The most frequent questions
- 1. How has bow-tie got its name?
- It got its name because of the great success of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly. The lead singer was wearing a ribbon around her neck that looked like a butterfly and thus the name bow-tie.
- 2. Can I donate a cravat?
- Of course. You can read all about donations to our institution here.
- 3. Were the Croats really the first ones to invent the cravat?
- Croats were the first to wear a cravat as an accessory, which was completely new in contemporary Europe. Similar articles of clothing have existed before that time among Roman and Chinese soldiers, but they had not been used as accessories and, eventually, they stopped wearing them.
- 4. What shapes can a collar have?
- The most frequent shapes are French-cut, Caesar, tuxedo and Russian-cut collar.
- 5. Is there going to be an art installation like “A Cravat around the Arena” soon?
- A project “A cravat around Dubrovnik” is in preparation for the year 2007. The main goals of the project are knotting a cravat around the Old Town walls of Dubrovnik, and its lower part, the body of a tie, will be in the sea.
- 6. What are the most important documents which connect Croats and the cravat?
- 1754 Diderot- D’Alambert’s encyclopaedia links the cravat with Croats. Encyclopaedia Britannica reports that the noun cravat developed from Crabat, Cravat, Croatian and that it dates from 1656.
- 7. How many cravats should I have?
- A dozen cravats is enough.
- 8. Can I alter a cravat if the size is wrong?
- A cravat cannot be altered.
- 9. Can one wear a business suit and a cravat not made of silk?
- It is best to wear a silk cravat and a business suit. It is possible to wear cravats made of other materials, but it is not recommended.