Croatia's contribution to the world of fashion

You may be wondering what fashion item I'm referring to, and here are some clues. 

photo via

photo via academia cravatica

It's the necktie, or cravat!

 Marko Marulic of Split (1450-1524), a famous Croatian writer from 15th-16th century, decorated with a neck tie. Carved by Ivan Mestrovic in 1924. Photo by Jelena Popic.

And this photo is more for me as I still have a difficult time with ties.

two common ways to tie a cravat knot:

or 

 (photo via)
 In 2003 the Academia Cravatica, dressed up an ancient Roman amphitheatre in the northern Adriatic town of Pula,Croatia with an 800-meter (2,640-foot) red tie, breaking the world record!

Now a history lesson:

According to history : .."when the Thirty-Year's War (1618-1648) was raging in Europe, the Croatian soldiers were drawn into this tragic episode as well. In that war France and Sweden had united forces against the German Empire. The Croatian soldiers served as mercenaries in the light cavalries of both armies. 

photo via

They first gained a reputation of being exceptionally courageous and well trained within the German ranks. After the victories they won over the French troops, Cardinal Richelieu insisted on including Croatian mercenaries in the French army too. In 1633 the first French troop was formed made up of Croatian cavalry. They arrived at Paris under the leadership of their Vice-Roy."

The Croatian traditional military dress included picturesque scarves worn around the neck in a distinctive manner. This handsome "Croatian Style" captivated the Parisians so much,that during the reign of Louis XIV, they too adopted this new fashion item worn "a la Croate."

Now for some fashion:

I found these images and they have changed my mind about wearing ties. I love how chic and stylish Lauren looks. I think her goal of -having women believe that wearing a tie is awesome- has been accomplished don't you agree? She wore this outfit to court and even the judge complimented her! You can read the full story here.

photos via busybeelauren

Did you know that theoretically there are 85 ways to knot a cravat, but only a dozen suit the usual notions of symmetry and balance? Really? I can barely manage to do 1 knot!

"When you tie a cravat without your father´s help, it means you´ve grown up."~ Alessandro di Robilant.

photo courtesy of MarinNYC

A very stylish boy!