Return of the tie: London Fashion Week’s most seen street style accessory

The streets of London during Fashion Week are often a barometer for experimental street style, and this season was no exception. As the AW25 schedule saw hurried fashion editors rushing between shows, A-listers flitting from presentations to after parties and show-goers emerging from underground runways, they did so wearing an accessory that screams ‘don’t mess with me’. 

The humble tie, once an essential part of the businessman’s wardrobe, has died a sartorial death since the age of working from home. Even employees at the Big Four no longer have to don a tie in the office, with many corporate firms adopting a ‘business casual’ dress code to match their casual working policies. 

There was nothing casual about the streets of London from 21-24 February, as the style set proudly revived one of fashion’s most simple accessories. 

Embracing a ‘borrowed-from’ chic, these fun, formal accessories popping up around the city looked like they were taken straight from a dad’s wardrobe.

Elsewhere, ties crafted from tassels, colour-block moments and even braided hair in place of a classic tie were a natural evolution of the sharp tailoring trend. 

As the lines between gender-conforming clothes continue to blur, Fashion Week revellers paired their ties with everything from power suits to pleated skirts, adding a playfulness to London’s grey streets. 

It’s not the first time we’ve seen ties make headlines. At the 1990 Golden Globe Awards, Julia Roberts made a bold fashion statement by donning an oversized grey Giorgio Armani suit paired with a tie. 

On a red carpet full of bejewelled gowns, silhouette-skimming dresses and feminine fits, Julia’s menswear moment was an unconventional move, but an iconic one. 

At the Golden Globes in 2025, The Bear star Ayo Edebiri paid homage to that exact moment, wearing a custom Loewe grey suit and gold feather tie. 

Her stylist, Danielle Goldberg, took to Instagram Stories to share a side-by-side comparison of Ayo’s Golden Globes ensemble and Julia Roberts’ iconic 1990 look – an oversized Armani suit paired with a crisp white shirt and a printed tie -highlighting the inspiration behind the outfit.

“Important,” she wrote over the photo, tagging both actresses.

So, the tie may have died a death in London’s corporate scene, but if Fashion Week’s best dressed have anything to say for it, we can expect to see the tie making a major revival in our wardrobes.