2,000 Years of the Necktie
Ascots Cross the Finish Line

by David Johnson

NECKTIES
THROUGH THE AGES

Introduction

• 210 B.C.
China's First Emperor

• 113 A.D.
Did Romans Wear Ties?

• 17th Century
Croatian Cravats for the King of France

Cravats Go to England

Real Men Wear Lace

• 18th Century
Cowboy Bandannas from India

Sailing the Seven Seas

• 19th Century
Business Suit Takes Shape

Cambridge & Oxford School Ties

Ties Fit for Officers and Gentlemen

Bow Ties Center Stage

A Tie Singing Dixie

Lord Byron's Legacy

Women Tie the Knot, Too!

• 20th Century
Paris Presents Designer Ties

Celebrities & Rock Stars

Ascots Cross Finish Line

Bolo: The Tie That Won the West

Turtleneck: The Anti-Tie

In Europe an ascot is a wide cravat of pale gray patterned silk only worn with very formal morning wear, to weddings, or England's Royal Ascot races, where it gets its name. In the U.S., ascot means cravat. The ascot was commonly worn for business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.