TIE-KNOT-OLOGY AND THE HISTORY OF THE NECKTIE

Tie knot ology:

The science or branch of knowledge in fashion pertaining to finding new and innovative ways to manipulate neckwear fabrics (scarfs, bowties, ascots, cravats or neckties) in order to attain original and functional neck knots.

HISTORY:

210 BC:  China’s first emperor, Qin Shih Huang, was buried with his terracotta “army”. Each statue wore a wrapped neck-cloth, this is the earliest known predecessor of the modern tie.

The necktie is also depicted in Trajan's column in Rome Italy from 98 to 117 AD.

The 1630s, during the Thirty Years War, Croatian soldiers in support of France were presented to the French King Louis XIII. The Croats wore colorful, knotted neckerchiefs as a part of their uniform which attracted their French partners who were accustomed to wearing starched, ruffled collars. Apart from its decorative purpose, the necktie was more practical than these stiff collars and could protect the soldiers’ shirts and buttons. By the time Louis XIV came to the throne, these ties became fashionable in France. Military personnel, French courtiers, and ordinary French people began sporting the accessory in various colors and fabrics. Some people even believe that “cravat”, the French word for “tie”, was even just a corruption of “Croat”, as the style was adopted from the Croatians.
Though the cravat is regarded as the true forerunner to the modern tie as a fashion statement, it would take a few hundred years for the tie to evolve to the narrow strip of cloth we think of today as a necktie. The fancy cravat made its way to England after Charles II reclaimed the throne in 1660. Other aristocrats who had lived in exile in Europe followed him and took along the cravat which became a fashion rage that also spread to the English colonies. The neckwear grew to be a stylish accessory for the well-dressed gentleman who wore it in every imaginable color and style. There were cravats of tasseled strings, ruffled collars, ribbon, embroidered linen, cotton, and an abundance of lace.

The trend continued into the eighteenth century when donning a cloth around a man’s neck became immensely popular among all men regardless of status. Towards the end of that century, wearing a black cravat was considered the height of fashion.

1815, the French Emperor, Napolean Bonaparte who typically wore black, wore a white cravat during the battle of Waterloo to honor the Duke of Wellington who favored that color during battle. It was also around that time that people began to refer to a cravat as a “tie” for the first time, of course referring to the fact that the cravats were tied around the neck.
Variety in ties, innovation, and complexity in knots were the order of the day. Books and pamphlets were written about the subject. In 1818, The Neckclothitania was published, using satire to make fun of the elaborate cravat styles. In 1828, H. Le Blanc wrote  The Art of Tying the Cravat demonstrated in sixteen lessons including thirty-two different styles.
The industrial revolution from the eighteenth to nineteenth century was the catalyst that led to the necktie as we know it today. “White collar” workers of the day sought comfort and simplicity over the previously excessively elaborate dress. Stiff, fancy, hard to tie neckties had no place on the factory floor. Men tied their neckwear four-in-hand allowing for a knot at the throat with two ends of fabric trailing down. This method of tying was a much less intricate way of creating a knot than was necessary when wearing a cravat, and the knot remained secure. It remains a popular way of tying a tie to this day.
Around this time also, the idea of wearing a tie to show one’s affiliation developed. In 1880, the first school tie was fashioned when a member of Oxford University rowing club removed the ribbons from his boater hat and tied them four-in-hand. The trend caught on and ties for various affiliations developed.

The 1880s: The ascot tie became the standard for formal morning dress. It was made a famous fashion item by Britain’s King Edward VII, also known as Bertie, who wore it to the horse races and his subjects followed. The name is derived from one of the most celebrated horse racing events in England, The Royal Ascot. The ascot, tie or “bow tie” are still today regarded as choices for morning dress. It was and is still typically decorated with a pin.

The 1920s: The tie was to evolve even more drastically when Jesse Langsdorf, a New York tie maker, cut the fabric at a forty-five-degree angle using a three-piece construction.  The gist of it is that this allowed the tie, when tied in standard knots, to drape evenly without twisting, and gave us the modern look.

1920-1929: Jessie Langsdorf invented a new way of cutting fabric which triggered the creation of many new tie knots
1930-1939: Duke Windsor invented the Windsor
1950-1959: Skinny tie was invented
1960-1969: The Kipper and Ultrawide kipper tie were invented
1970-1979: The Bolo tie was invented
2000-2002: Eric Glennie triggered the reversed knots concept and innovative tie patterns.
2008: Jeffrey Eldredge created the Eldredge Knot
2010: Mc Greyling created The Moebius knot AKA The Trinity Knot
2012: Roy Thompson Created the Merovingian knot
2013: Eliot Truelove created the Truelove knots collection
2014: Linwood Darkis, Noel Junio, and Boris Mocka created the Largest collection of original tie knots and became the first official Tieknotologists.
2015: Boris Mocka created totally new ways to tie a tie: The Greek knot technique, The black magic technique, The ascot technique, The scarf knot technique, The boutique knot technique, The Mocka pinch technique.
2016: We now have more than 30000 tie knots in the world.

The Tie-knot-ologist...

Source: Boris Mocka

In the following video, you can see Boris Mocka flaunting his skills. In comparison to a lot of the work that I've seen from Boris, this knot is relatively easy to follow. If you haven't much experience with the various "boutique" knots, this may be a pretty good place to start. Great Knot. in under 3 minutes time.