The Cravat....not so simple or sophisticated

       In history it is said that the ancients were “happily unacquainted with the ridiculous and dangerous fashion of confining the throat with linen”1  . The romans however made use of cloths for the protection of neck and throat these were called focalia. Augustus constantly used such a neck cloth when at home or with friends but never out in public. At the time it was considered beneath the dignity of a man to protect a throat in anyway other then the hand.

        The cloths began to take on a more public role as they were brought into fashion by Louis XIII and were then made utterly extravagant by Louis the XIV. The cravats worn by officers were embroidered or trimmed with fine lace. The lower classes had cotton or at best black taffeta tied at the back with two small strings. These strings were later replaced by clasps and the cravat took the name of stock. Stocks later became pieces of leather attached at the back under his majesty Louis the XV. Officers wanting their men to look healthy asked them  to tighten their stocks almost to the point of suffocation to produce a healthy colouring of the face. Their are even accounts of soldier being taken off the field of battle, not caused by injury, but caused by stocks being so tight it cut off air flow.

       One account by Dr. Pizis mentioned how he was making fun of his commanding officers outrageously big cravat only moments before the officer was shot. When running to the officers aid he found that the bullet had been stopped by the very cravat he was poking fun at.

 After reading about the surprising interesting and outrageously funny history of the cravat we decided we needed to give this little piece of cloth a bigger role on our tours. Our one and only male interpreter was all for it and so evolved our Dandy persona.  We would love to experiment with colour and size but we had quite an issue sorting out what a cravat would have said about you. Certain colours meant certain things. Size and even the way you tied it could tell a gentleman apart from a stable boy.

You even had to pay attention not to wear one colour to a particular type of event lest you be escorted out. Our interpreter is seen below in two cravats. The first being an off duty soldier as the colour black was reserved for those in service however white was worn while on duty. The second shows a bit of an extreme. Portraying a personality similar to the infamous Beau Brummel, we are showing a multicolour cravat rarely seen in the time as it was too bold and fashion forward. Nick is a true Dandy now!

1. LBlanc, LE. The Art of Tying the Cravat. London: Effingham Wilson, 1828. Print.