A Meditation on the Fall 2021 Show Season
It wasn’t too long ago when my roommate was on the phone with a family friend (one of today’s youths), after which he told me something that I was not at all ready to hear: “Hey, so apparently nobody wears jeans anymore.”
Confused (and also wearing a pair of jeans), I asked, “What do you mean nobody wears jeans anymore.”
To which he responded with “Well, they’re out of style; these days, people don’t wear them.”
The thought that what once was a staple in my wardrobe—and also the only type of pants in my closet—was suddenly deemed fashionably unacceptable among today’s youths left me feeling momentarily shocked. Especially donning the hollow title of a fashion blog’s editor-in-chief, I felt the need to pander to what was hip with the kids. While, admittedly, the pandemic led me to take a breather from keeping up with fast pace of fashion, I never thought my hibernation would last long enough for a closet stable to become obsolete. Though I tried to keep a cool face and not let my roommate’s friend (whom I’ve yet to meet) decide what covers my legs this season, I did end up putting down a cool lump of cash for a pair of red plaid “casual trousers” in a last ditch effort to remain within the range of “stylish.”
Thinking I had single-handedly kept my reputation as an inconsistent fashion enthusiast, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of my “casual trousers.” Of course, with any of these endeavors to try to keep up with today’s young-uns, I inevitably ate crow served with a side of disappointment or occasionally the sweet flavor of embarrassment.
Much to my dismay, when my eagerly awaited “casual trousers” arrived, I unwrapped that brown cardboard box to find that my red-plaid ticket back into fashion acceptance was but a mere pair of pyjamas.
What can we learn from this old EIC’s mishaps? One: read the product details before you purchase anything, and two: trends are entirely arbitrary.
Yes, its a message I’ve been preaching since my earliest incarnation of this trend report series, but something I still stand by today. Fashion should never be prescriptive: rather, it is observable, it is inspirational, it is commercial and—like its byproduct, the trend—it is an entirely arbitrary system. We’re led to believe certain looks or garments are more fashionable than others. But over time, I’ve discovered that this dated form of gatekeeping just keeps those who prefer to hold onto staple pieces outside of the echelon of some ridiculously exclusive club. The nature of much of the industry is exclusive despite the fact that within the powerhouses of today’s designers, the overwhelming message seems to be about expanding accessibility and inspiring optimism.
Working across MODA for as many years as I have has made me realize the aspects of fashion that I enjoy and those which I’m much less fond of, and as such, a lot of those more enjoyable aspects became the pillars on which I imagined rebuilding the blog. I wanted to create a space that celebrates the expansive nature of fashion, and its ability to offer up a novel vocabulary for discussion and engaging with the world. I wanted to do away with any kind of re-sorting of what’s “acceptable” and what’s “out of style,” and instead use fashion and its adjacent media as portals and dictionaries to transport my team’s varied points of view.
Bruno Sialelli brought us a 2000’s fantasy for his opulent show set to a soundtrack of Gwen Stefani and Eve
And as such, that is where our seasonal trend report has gone. If you’re reading this thinking, it’s time for me to buy a tutu because I want to be fashionable, I’m afraid you may have misread the article. Rather, I want you to see the expansiveness of how an idea or style gets circulated throughout a commercial market, perhaps as a sign of the times, but more broadly, as a jumping off point moving forwards for your own development of persona.
Between prepping for this article, I’ve been furiously crying over a thesis and aggressively piecing together my third and final collection for this year’s MODA Fashion Show, and through this holy trinity of pain masked by flowing fabrics and glitter, I’ve managed to push out some kind of a perspective that ultimately language may not be able to articulate on its own.
Jeremy Scott’s Vintage Vision for Moschino’s Fall 2021 show featured the likes of Shalom Harlow, Dita Von Teese and Maye Musk.
Through this pandemic, many of us may have turned to creative avenues as a means of speaking our truths and telling our stories. In an endeavour to offer you another form of solace, I write what may be my last Trend Report (in my plaid pyjamas, no less). I’m hoping you may be able to take a cue from any of this season’s phygital fashion shows as an origin of inspiration for your next narrative masterpiece and I wish you all the best in the upcoming season.
And with that, here are my top trends from the Fall 2021 shows.
Back to School
It seems that designers are buckling down on a possible return to work and school, and many have embracing a wardrobe that’s less Work from Home and more Work the Hallways Like a Runway. From varsity sweater sets at Etro and Philosophy to more Gothic interpretations at Simone Rocha and Valentino, many designers seem eager to offer up a fall wardrobe that screams Back to School. To get the look, mix plaids with closet staples like button downs and trousers, layer your pieces for more put together looks, or customize garments with hardware for a more punk take on the trend. And, of course, don a pair of shoes that are classroom appropriate and conducive to lots of running between classes, because we all know we haven’t had that privilege for a while.
Blow Up
Big, Ballooning silhouettes were another major trend at this season’s runway shows with some designers reaching volumes that seem absolutely impossible to adopt today. This cocoon style, though a little bit bizarre, might prove to be the optimal strategy for embracing those chilly Chicago winters. And in the right color or print, you’d be sure to be trackable if yet another polar vortex hits. The winner for the largest balloon might go to Rei Kawakubo’s very gentlemanly collection at Comme Des Garçons this season, but more wearable looks have been seen at houses like Zimmerman and Cecilie Bahnsen. If you want to take on the balloon trend, consider picking up a puffer coat for the colder seasons, or balloon sleeved dresses and tops for the upcoming spring/summer months.
All in One
A byproduct of the pandemic seems to be an emphasis on outfits that you wear all the time, and it seems like a skin tight catsuit is one proposal to fit that bill. Whether you intend to layer dresses, coats, trousers and tops over it, or just go full Selina Kyle, the skin tight catsuit is one of this season’s most unique comebacks. Though certainly a graphic look, I must say, I wish designers and casting directors showcased the trend on a wider range of body types this season. In order for the trend to trickle down appropriately to today’s crowd, it would be great if from the top down we got solutions for how to make such a measurement-specific garment accessible to those of us whose measurements don’t fit within a double zero. Highlights go to the house of Prada, whose patterned bodysuits seemed to have been first introduced in the last menswear show, and also Laquan Smith’s hyper-sexy nearly naked versions, which I can only imagine will be big hits with some of today’s pop starlets (do it for Dua Lipa!!!).
Tutu Much
Tulle is one of my favorite fabrics to design with because of it’s great volume and movement as well as its transparency, so it was a treat to see so many designers playing with the mesh textile in their collections this season. There’s no doubt in my mind that Molly Goddard took home the prize for fluffiest tulle this year, with a number of her garments not only sparkling on the runway, but also on the red carpet at a number of this year’s award shows. The ballet-famous fabric was seen crossing the stage at Erdem’s dance inspired show, in the form of petticoats and skirts and tulle took a darker spin at Dior’s Romantic Versaille show. To take on the trend, I’d consider looking into layering transparent coats and tops with more vibrant pieces, or generally mixing softer tulle garments with harder leathers, or chunky knits. More broadly, expect tulle to be hitting shops soon, but be warned that it’s not the most washing-machine friendly textile!
Now in Technicolor
While fall shows tend to boast a glorious array of monochrome looks, I must say that even my dark heart took a shinning to the rainbow-colored palettes stomping down this season’s runways. I’ve always believed rainbows to be symbols of optimism after dark times, so I can’t help but feel like designers are expecting quite a fanfare when vaccine rollout wraps next fall. From technicolor sets at Chanel’s rock inspired show to Chopova Lowena’s mixed-textile take on the trend, the rainbow is certainly stretching around the world in eager anticipation for brighter days. To take on the trend, I recommend buying and layering vintage. Many designers mixed new and deadstock fabrics to create quite variegated collages of patterns, colors, and textures. In an industry that produces as much product as it does, it’s great to see some brands making the effort to celebrate re-using and recycling fabrics and styles.
Opulence!
What even are clothes anymore? Since we’ve been under lockdown, the lines of what we constitute as wearable may have gotten blurred. Within this season’s shows, many designers have taken to mixing prèt-à-porter with couture techniques to produce hybrids of opulence and everyday. Many big names in the trend are pre-established couture icons like Schiaparelli whose gold helmets, rings, and shoes give off intense Midas vibes with a dash of Alice in Wonderland. Others, like young New York brand Christian Cowan, play up the trend with a bit more humor, boasting coats and gloves made of recycled watches. Generally, it’s a tough trend to take on (especially on a student’s budget), but I’d suggest trying to mix dressier and casual pieces together. If WFH has taught us anything it’s that we can get away with dressing fancy on top and keeping our sweats on underneath.
Body Modifications
Some of my favorite trends are those that seem to make no sense whatsoever. We may laugh (or potentially shudder) at the body modification trend, but when it boils down to it, the trend essentially centers on the question of why we’ve adhered to arbitrary body ideals in the first place. From Raf Simon’s extendo-sleeves to Moschino’s human-animal hybrids to Junya Watanabe’s Batwing boilers, the body modification trend is all about expanding how we allow clothing to respond to our bodies. I’d say if you want to take on the trend, consider leaning into oversized garments or creatively refashioning how you wear clothes. Hang some sleeves past your arms, or wear a jacket upside down, throw on a coat three sizes too big, and maybe a pair of shorts that are shorter than you’re used to. The trend is all about offering up a novel relationship to your body through fashion. And besides, any excuse for casual Cyberpunk 2077 cosplay is worth it in my opinion!
So those are my thoughts on this season’s shows. Which trends were your favorite and which are you going to try for yourself?
All images and gifs via Vogue Runway
