The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, the magic of the holiday season is beginning to twinkle in, and the romance of autumn and winter is breezing in as nostalgic yet powerful looks were seen all throughout Fall-Winter 2020-21 Ready-To-Wear fashion week. The shows were graced with inspirational comebacks, megaphoning hope for a revival even after all we have gone through since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. Although the grand majority of the Fall-Winter 2020 collections were presented prior to the pandemic, some labels like J Brand and Tommy Hilfiger had to shift their plans since these shows were planned to be presented right when the pandemic was at its worst. Nevertheless, the labels that presented after the beginning of the pandemic still made the effort to showcase their collections digitally.
What has been observed throughout this Fall-Winter Ready-To-Wear season, was a common theme of treasuring the good old times, staying hopeful in the present and being ready to face the future with no fear but certainty that this too shall pass. As fashion is now an incredibly important and moving voice for positive changes in societal issues, the industry has once again united to become a shoulder to lean on as we saw so many designers rushing to donate, digitize, protect, inspire, and motivate those like you and myself that see fashion as an artform and armor that incites us to persevere whatever circumstance comes our way. It is known that we can always expect an energy boost from fashion week as designers inspire us through the blood, sweat and tears they thread in every detail that is in every garment, outfit, collection and the overall atmosphere of their presentations. Fall-Winter 2020-21 was overall an homage to the things we treasure and feel nostalgic about, presenting collections inspired by the free 70s, the grungy and tough-chic 90s, as well as giving us staple details to keep in mind like headscarves and bigger-than-life sleeves. Rest assured, here are the top 6 trending looks of Fall-Winter 2020-21 Ready-To-Wear.
1. Headscarves
First things first, I have to mention that headscarves dominated the runways. From Dior’s rock-and-roll bandana style to Jacquemus’s late 90s inspired triangle headscarves, the scarves ranged from bold-printed to solid pastel-toned that were usually paired with monochromatic outfits (like Marc Jacobs did). The headscarf is key to reviving the late 90s/early 2000s nostalgia seen on runways a lot lately, even in past seasons, as well as welcoming a fresh new take on the 70s. You will see a wide range of prints from magnificent florals, hypebeast-ready monograms, to far
out geometric printed scarves. The headscarf has proven to be this season’s fresh new way to accessorize and complete any outfit.
2. The 70s are back baby
It was a disco inferno, saturday night fever moment for the books as we saw so many mentions of the 70s this season. Channeling an era of wildfire freedom of expression and soul searching that also celebrates the emergence of controversial music genres and culture shifts like hip hop, hair metal and disco. The 70s represent a daring era, a time where major shifts in culture and art took place, where artists took the opportunity to be fearless and stand up for what is right, despite the social “norms” set at the time. Just as 2020 proved to be another era of major shifts in culture and art as well, fashion celebrated the 70s to reimagine this golden era so we can reconnect with it today.
Some of the details seen inspired by the era included rich neutral foliage color tones, effortless coats, flowing fringe, statement collars, matching pant-suit sets, bold americana plaids, velvet touches, bermudas and culottes, oversized ponchos and capes, quilted textures, ivy league neckties, flower power sunglasses, flared pants, corduroy, shearling outerwear, layering vests and turtlenecks, wide belts, and the mod color blocking styles that bled from the 60s into the 70s.
3. Monochrome and Minimalism
Although some designers went all out with brightly printed matching sets, avant-garde silhouettes, and voluminous sleeves, a fan favorite trend seen throughout was minimalism and monochromatic color spectrums. The minimalism was seen in sleek cuts, effortless shapes, seamless draping, and single-colored, head-to-toe looks. Monochromatic styles came into play hand-in-hand with the minimalistic styles as we saw either single-colored outfits (like Marc Jacobs or Balmain) or three-dimensional gradient looks that played with different tones of the same colors (like Jacquemus). The expected shades of browns, beiges, creams, greys and blacks were seen in this trend, just as the unexpected spring-reminiscent colors were also seen like bright pinks, sensible lavenders, sunset corals, fiery reds, and ripe lemon yellow-greens.
4. Up My Sleeve
Swerving into the more romantic side of the season’s trends, a statement detail that stood out a lot were statement, bigger-than-life sleeves, from Fendi’s or JW Anderson’s feminine puff sleeve coats, Loewe’s dramatic layered extra-long sleeves, to Christopher John Rogers geometric 80’s-esque sharp shoulder sleeves. Whichever sleeve floats your boat, it is the perfect way to add a special powermove to any outfit...and the more dramatic, the bigger the impact.
5. In the Matrix
Channel your inner dystopian protagonist and suit up with matrix-ready 90s and early 2000s inspired looks like all latex body suits, leather floor-grazing coats, cutting edge shoulders, opera gloves, metallic details, empowering capes, laser cut-outs, harnesses, corsets, lingerie pieces, statement shades, unique headgear, tiny purses, Mary Jane creepers, and grungy stompers. The tough it-girl look was all the rage this season - and boy does it look hella cool. There’s nothing more encouraging to do the impossible like wearing all leather or latex looks paired with butt-kicking stompers or chained sandals. Call it heroine-chic or villainous modus operandi - the 90s and early 2000s are back tougher than ever, some going all the way, others mix-matching adding some ultra-femme details (think Van Helsing meets Clueless). Some designers that hacked the matrix include Balmain, Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Khaite, Anna Sui, N21, Prabal Gurung, Rochas, Gucci, Assembly, Balenciaga, Rick Owens, The Row, Comme des Garçons, Hermes, Mugler and Fendi among many others
6. Des Chaussures
The shoes seen throughout fashion week definitely stood out, seeing over the knee boots, disco-ready platforms, Mary Jane creepers, 90s stompers, cutesy fur sandals, wide-brimmed western/riding boots, chain details, detailed strappy heels, Avant Garde heels, “limitless” hosiery-like boots, bright color schemes and socks with feminine sandals. This season’s footwear was made to make a statement, to be the eye-catching detail to any outfit. Express yourself with your choice of shoes to complete any look and take it to a whole other level.
