Loose and casual with a polo shirt or dapper and refined with a waistcoat... Jennifer Meguro of Cravat Club shares her top tips for making the most of this versatile neck accessory

The cravat. An accessory often associated with the cultured and refined gent, is believed to have originated from Croatia as a part of battle dress and was made fashionable across Europe by the French King Louis XIV in the 17th century.

These days, the cravat is an accessory often overlooked by the greater male populace, perhaps for being too formal or dapper, but Jennifer Meguro of Cravat Club assures us this simple piece of neckwear can be as versatile as it is eye catching. Here are her top tips for the art of cravat wearing...

Wear a cravat with conviction. A day cravat isn’t as wide-spread as, say, a necktie so for gentlemen who haven’t delved into cravat-wearing before, you require a certain amount of confidence. Get to know your cravat and feel comfortable wearing it. You don’t have to make a huge statement; be as subtle or as bold as you like. Once you find what suits you, you will be brimming with bravado.
You can show as little or as much of the cravat as you wish, depending on your outfit or occasion.
You can wear the cravat the traditional way, by tucking it inside your shirt.
You can also wear the cravat on the outside of your shirt and tucked inside a waistcoat or slim fitted jacket.
For a more casual look, you can simply wear the cravat like a scarf on the outside of a t-shirt or shirt. The looser and lower down it is, the more casual it looks, whereas if you tie and position it higher on the neck, it looks more formal and stands out more.
You can dress it up or dress it down, simply by how you wear it or what you wear it with. For a more casual look, try wearing it with a polo neck.
Cravats look good on women, too: tied in the hair or in a bow around the neck.