Necktie

A necktie or simply tie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat.

Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, zipper tie, cravat and clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck ties are generally unsized, but may be available in a longer size. Men and boys wear neckties as part of regular office attire or formal wear. Some women wear them as well but usually not as often as men. Neckties can also be worn as part of a uniform (e.g. military, school and waitstaff), whereas some choose to wear them as everyday clothing attire. Neckties are traditionally worn with the top shirt button fastened, and the tie knot resting between the collar points. Among younger men, neckties are sometimes worn as a casual item, tied loosely around the neck, with the top shirt button unfastened.

History

Origins

The modern necktie spread by Europe traces back to the time of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) when Croatian mercenaries from the Croatian Military Frontier in French service, wearing their traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs, aroused the interest of the Parisians. Due to the slight difference between the Croatian word for Croats, Hrvati, and the French word, Croates, the garment gained the name "cravat" ("cravate" in French). The boy-king Louis XIV began wearing a lace cravat about 1646, when he was seven, and set the fashion for French nobility. This new article of clothing started a fashion craze in Europe; both men and women wore pieces of fabric around their necks. From its introduction by the French king, men wore lace cravats, or jabots, that took a large amount of time and effort to arrange. These cravats were often tied in place by cravat strings, arranged neatly and tied in a bow.

Windsor knot

The Windsor knot, also referred to as a Full Windsor or as a Double Windsor to distinguish it from the half-Windsor, is a method of tying a necktie. The Windsor knot, compared to other methods, produces a wide symmetrical triangular knot.

The knot is often thought to be named after the Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII before his abdication). It is, however, likely that it was invented by his father, George V. The Duke preferred a wide knot and had his ties specially made with thicker cloth in order to produce a wider knot when tied with the conventional four-in-hand knot. The Windsor knot was invented to emulate the Duke's wide knot with ties made from normal thickness cloth.

The Windsor knot is especially suited for a spread or cutaway collar that can properly accommodate a larger knot. For correct wear, the tie used for a Windsor knot should be about 4 centimetres or 1.6 inches longer than a conventional tie.

The Windsor knot is the only tie knot that is to be used by all personnel in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Air Force Cadets (ATC and CCF(RAF)) in the UK when wearing their black tie while in uniform. However, the Windsor Knot is often frowned upon in other Armed Services or Regiments of the British Forces through its association with the Duke of Windsor, who became a potential 'pretender' to the Throne following his abdication. The Windsor and four-in-hand knots are authorized for use by all services of the Canadian Forces.

Half-Windsor knot

The half-Windsor knot, also known as the single Windsor knot, is a way of tying a necktie which produces a neat, triangular knot. It is larger than the four-in-hand knot and Pratt knot, but smaller than the Windsor knot. The half-Windsor is derived from the Windsor in that it is only brought up around the loop on one side rather than both. It works well with light- and medium-weight fabrics.

See also

References

External links