While the pandemic is far from over, it seems the fashion world is yearning to just forget what we have lived through for the past year and return to life as normal.
The current season’s collections offer up a range of designs for all occasions.
No matter if you are back in the office or still working at home, there is something new and trendy that may just catch your eye. Those who are living in countries allowing social gatherings can even find the latest stylish getups for parties.
Glamorous, chic, practical and comfortable. The current fashion season’s designs can be said to be as standout as the runway shows (both physical and digital) that were put on in the past few months.
As much as designers were talking about Covid-19 being a wake up call and a sign that fashion needs to change, things are rushing back to normalcy.
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Michael Kors shut down Times Square in New York City for his Autumn/Winter 2021 runway show back in April. It was seen as life’s big party.
He also recently introduced a “wear-everywhere line of loungewear” called MKGO. This athletic-inspired fashion collection for women and men combines luxe and laid-back elements.
The campaign itself embodies what we all are probably wishing for right now – to be able to head out and enjoy a good time with friends, dressed in your most stylish outfits, of course.
Supermodel Bella Hadid is shown with the sun in her face and a refreshing drink in hand as she walks the city streets with her posse.
“#MKGO offers must-have styles for the ultimate jetsetter, providing exactly the wardrobe refresh that’s needed as the world begins to open up again,” reads the press statement.
Among the offerings is a cozy chic knit dress, reversible long puffer and a range of sporty essentials including leggings, joggers, T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Setting the cheerful tone for the whole season is a colour combination of optic orange and the brand’s chocolate signature print, often punctuated by bold logo accents.Michael Kors is not the only designer who has a post-lockdown frame of mind though.
Life goes on
Like Kors, she is inspired by the hustle and bustle of life. Through the collection, she reinterprets American luxury and sportswear – channelled through the attitude of classic New York.
There is one difference though, Burch still adheres to the idea of seasonless dressing. Her designs comprise basic pieces that can form the wardrobe of any one woman, no matter the time of year.
Crisp cotton shirts, knit turtlenecks and feminine shirt dresses. Or men’s suiting with softer proportions and poplin evening dresses, all of which can be styled differently for different weather.
Accessories and jewellery are then added for an extra dimension. For example, louche hobos and structured crescent bags, loafers, curved-heel boots and gold and multi-button chokers.
“It is both the dream and the reality of possibilities... opportunity, creativity and diversity,” Burch notes, in the press release.
Party it up
A wardrobe reset was predicted last year. It was in view of the pandemic keeping everyone indoors. At that time, everyone believed in a reduction of excess when it comes to dressing up.
Dior unveiled breathtakingly gorgeous gowns for the Autumn/Winter 2021 season, which were embellished to the maximum.
Not just that, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri took it one step further. She weaved themes from fairy tales centred around ideas of appearance versus character (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty) into the collection.
“People don’t just want functionality and timelessness. They want desire, too,” she told Vogue, on how post-lockdown psychology should not be defined by strict austerity.
Alexander McQueen also went for fanstastical designs. The label’s creative director, Sarah Burton, came up with alluringly abstract and loud creations.
Unlike Dior, the Alexander McQueen offerings had a more streamlined silhouette. What stood out were the prints.
Contrast played into the aesthetic. Structured denim dresses spliced with woolen peacoats, for example. Or the merging of biker jackets with the bustiers of frocks.
Back to work
There are also labels that went the business route. Formal wear may be seen as going out the window with everyone working from home in the past year, but it remains a valid style of dressing.
While we have been accustomed to attending meetings in sweatpants over a Zoom call, Sacai is betting on the reemergence of dressing up.
Think of a strong woman who is inherently chic enough to pull off a peacoat paired with a voluminous skirt. Professional on top, but fashionable at the bottom.
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Burberry also presented a range of well tailored designs. They were sensual, but still demure.
While said to revolve around feminism, the naturalist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were also inspirations.
Think of the designs as something a creative urbanite would wear. A city “uniform” as she struts on her commute to the office.
The message of the Burberry collection is “renewal”.
“At its core, the collection carries a sense of unflinching pride and conviction. With a sense of fluidity, looks reinvent tradition, twist classicism and encourage freedom of expression,” the description reads.
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