Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

8 Essential Trends From Fashion Week’s Spring 2021 Season

8 Essential Trends From Fashion Week’s Spring 2021 Season

There have been complaints about the spring 2021 collections. People kvetch in group chats and Twitter threads that digital shows are not as good as the real thing—and that the real thing is not as good as it used to be.

That’s one way to look at the current situation, but there’s a thrilling upside to this fragmented season: We are experiencing something actually new. In an industry that hews so passionately to tradition, heritage, and status quo, how exciting is it to feel that after seasons of talk, we are finally on the precipice of real, tangible change? That change will hopefully take many forms beyond a democratized digi-physical fashion week, but this season of shows has been a good start.

The biggest shift in the garments that flashed across our screens is that, for the first time in a long time, these looked like clothes that are meant to be worn. The irony and irreverence of all those seasons dancing on the lip of a volcano in cake topper gowns has given way to something more thoughtful and realistic this season. There is an intimacy in the second skin knitwear seen at Rick Owens and Thebe Magugu and in the textural and hand-worked materials used by Kenneth Ize and Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson. The many stylish sweatsuits, long tunics, and ballooning trousers at Prada, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton offer forgiveness and elegance for bodies at rest. The peaked shoulders at Balmain and Balenciaga will cut through space with glamour and a bit of grit, while the exuberant everyday clothes seen at Molly Goddard, Marni, and Dries Van Noten guarantee big sparks of joy packaged in the tried-and-true form of jeans, cardigans, and midi-skirts. Dresses are pouf-sleeved and vaguely ’40s in shape at Rodarte, Coach, and Chopova Lowena, a silhouette comfy enough to wear at home and beautiful enough to toss on for a socially distanced dinner.

There are real, covetable clothes for how we want to dress now.

Power Pants


Spending 8 hours a day on a Zoom call requires much more than just a fun top. A comfortable chair is a good place to start, but also necessary are easy-to-wear pants that allow for a wide range of motion. The oversize trousers at Louis Vuitton, The Row, and Stella McCartney are just the fix for a sedentary life-and an active one, too. With maximum swoosh factor, these pants pick up on fashion’s ’80s revival, guaranteeing that wherever you walk-around the neighborhood or simply from the table to the bedroom-you look dramatic and elegant.

                                        

Stylish Sweatsuits


At one of the season’s most anticipated debuts, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons spoke about creating a new uniform. Their sweatsuits, a marriage of Prada’s full-skirt silhouettes and Simons’s graphic tendencies, feel like the right style for our slouchy present. Balenciaga, Rodarte, and Collina Strada have playful takes on sweats too-though maybe only Matthew Williams’s Givenchy hoodie (the season’s other anticipated debut) qualifies as black tie.

                                        

Everyday Exuberance


Fantastical fashion has returned to Earth with honest clothes that have a practical magic about them. Dries Van Noten and Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, both masters of color and print, have long been advocates for eccentric everyday clothing; Molly Goddard, Christopher John Rogers, and Matty Bovan are getting on board too with printed denim, expressive knitwear, and over-the-top cotton tops. This spring, retire the medium wash jeans and beige for something a little more fun.

                                        

Second Skins


If the popularity of Marine Serre’s moon print base layers are any indication, those of us not wearing sweats are wearing stretchy second skins whether we’re curling up at home or layering for going out. Rick Owens and Thebe Magugu cut diaphanous knitwear that hugs the body, while Charlotte Knowles, Ottolinger, Supriya Lele, Nensi Dojaka, and LaQuan Smith all continued their experiments in mesh. Here they follow in the footsteps of fashion’s original upcycler, Xuly Bët’s Lamine Badian Kouyaté, who is famous for red-seamed stretch bodysuits.

                                        

Sharp Shoulders


Big time shoulders are not new, but they are not going away either. Balmain and Balenciaga showed the most dramatic versions, while Maison Margiela and Richard Malone offer softer takes on the silhouette that is perfect for cutting through the chaos of the world.

                                        

Serene Tunics


Long layers that drape on the body are the season’s predominant silhouette, seen at Fendi, Jil Sander, Thom Browne, and more. It makes sense: A draped tunic offers plenty of ease without sacrificing grace. Plus, matching sets like Marina Moscone’s cerulean top and trousers are much more comfortable alternative: a suit.

                                        

Dainty Day Dresses


These pouf-sleeved, slim dresses harken back to the no-nonsense glamour of the 1940s. There are true tea dresses from Rodarte, Coach, and Alessandra Rich, and more amusing propositions from Batsheva, the queen of quirky frocks. Consider them an at-home must for the pants-averse.

                                        

Surface Interest


In addition to exuberant prints, this season has also ushered in expressive textures. The boldest, like Versace’s plissés or Coperni’s creases, might pop on Zoom, but the many crafty fabrics and techniques seen at Kenneth Ize, Kiko Kostadinov, and Nanushka are actually designed for the pleasure of the wearer, not the viewer. Doing something nice for oneself is the ultimate indulgence in #timeslikethese.

                                        


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×