All About Ascots & Cravats

I'm excited to report that there is some evidence that the Ascot, (or Cravat) is beginning to make a comeback. I'm not referring to those pre-formed frilly ones you see in tuxedo formal wear shops. I mean the kind a refined, distinguished gentleman would wear with a nice crisp dress shirt. I've long been a fan of ascots, dating back more than twenty years ago when I lived in England. I always felt they looked so elegant and civilized, never pompous or arrogant. I've been wearing ascots on and off for the past ten years, and more recently have begun regularly wearing them to most social events. It takes a certain confidence in oneself to pull it off. The good news is you'll never "see yourself coming and going" wearing an ascot, they are few-and-far between. Now some might say I am a bit eccentric for wearing ascots, I prefer to call myself "individualistic".

Wearing ascots is not for the faint at heart- I've endured my share of sneers and quiet ridicule from the occasional Philistine or uncouth slob from time to time. I interpret such behavior as jealousy or insecurity on their behalf. However the majority of the time when I wear an ascot I receive compliments from all kinds of people who find it a refreshing look in an otherwise bland landscape of menswear.
My Ever-Growing Collection of Cravats & Some History

As of today I have 15 ascots, with a burning desire to acquire more. A bit further down I'll show a few close-up photos of these.
History
Cravats became popular during the early twentieth century as casual wear and even as sports wear by golfers. The Duke of Windsor was often seen wearing ascots, and he was the height of style in Europe and America at the time. During the mid to late 1960's ascots/cravats were also popular with teenage and young adult males as an expression of mid-century modern fashion, often with psychedelic patterns. This craze led the creators of the cartoon series Scooby Doo to draw Fred Jones wearing an orange ascot.

Up Close: My Personal Collection of Ascots:

above: the first group of colors, from red to navy blue...

above: the second group, from blue to black.
The Ascot...It's Not Just For 90 Year old Englishmen Anymore!

above: David Beckham wearing an ascot (here with wife Victoria Beckham)

above: The great Al Pacino as "Michael Corleone" in The Godfather

above: Jeremy Piven, the Emmy and Golden Globe Award winning actor dons an ascot.

above: Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict in Oceans 12

above: Michael Johns, former American Idol finalist wore an ascot on one episode.

above: George Clooney, looking very retro with a pencil-thin moustache and an ascot.

above: Rick Rockhill, The Palm Springs Savant. Ascots are my signature accessory.
The Ascot Emerges in the US Once Again...
Brooks Brothers, the great bastion of American style and traditional clothing is featuring ascots once again on its website, catalog and in stores. After several years of writing to Buyers in department stores and specialty clothing shops like Brooks Brothers, they are starting to emerge here and there. Should one of the Buyers from Brooks Brothers happen to read this, I send you my utmost thanks! Of course, I've been wearing ascots for years, trying to single handily bring them back in fashion here in the US. A good ascot looks casually elegant, can be worn to dress up jeans, with a suit, or can be worn formally. They are a nice alternative to a tie, you can look nice without the top shirt button closed as you would to wear a necktie. They also conceal chest hair- if you are wearing a dress shirt open and don't want to look too informal.

above: these photos are from the Brooks Brothers website featuring ascots.
"How Do I Wear One", You Ask?

Since there seems to be some renewed interest in ascots/cravats, I scoured the Internet to demonstrate some of the different ways to wear them. Just wrap it around your neck and tie a half knot. To make it look a little more full, you can tie a four in hand knot- just don’t push the tie through the knot. This will provide some padding under the cravat so it will ride higher, especially if its is a thin silk material.
Handy Instructions on How to Tie an Ascot or Cravat:

And this one too:

NOW, WHICH ASCOT SHOULD I BUY TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION?

Below are the four different ascots Brooks Brothers has on their website. I think you can click on these photos to see more detail. Which one do you like best, considering the ones I already have? (see photos above)

LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR VOTE

above left: Orange, above right: Brown

above left: Gold, above right: Burgundy
So which ascot should I buy next? Please leave a comment and indicate your choice by color. Thanks!

-Rick Rockhill