You can now sit front row at a designer fashion show while laying in bed!
Normally, fashion week (my favorite times of the year) occurs twice yearly in September and February. This year, the streets of New York will not be flooded with designers, photographers, models, influencers, and celebrities. Instead, designers have turned to virtual fashion shows to display their newest collections, opening up their usual invite-only shows to the general public. Designer brands like Fendi, Chanel, Dior, Prada, and Valentino have already displayed their shows on their website, and in honor of what would have been a crazy month for designers across the globe, this post will focus on three of my favorite shows: Menswear Prada, Haute Couture Womenswear Chanel, and Haute Couture Womenswear Dior.
Chanel Spring 2021 Couture Collection
The Chanel Spring 2021 Couture Collection was my absolute favorite fashion show I saw this season. The bohemian wedding inspired show felt like a giant celebration right out of the movie Midsommar. The models each walked down the stairs of the Grand Palais in Paris wearing the most stunning pieces. The runway was transformed with arches of flowers, flower petals, and hanging lights, making the setting feel very light and ethereal. No detail was spared in this show, and the pieces that appeared in the show radiate the celebratory mood that Virginie Viard, the creative director behind the show, intended for. The show featured lots of bohemian flower crowns, tweed, lace, sheer accents, and ruffles. While the silhouettes were classic, the intricate details make the pieces so amazing. The wedding celebration also saw looks inspired by menswear; bowties and tweed trouser sets, blurring gender stereotypes. The show stopper was the last ensemble, a bride riding out on horseback in an amazing white wedding gown. The Chanel Spring 2021 Couture Collection emulates the sophisticated and celebratory design of the clothes. Coco Chanel would be proud.
Prada Spring 2021 Menswear Collection
The Prada menswear collection for Spring 2021 created by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons was truly innovative. The collection was centered around knit patterned long johns. Every model wore a different designed long john, featuring intricate Art Deco designs. They differed in color, pattern, and even neckline. The show featured oversized bombers and parkas, peacoats, and topcoats. Many pieces featured Prada’s hardware logos at the back of the neck. The looks were accessorized with colorful leather gloves featuring Prada’s pouches and colorful leather bags. The color of the pieces popped in contrast to the faux fur interior. The pieces’ fun patterns emulated the show’s unique setting, and the models’ improvisation of dance moves added more to the zingy and tactile show.
Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer Collection
Dior’s show was truly breathtaking. The dream-like fashion show, a couture voyage, inspired by a deck of tarot cards, known as the Visconti-Sforza deck, begins with a model receiving a tarot card reading. The production then takes a journey through her mind, where she meets each of the different tarot cards, each showcasing a different look inspired by that card. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director at Dior, was the brains behind the mystical and eerie collection. Each look, representing a bigger story, emulates the fantasy inspired collection. The show featured corsets, dresses, regal robes, and renaissance inspired silhouettes. The magical show was intended to be an escape from our current situation. Chiuri said, “this attraction to magic can help us have hope for the future.” The elegant designs, gold and earth tones, and specificity to detail make each look unique to the other. The production also featured masculine looks, breaking the boundaries of gendered fashion. The Dior show was a renaissance trip that generated personal reflection, through the beautifully regal garments.
While COVID-19 has put a pause on the “Super Bowl” of the fashion world, fashion week, it has provoked designers to think of out of the box ideas to share their collections. With technology right at our fingertips, I wouldn’t be surprised if more and more designers start incorporating the use of media to showcase their designs.
What do you think?