Historians differ on the origins of neckwear some placing its beginnings with Shih Huan Ti, China's first emperor while others point to one of Rome's greatest Emperors, the military genius Trajan, who erected a marble column to commemorate a triumphant victory over the Dacians, who lived in what is now Romania. While we will explore these origins in later updates, I did want to focus on the direct history of neckwear as it is used today.

The history of current neckties can be trace back to the Thirty Years War.

After a hard fought victory over the Ottoman empire, soldiers from the Croatia brigade, the Royal Cravattes, were presented as heroes to Louis XIV.

This division was an elite hussar regiment that dressed in royal blue colored uniforms. At the ceremony, the officers wore around their necks a brightly colored handkerchief made of silk. The King who had an eye for personal adornment made them an insignia of royalty. It would not be long before a gentleman would not be considered well dressed without some sort of cloth around his neck.

Today, there are four main knots used on neckwear:

- Four-in-hand Knot

- Pratt Knot

- Half-Windsor Knot

- Windsor Knot