The French call a bow tie ‘Le Noeud Papillon’ which translates to ‘the knot of the butterfly’ and its history is derived originally from Croatian mercenaries during the Prussian wars of the 17th Century, who used a piece of cloth to shut close the collar of their shirts.

The French upper class adopted the fashion and called them ‘cravats’, derived from the French word for ‘Croat’ and with time the cravat evolved firstly into the bow tie and then later into the neck tie.

Traditionally bow ties are made of silks and, in the case of formal wear, the bow tie should match the lapel of the jacket.

The main shapes of bows, represented in this collection, are: the batwing, the slim batwing, the classic butterfly and the diamond point.

The bow tie, once reserved for the cultural elite, is now becoming more and more fashionable in current times, made popular by celebrities and television characters such as Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl), Tom Ford, Albert Elbaz, Drew Barrymore and Karl Largerfeld to name but a few. For more information on styles, trends and influences, please see the LNP blog at www.lenoeudpapillon.blogspot.com.