SS21 FASHION TRENDS!

After a year of lockdown and loungewear, style has a renewed optimism and sense of freedom. Think Victorian puff-sleeves, pink, personalisation and all things '70s. The noughties are also making a comeback with flip-flop platforms, low-slung jeans, crop tops with wrap detailing around the midriff and hair claw clips. Sustainability is bigger than ever in the form of upcycling, recycling and renting clothes. Who What Wear UK writes: 'There was a feeling of optimism across all four cities, with clothes designed for a post lockdown world,' and British Vogue notes: 'Time to play dress up with the spring/summer 2021 fashion trends. You’ve got the time.'

PR-wise, this season's presentations were a trend in their own right with London and New York opting for digital and gender-neutral showcases and Paris and Milan hosting scaled back catwalks with mask and social distancing. According to Harper's BAZAAR in an article entitled: 'Can digital really be the future of fashion week?': 'Off the catwalk, virtual runways can serve as a leveller; instead of fashion week feeling exclusive for a select few, it’s accessible for everyone at all levels to watch.' Saint Laurent decided to ditch the traditional fashion calendar for a second season, adding fuel to the 'slow fashion' fire, a movement defined by 'doing less and better,' as Giorgio Armani puts it to WWD, with Gucci and Michael Kors following suit. Tana Latorre of Paloma Wool tells Harper's: 'Fashion week can feel like an overdose of information and I believe in a future with no seasons and brands who create timeless collections that aren’t restricted to the calendar.' The pandemic presented designers with an opportunity to think outside the box, like Jonathan Anderson for Loewe who showcased his Fall Winter 2021 collection as a newspaper supplement, titled: A Show In The News, alongside the headline: THE LOEWE SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Included is an exclusive preview of best-selling author Danielle Steel’s latest novel The Affair, because, as Anderson says: 'I've always admired [her] as this prolific writer that really encourages people globally to read, which I think is something which is so important.'


One key trend for Spring Summer are exaggerated sleeves whether in the form of maxi dresses with balloon shoulders à la Loewe or bardot-esque bralettes with puff-sleeves à la Isabel Marant. Alexander McQueen also hopped on the fad in the form of belted-up trench coats with over the top shoulders and a leather jacket with sheer puffy arms. Vogue links the trend to WFH and Zoom calls where focus has shifted to the top half, while L'OFFICIEL USA cleverly connects it with the current need to 'increase spatial awareness.' The Victorian era's corsets are also trending with January seeing a spike in searches for the item, as revealed by Who What Wear UK, as well as cutouts at the hips. According to L'OFFICIEL: 'People have a desire to express themselves after a long time of restraint,' and Cosmopolitan UK's Natasha Harding: 'The motto for this season is 'the bigger your sleeves, the better.'' 


PINK is the colour of the present playing into the desire for joy and positivity through its fun and vivid hue. Net-A-Porter calls it 'the stand out-colour' to Who What Wear UK, while British Vogue's July issue had an entire two-page spread dedicated to the tone. In Milan, Valentino sent one model down the SS21 runway in an oversized hot pink boyfriend shirt with British Vogue hailing it 'a hero style' of the season, and Dolce & Gabbana clad a girl in a '50s inspired watermelon corset dress complete with candy rose choker. Meanwhile in Paris, Balmain's collection featured a bubble gum blazer with pointy shoulders and Chanel used denim to create a stunning fuchsia shacket and mini skirt alongside a crossbody bag in the mood-boosting shade. 


Fashion as a reflection of the zeitgeist continues with '70s styling, a period with freedom, love and happiness at its core. Skinnies are out and flares are in as well as an all together looser trouser. A famous face to embrace the era is 'Adore You' and 'Watermelon Sugar' singer Harry Styles who is regularly seen rocking high-waisted wide-legged pants, statement suits, boots and boas reminiscent of Marc Bolan and Mick Jagger. The 27-year-old former One Directioner starred in Gucci's #GucciBeloved Spring/Summer 2021 campaign shot by Harmony Korine and takes on the form of a late-night talk show called The Beloved Show with host James Corden interviewing guest stars including Sienna Miller, Serena Williams, Dakota Johnson and Diane Keaton all clad in seventies-inspired Gucci ensembles and carrying a Beloved Bag. The man himself can be seen wearing a golden fur coat, printed shirt, denim flares and trainers and holding a handbag playing perfectly into his love of gender blurring. 


Another period's fashion to return are the noughties or Y2K, loved by Gen Z and adopted by Millennials. Think butterfly motifs, tinted sunglasses, halternecks and low-rise jeans. One style strong for SS21 are garments with strings around the torso, or 'midriff flossing' as British Vogue's Ellie Pithers puts it, 'loosely translating as a series of crisscrossing cords and wraparound details resembling dental floss (hence the name) that can emerge from skirts, from the aforementioned bralette, as well as souping up the middle region of a maxi dress.' Designers to embrace the look include Versace with a multicoloured lace-up shirt and Michael Kors in the form of a criss-cross crop top. Original aughts girl J.Lo is reigning queen having been spotted in the French Riviera rocking a 00's outfit of embellished wedges, printed kaftans and a slip dress with cowboy-esque hat and shoulder bag.

📸 Spread Pictures Via VOGUE

Sustainability in the form of upcycling is fire for Spring/Summer with British Vogue headlining it: 'The Biggest Trend In Fashion Right Now.' Accelarated by restrictions caused by the pandemic like delays or halts in production, as well excess inventory to the tune of €140 billion to €160 billion, as reported by McKinsey, designers like Balenciaga who created a shaggy coat made from shoelace fur and Coach with their reworked 1970s bags, have turned to materials they already have rather than ordering anything new. The fashion industry is wasteful with around 350,000 tonnes of garments going to landfill every year, according to Clothes Aid. recycling discarded plastics from oceans is also hot with Prada's Re-Nylon collection being made from ECONYL, a yarn constructed of plastics bottles and fishing nets, and the Yeezy x GAP Round Jacket made from recycled nylon. Borrowing is also booming with PM's wife Carrie Johnson recently renting her wedding dress, an ivory bell-sleeved gown by Greek designer Christos Costarellos from MY WARDROBE HQ, followed by a pink Roksanda number for the G7 summit from HURR. 
📸 Prada Re-Nylon Re-Edition 2000
📸 Yeezy x GAP Round Jacket

The idea of juxtaposing the pandemic and its lockdowns and living rooms with sequins and sparkles reminiscent of a night out were awash on the SS21 catwalks. At Celine, Slimane sent models down an athletics track with one in a shimmering dress complete with baseball and trainers, while at Balmain girls strutted barefoot in slit-to-the-thigh gowns. Louis Vuitton paired sequin suits with plain white t-shirts and Chanel contrasted a bolero-style jacket with flats. As British Vogue writes: 'Designers were determined to outfit locked down customers in looks that will make a living room disco feel lively.' Central Saint Martins Alumnus Michael Halpern went a step further by not only showcasing his Spring Summer '21 collection via film, but by dressing frontline workers in his disco-inspired creations as a tribute to the heroes of 2020. Speaking to British Vogue, the American-born designer says: 'It's about having fun — I didn't want to do fantasy and ignore what's happening in the world. Fashion should prop people up and give people a break, especially when they've been having such a terrible time.' 

📸 Michael Halpern SS21 Via British Vogue