Knot dead yet: the tie is suddenly your most important accessory
Having infiltrated fashion week and celebrated at Wimbledon, the tie has become your most powerful accessory
FASHION WEEK: A subtle coup took place within the menswear collections shown in Paris and Milan. Across the spring/summer 2026 menswear shows, our good friend the tie – that stiff symbol of corporate culture long considered collateral damage in fashion’s casualisation – slipped back into view and around the necks of models and guests alike. Its return marks a revival of the psychology of power dressing, only this time it’s creeping into off-duty looks as well.
It’s official that the reign of the oversized and distressed (thank you for your services, Demna’s Balenciaga) has been shoved out of sight in favour of new-era preppy, the clean-cut look of the moneyed and the manor’d. It was only time that the tie, long, loose and incredibly wide with all that it represents, would come swinging back into fashion.
At Dior, Jonathan Anderson’s menswear debut treated the tie as a disruption rather than decorum. Half-knotted, skewed, worn with pleated shorts and denim shirting rather than traditional suiting. Even the guests were in on the action. Daniel Craig kept it louche while Robert Pattinson was the definition of rakish style.
Related: The biggest menswear trends of spring/summer 2025
At Saint Laurent, tonal ties were tucked and styled into slouchy, rolled-up silhouettes that felt more spontaneous than strategic, while Louis Vuitton transformed the tie into pop iconography, slicing bold stripes and iridescent finishes through crisp shirting and long-line coats.
Dries Van Noten reminded us that print isn’t dead when it comes to the accessory, while Amiri delivered wide, retro cuts, and Willy Chavarria showed off brazen colour clashes. Worn with streetwear, sportswear or nothing conventionally “formal” at all, it became less about the office and more about owning the interruption.
In all this, there’s really only one rule: go wide, go thick. Knots are non-negotiable and should be done correctly. Half-Windsor’s and Pratt knots preferred, no four-in-hand or, good taste forbid, pre-tied.
The coolest ties to get loosen up your style with
The iconography icon
When Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet came out in cinemas, the coolest thing to have was Catholic-inspired print everything. Its retro symbolism became hedonistic in its embellishment and colour. This brown silk edition by craft-y Japanese label Kapital still captures that subversive boldness but tones it down with muted quarter tones. A perfect penance for sins of style.
The Italian job
One of the defining features of luxury should never be the final price, but the craftsmanship that goes into it. Entirely handmade in Italy, Brunati Como keeps genuine quality and style within reach. Made from silk Shantung, the raw texture brings a delicious insouciance to the finished look.
The black tie, with a twist
Inspired by the industrial-esque jewellery collection Chaine d’Ancre, Hermès applies their signature twist to the classic black tie courtesy of a motif, just below the knot,of the Chaine d’Ancre Punk brooch. Never one to shout, it’s perfect for those who prefer their style statements subdued but retaining a powerful impact.
The jagged little lines
Patrick Johnson’s reputation for reinvigorating an Australian sense of style should be applauded. He hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but he has provided them with a wardrobe of classics that carry enough local personality to become distinct within a global market. A simple design of olive green silk with zig zag patterns – what’s not to like?
The everyman
Christian Kimber’s approach to style is a self-identified “scruffy tailoring”. It’s the wardrobe of a very elegant, if eccentric, professor who specialises in some obscure art form. This paired back, chocolate silk tie is the true everyman: white, blue, striped – there’s few shirts it won’t work with and just as many suit options. An absolute workhorse of a tie.
The preppy geek
Prada’s obsession with recursive runways that eternally reference and re-reference has meant that they’ve regularly cornered the preppy and geek markets when other brands long abandoned the theme. Miuccia, now with Raf, have a similar approach aesthetics – one that’s cerebrally brutal in its execution. The result is often jarring and shows a certain amount of confidence and panache to pull off.
The old boy
The best style statements benefit from a fuss free approach that shows you’re not overthinking it. M.J. Bale never overdoes it and their Faletti tie is a good example of this. An easy-to-wear colour palette that partners with the work suit as easily as it does with a blazer on the weekend.
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