The cravat, the ancient ancestor of the tie and the distant relative of the bow tie, is having somewhat of a renaissance. But where did it come from?
The cravat originated in the 1630s and like most men's fashions at the time it was of military origin. The cravat was first seen on Croatian mercenaries enlisted by the French who knotted cloths around their necks, from linens worn by the soldiers to the fine silks worn by the officers.
The word cravat comes from the french word 'cravate', which came from the mispronunciation of the word 'croate' meaning Croatian.
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