ensued soon after, which gave way to an immediate need for Croatian mercenaries. Although these Croatians were rough-and-ready fellows, they held fast to making a style statement by displaying notable neckwear.
Some postulate that the word “‘cravat” is a derivative of the word “Croat”. It is an enigma as to why the Croatians exacted such imitation.  Still, as these Croatian soldiers were stationed in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV, the Croatians’ overall style greatly impressed their French counterparts and French men rather quickly borrowed from their sense of fashion–most notably when it came to neckwear.
The tie gained entry into the bourgeois style circle of that era as a sign of elegance and cultivated elitism and soon after, the rest of Europe fell at the cravate’s feet. Of course today we witness the power of the necktie in practically every culture, with up to 85 different tie methods (as found in The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie by Thomas Fink and Yong Mao) and a wide array of materials and colors.http://www.matthewaperry.com/

http://mansuits123.blogspot.com/2013/05/necktie.html http://fashionmansuits.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-unlikely-beginning -about-tie.html