<P> The bow tie originated among Croatian mercenaries during the Thirty Years' War of the 17th century: the Croat mercenaries used a scarf around the neck to hold together the opening of their shirts . This was soon adopted (under the name cravat, derived from the French for "Croat") by the upper classes in France, then a leader in fashion, and flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries . It is uncertain whether the cravat then evolved into the bow tie and four - in - hand necktie, or whether the cravat gave rise to the bow tie, which in turn led to the four - in - hand necktie . </P> <P> The most traditional bow ties are usually of a fixed length and are made for a specific size neck . Sizes can vary between approximately 14 and 19 inches as with a comparable shirt collar . Fixed - length bow ties are preferred when worn with the most formal wing - collar shirts, so as not to expose the buckle or clasp of an adjustable bow tie . Adjustable bow ties are the standard when the tie is to be worn with a less formal, lie - down collar shirts which obscure the neckband of the tie . "One - size - fits - all" adjustable bow ties are a later invention that help to moderate production costs . </P> <P> To its devotees, the bow tie suggests iconoclasm of an Old World sort, a fusty adherence to a contrarian point of view . The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned, and sometimes suggests technical acumen, perhaps because it is so hard to tie . Bow ties are worn by magicians, country doctors, lawyers and professors and by people hoping to look like the above . But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think . - Warren St John in The New York Times </P> <P> Popular perception tends to associate bow tie wearers with particular professions, such as architects, finance receipt collectors, attorneys, university professors, teachers, waiters, and politicians . Pediatricians frequently wear bow ties since infants cannot grab them the way they could grab a four - in - hand necktie . Bow ties do not readily droop into places where they would get soiled or where they could, whether accidentally or deliberately, strangle the wearer . Clowns sometimes use an oversize bow tie for its comic effect . Classical musicians traditionally perform in white tie or black tie ensembles, of which both designs are bow ties . Bow ties are also associated with weddings, mainly because of their almost universal inclusion in traditional formal attire . </P>

Where did the name dickie bow come from