Tie Fact

16 Things You Didn't Know About Men's Ties!

1. The necktie originated from a silk scarf worn by Croatian soldiers - it became known as the cravate.

2. Marv Beloff invented the wooden bow tie in 1993. He sells nine basic homemade styles and insists that the only things you have to worry about when you wear them are "termites and fires."

3. 300 years ago the English developed neckwear so thick that they could stop a sword thrust. We do not recommend trying that with today's ties...

4. The stripes on British ties usually run from top left to bottom right while the stripes on American ties run from top right to bottom left.

5. At one point in history, merely touching a man's tie knot was cause for a duel.

6. At the height of its popularity, Americans spent more than $1 billion each year to buy a staggering 100 million ties.

7. A good quality silk tie will require approximately 110 silkworm cocoons.

8. The city of Shengzhou in China is one of the world's biggest tie producers, with 200 million ties made there each year.

9. It is possible to buy a bulletproof tie that will stop a 9mm bullet. Could be useful?

10. A person who collects ties is called a Grabatologist. Really.

11. Shih Huang Ti, the first Chinese emperor, wore a tie as long ago as 210 B.C.

12. The Bola Tie is the official tie of Arizona, USA.

13. Al Pacino won the Tony Award for best Supporting Actor in the Play "Does a tiger wear a necktie?". Yes, that is a bit of a tenuous link...

14. In 2002 the tie industry in America saw sales slump by 10% due to the popularity of "dress down days".

15. Iran banned the sale of ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution, deeming it a symbol of western decadence. Wearing them however, is not banned.

16. The most expensive tie ever made cost a mere $220,000. Designed by Satya Paul Design Studio, it contained 271 diamonds and 150 grams of gold.