Did you know that neckties or, originally, cravates were probably used to prevent clothes from getting dirty? Initially just a plain strip of material, they were used by Croatian mercenaries supporting Louis XIII of France against the Duc de Guise and the Queen Mother, Marie de Medici. The military kit that the Croatians were using during that time was an inspiration for curious Parisians to start using them as a fashion accassories. The word itself, cravat, comes from the misspelt word Croat (originally Hr̀vāt in Croatian).
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| Cravat-tying illustrations fragment (by G. Cruikshank) from "Neckclothitania or Tietania, being an essay on Starchers, by One of the Cloth" (published by J.J.Stockdale, Sept. 1st. 1818). |
The English equivalent of cravat, necktie, also has an interesting history. Breaking the word in two, let's look at the parts we have - neck and tie. The true origin of the "neck" word is unknown, yet it is assumed that it may come from Proto-Indo-European word knok meaning "high point" or "ridge". The traces of the word can be also found in Old Irish cnocc, Welsh cnwch and Old Bretonian cnoch meaning "hill".
Digging into the history of the second word, tie, you'll find that it may come from Old Norse tygill, meaning "string" or Old English teon, meaning "to draw, pull, drag;"
The usage of word necktie in the sense we use it today was first recorded in 1761.
But what happened later? Click the button to read after the fold.
Well, early 20th century Polish gentlemen were really serious about choosing the right tie:
The question of a necktie is a subtle matter when thinking of gentleman’s garment. This is the only note in the whole [musical] scale of clothing where the gentleman might emphasize his individuality a little bit and free his imagination. But not too much! To strictly determine the colours would be impossible – let me just say that some colours, too special or, so to say, feminine, do not harmonize with gentleman’s dignity that should be the attribute of gentleman’s garment.
(„Tygodnik Mód i Powieści”, 1913, nr 36, page 12)
Let's take a look how the Vogue for the 19th century gentlemen looked like:
But where is Artavaganza in all of this?
What we'd like to express here is: Viva Italia!
Why? Because when you think of quality, it's Italy where you would look for the best shoes, handbags or clothes. We also know that, so we decided that our ties will be made of only the best Italian textile. The highest quality of used material (100% polyester) makes them soft to the touch and fit to the figure. Our ties are made with double interlining that helps maintain their shape. What's more, the exact form of these ties has been carefully designed here in Artavaganza. Our ties are hand-crafted in Poland, and every single tie is unique. We take great care of every single detail, and that's what makes our products special.
Fall in love with our ties just like we did!
If you feel like falling in love right now, visit our on-line store at www.artavaganza.com!
Sources:
1) Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cravat
2) Online Etymology Dictionary, http://www.etymonline.com
3) Nalewajska, L., Moda Męska w XIX i na początku XX wieku
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