For something so slight, the necktie once carried weight. It meant business, status, effort – or at least the performance of it. But somewhere between the rise of remote work and the fall of dress codes, it slipped. Day to day, it’s become a rare sight, replaced by open collars, soft knits and the steady creep of normcore. And yet, the tie isn’t dead – far from it. It’s being rethought, reworked and re-worn, not as a symbol of stiff tradition, but as a tool of personal style, wit and control.
Recent men’s fashion weeks didn’t just nod to the necktie – they wrapped it around the moment and pulled tight. At Dior, oversized, loosely knotted styles delivered a kind of anti-corporate elegance: relaxed, louche, and powerful. Dolce & Gabbana took a different tack – silk ties with slouchy, pajama-adjacent tailoring, blurring the line between bedroom and boardroom. Meanwhile, over at Saint Laurent, sharp tailoring met extreme narrow monochrome ties halfway tucked into the shirt, a look that focused on the styling of the tie more than anything.
But the tie’s resurgence isn’t confined to the catwalk. Away from the flash and frenzy of fashion week, in arenas governed by their own unwritten rules and traditions, the necktie has never quite disappeared. Consider the racecourse. British horse racing, steeped in ceremony and sartorial codes, remains one of the few bastions where the tie still holds unchallenged sway. It was here, among trainers, punters and presenters, that Frankie Foster – a racing presenter with an eye for style – came to appreciate the tie’s lasting potency. For Foster, the necktie is less a relic and more a means of transformation.
“A good tie makes a huge difference,” Foster tells MOJEH. “You can wear the same suit three days running with different ties and look completely different each time. But a bad tie – or a bad knot – can undo everything. It’s the detail that makes or breaks an outfit.” It was this nuanced understanding that inspired Foster to launch his own brand Franc James, focusing on a collection of ties, rooted in racing heritage but designed for the wider world.
His first collection drew on the Cheltenham Gold Cup, an event synonymous with British racing culture. “I wanted to capture the spirit of those horses – the colours, the prints, even nods to legends like Kauto Star, whose distinctive white blaze is echoed in star prints on a brown tie,” he says. But Foster is careful to ensure his designs work well beyond the racecourse. “Ties shouldn’t be restrictive. I want mine to fit weddings, garden parties, anywhere a man wants to look sharp without feeling stiff.”
This interplay of tradition and versatility lies at the heart of the tie’s wider renaissance. No longer confined to the boardroom or formal occasions, the necktie is increasingly a subtle but potent means of personal expression. It offers men a way to introduce colour, texture and personality into their wardrobes – a small accessory with outsized impact.
The cultural resonance of the tie has also shifted. Once a symbol of conformity and professionalism, the tie now carries a more complex message. It can evoke heritage, as in Foster’s racing-inspired designs, or signal a playful nod to classic style, as recent runway collections have shown. Today, the tie is less about rigid dress codes and more about dressing with intention.
This revival is also a reaction to the casualisation of menswear over the past decade. With dress codes relaxing across offices and social settings, the tie has largely dropped from daily wear. Yet many men are rediscovering its power when occasion demands. The tie elevates an outfit with minimal fuss, adding polish without ceremony.
Foster’s ambitions are global. He envisions expanding his collections to reflect racing cultures from America to Hong Kong and the Middle East. “I spend time presenting in Bahrain and Dubai, and I’m inspired by their flags and colours. I want to build an international racing collection that resonates beyond Britain,” he explains.
This international perspective underscores the necktie’s ongoing evolution: an accessory firmly rooted in tradition yet endlessly adaptable. It stands as a defiance of casual uniformity – a reminder that style, even in its smallest details, can be purposeful and meaningful.
Ultimately, the tie’s return is not a resurrection of bygone formality but a recognition of its enduring relevance. As menswear continues to evolve, the necktie reclaims its place, proving that how you tie your knot still very much matters.
