What’s the Real Story Behind Men Wearing Ties? Despite what many
a working stiff might think, men do not wear neckties to
facilitate strangulation when their bosses are less than pleased
with their work. So, why do men wear this variable, often quite
fashionable, and utterly useless piece of business attire? The
answer lies in history, and Europe’s Thirty Years’ War. The
logistics of that 17th century conflict are messy, to say the
least, and the various alliances hard to follow. What is worth
note here was the extensive use of Croatian mercenaries.
Croatian soldiers, fashion innovators that they were, wore
scarves around their necks as part of their uniforms, which were
called kravatas. French soldiers must have thought the Croats
looked pretty smashing in their rustic scarves. Military
personnel brought the idea of wearing neckties back to France,
where King Louis XIV quickly introduced ‘la cravate’ to high
society. Neckties soon became all the rage. Wearing a cravate
allowed you to show off your individual