No one knows for sure when this elegant menswear accessory did appear. It is very likely, however, that around 1650 Croatian mercenary troops of Louis XIV arrived to France with a strip around the neck, forming a rosette at its end. This impressed so much that the “Croatian" quickly became fashionable and this term –Croatian- was quickly transformed into “corbata” (Spanish), “cravatta” (Italian) or “cravate” (French). Louis XV itself created the figure of the tie-holder, a servant whose only task was to put and take the tie to the King.

Since then, the tie has become the ultimate sign of an elegant man. "L'Art de se Mettre la Cravatta", fashion guide attributed to

Honoré de Balzac and published in Paris in 1827, extols its importance and describes 22 different ways to knot the tie: Windsor, Half Windsor, English, American, and so on.

It is said that Napoleon always wore a black tie with white border. The morning of June 18th 1815 he decided to change his tie: that day he lost Waterloo battle, according to Mr. Beausset, palace prefect.

Today, thanks to the large assortment of designs and colours available at the market, more than 600 million men wear daily a tie.