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Generational divides have been spelt out in everything from hair partings to jeans and socks in recent years. A side parting or a pair of no-show trainer socks can brand you a millennial or gen X. And now the latest item to instantly highlight the generational divide is an accessory. If bows are a favourite of thirtysomethings, those in their 20s have discovered the neck tie.
On the catwalk, at Saint Laurent, there were baggy, boxy trouser suits worn with ties. Celebrities are also wearing the look. Kelly Rowland wore a suit and tie to endorse Kamala Harris in October, Boygenius all wore ties at the Grammys in February and gen Z style whisperer Hailey Bieber wore a suit and tie to dinner last month.
Willa Bennett, the new editor of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen, is the cult reference for the tie. In 2022, Vogue reported she owned more than 100.
Ultra-feminine bows have become a familiar style over the last few years, with designers such as Sandy Liang, Chopova Lowena, Cecilie Bahnsen and Simone Rocha spearheading its popularity. But bow fatigue – forecast at the start of the year – has set in. The secondhand online marketplace Depop reports that searches for bows decreased 25% since January, while searches for ties increased 32%.
Is this the sign of a shift in aesthetic between generations? Hannah-Banks Walker, the commerce director at Grazia magazine, says it is less clearcut than something like the socks. “[This trend] could reflect the duality of women and reinforce the importance of clothes – how they make us feel and why we reach for one thing over another in a certain moment,” she says.
Women wearing ties has a long history in fashion, from Marlene Dietrich in the 30s to Diane Keaton as Annie Hall in the 70s, power dressing in the 80s and kd lang in the 90s. If, in the past, the item has been seen as a way to gain the power of the patriarchy by taking its clothing, there is a different symbolism in 2024. “The challenges facing women now require a different kind of armour,” says Banks-Walker. “[It’s] not dressing to fit in, as it was then, but rather challenging the status quo and undermining the very idea of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’.”
Wearing a tie harks back to classic power dressing: “Wall Street suits with a flash of Patrick Bateman and a dash of Julia Roberts at the 1990 Golden Globes,” says Banks-Walker – but it is updated for a more fluid generation. “We’re now seeing traditional gender codes cast aside, and the humble tie being contrasted with other pieces to add interest and dimension to an outfit,” says a Depop spokesperson.
Of course, the bow and the tie have the potential to look like dressing-up. “Both can definitely veer into cosplay territory, so it’s about doing it in the right way,” says Banks-Walker. “I walked past a woman on the street the other day who was wearing a tie with a white shirt, oversized blazer and wide-leg trousers. I thought she looked amazing.”
