Gen Z stars explore creative ways to don the business-formal look
Suiting up is not just for the office anymore. While the masculine jacket-and-tie statement has defined formal sophistication for hundreds of years now, it is taking on a different identity on feminine bodies.
Now, clothing articles like blazers and bowties have made space for themselves on the runway, like with Tolu Coker’s London Fashion Week collection, which featured leather blazers and satin ties over tailored shirts.
If Sabrina Carpenter’s Dolce & Gabbana showgirl look at the Grammys is any indication, the trend has been making waves not just on the ramp but also on the red carpet and the stage. While Sabrina’s look channelled The Greatest Showman, Cynthia Erivo’s pinstripe suit at the 56th NAACP Image Awards served timeless elegance. Even Chappell Roan succumbed to the hype in the teaser photos for The Giver.
Over at the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards, Nicole Kidman brought a business-casual touch with her striped collared shirt, black dotted tie, and a coat whose sleeves bunched up over her elbow. Meanwhile, Ayo Edebiri shined in her gray ensemble at the Golden Globes 2025.
Lax fashion
From Thom Browne’s patchwork take on the traditional attire to Billie Eilish’s signature merchandise, the jacket-and-tie look has been a long-standing fashion staple with surprising variety, especially on women who are keen on bringing a glamorous yet comfortable flair to it.
Even content creator and architect Yasmine Tangou understands the hype. Yasmine, who prefers the sturdy fitting of men’s suits over curvy dresses, told the BBC, “I like the movement in a men’s garment and the wider, boxier silhouette.”
The outfits she flaunts on her TikTok are often paired with ties and trench coats. “From a social point of view, I really like that wearing a tie and jacket is bold,” she said. “People don’t expect it on a woman.”
However, the influencer has certain preferences even when it comes to simply suiting up. “I thought the office-siren look was really cool, but it was about showing off the body, whereas this look is about the garment,” she said.
If you compare a tight-fitted suit to the Bottega Veneta ensemble that Vicky Krieps wore to the film Hot Milk’s Berlinale premiere, you’ll know what Yasmine is talking about. Tucking in a striped cotton shirt, Vicky donned a dark jacquard tie and oversized pants and coats that might look distracting at first glance but have an ease to them that fashion doesn’t always afford.
Capsule editor Holly Beddingfield, who falls in the older Gen Z bracket, attributed the rise in creatively sporting the jacket-and-tie look to the shift back to onsite working, which the current working generation is only now getting acquainted to. “We haven’t worked in formal environments before, and since lots of offices are ending working from home, we’re thinking, ‘why not have fun with dressing for work?'” she told the BBC.
“I wear lots of oversized-men’s items, but that can stray into the territory of looking lazy and like I don’t care. But a tie can take a boyish outfit, and make it look polished, in the same way having my nails done and wearing jewellery does too.”
For others, the popularity of the fashion statement has been liberating as it has helped them broaden their sense of self-expression. Recalling her teenage years, British designer Bella Freud said, “I put on this boy’s shirt, and I stared at myself in the mirror. Suddenly I felt agile and powerful. It was a real moment for me.”
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