The boss wears a hoodie. The intern wears a necktie.
For those who spent years, even decades, with silk knots around their necks, the business-casual movement has been a breath of fresh air, literally.
But for those professionals never subjected to stuffy dress codes, transitioning from college campuses to nearly as informal workplaces can feel like missing a rite of passage. Some 20-somethings are embracing the necktie to project gravitas and show personality with a pattern or pop of color.
Women are getting in on the tie renaissance, too, saying it helps command a room.
Ryan Klein, 21, sported a suit and tie daily as a Republican congressional intern for the past two summers. The senior at Pennsylvania State University reached back in time for hand-me-down neckties his great-grandfather wore from the 1940s to 1960s, plus a few new purchases.
Often Klein was more decked out than lawmakers and senior aides.
He was surprised, during one of his first weeks on Capitol Hill last year when House and Senate leaders wore dress sneakers to a meeting in the Oval Office. Then he remembered a viral photo of open-collared world leaders at a G-7 summit in 2022. Dressing down is now the norm, he realized, even at the highest echelons of power.
That may change as President-elect Donald Trump and his signature shiny neckties return to Washington. Klein admires Trump’s business-formal look because it conveys seriousness about the job, he says. But he wears ties mostly because of how they make him feel.
“It gets me in that mindset of, ‘Hey, I’m going to do something professional today,’” says Klein, who plans to work in Washington after graduating in six months.
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