New Delhi, April 10 -- The humble bow has returned this season with surprising force. From string-slim and bouffant to XXL, it has appeared in an astonishing variety on everything, from blazers, T-shirts and caps to earrings, bathroom slippers, ties and trousers. While bows have been quietly threading their way through collections since 2023, their proliferation this year feels impossible to ignore, marking a shift from an ornament to a must-have.

Over the past few months, several big fashion houses have been reworking the bow motif across haute couture, accessories and ready-to-wear. Dior, for instance, revisited the bow-first seen in its debut 1947 collection-in its spring 2026 line as a structural device, shaping garments, shoes and b...