India, Dec. 7 -- The tie is suddenly fun again. What used to be a stiff office staple is now one of the coolest accessories on runways, red carpets and street style. Designers and celebs are playing with new shapes, soft fabrics and even jewellery to give this classic piece a modern twist.

Well, fashion's interest in reworking the tie did not appear overnight. It started with Alessandro Michele replacing the traditional tie with a scarf for his first collection at Valentino. The bigger push then came from South Korean Canadian designer Hyungwoo Jung and his viral necktie cutout jacket. It has no tie, but the front is carved so sharply that when you button it up, it creates the clean outline of one.

It changed how people think about neck...