Budapest Post

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

Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2021: Fantasy Driven Fashion Can Work From Home

Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2021: Fantasy Driven Fashion Can Work From Home

Designers dream of fashion's uncertain future on film and French runways for Fall/Winter 2021.


Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2021

A full year into the pandemic it’s still unclear what we’ll all be wearing next fall/winter. Will students be searching for a first day of school outfit instead of slipping on another pair of sweatpants? Will lunchtime meetings require more than a Zoom-appropriate set of loungewear? Will we still be wearing face masks? The designers who showed at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2021 don’t hold the answers to these questions, but their collections definitely offered up some options.

Through mostly digital formats, both work from home functionality and full tilt Parisienne fantasy found their way onto runways. The limited number of shows that did take place IRL, were small, socially distanced, and at times outdoor affairs, including Gabriela Hearst’s first presentation as the creative director of Chloé. The designer took advantage of her Paris locale and rounded up models for a runway on the cobblestones leading out of Brasserie Lipp. The boulevard of the famous French restaurant was once where Chloé’s late founder Gaby Aghion hosted shows.



Nicolas Ghesquière of Louis Vuitton also leveraged his French surroundings, showing out of the Louvre’s Denon wing. Models weaved through and walked alongside sculptures of Roman, Greek, and Etruscan descent. Famous illustrations of faces from antiquity hand-drawn by Italian design atelier Fornasetti appeared throughout the collection, providing an appropriated foil to the setting. In addition to incorporating Fornasetti into the collection, Ghesquière also acquired a pre-breakup Daft Punk track, “Around the World,” for the show's soundtrack. The combined effect solidified the nostalgia already brought about by the show, because it marks a year since the last pre-pandemic fashion show, which also belonged to Ghesquière.

But the sense of nostalgia was not a sad one. In fact, the designer’s goal for the Fall/Winter 2021 assembly was to inspire hope for the future. He achieved this sartorially through statement pieces intended for the coming-out-of-quarantine parties we’ve yet to schedule, but are sure to attend when the time is right. Graphic bomber jackets met bubbling bright blue tulle skirts. Bejeweled tunics characteristic of the fashion house underlaid sculpted capes. Slouchy leather wedged boots kissed the hems of lime green floral embroideries.



Filmed along the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, Christian Dior created a dark, but alluring fashion fairytale orchestrated by Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Titled Disturbing Beauty, the digital presentation delves into the relationship we have with mirrors and self-image. Assisted by the Palace setting and waxed mirrors created by Italian artist Silvia Giambrone, Chiurri interpreted Madame de Villeneuve’s Beauty and the Beast. The narrative was layered with other storytime favorites like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. The result evoked a sense of timeless beauty expressed through fashion as classic as the literary fantasies it was inspired by.



Typically Chanel would have met Louis Vuitton and Dior at a castle or similarly decadent set for its runway, but for the Fall/Winter 2021 the brand took a different route. Creative Director Virginie Viard opted for the cozy ambiance of legendary Left Bank nightclub Chez Castel. The venue has been a destination for French socialites and celebrities since Jean Castel first opened its door in the 1960s. The air of coolness gave way to a collection that blended Chanel’s tweed archetypes with futuristic furry moon boots. Perhaps the fuzzy footwear was unexpected for the French brand, but it was echoed by Italian fashion house Miu Miu. Inspired by her love of the mountains and imbued with conceptual codes of indoor-versus outdoor dress, Muccia Prada also sent huge and hairy boots down a digital runway.



Chanel Fall/Winter 2021.



Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2021.

Beyond the boots, the two women lead labels explored their house's individual history of silhouette and structure. At Chanel heavy tweed coats sat on the straps of delicate evening ensembles evoking a sense of après ski spirit. Voluminous puffers, ski pants, and quilted salopettes paired unexpectedly with closely cropped leather jackets and midriff-baring camisoles. At Miu Miu, glittering pastel knitwear triumphed in tandem with the feminine shapes familiar to the fashion house. Cartoonish pink puffer quilted mittens made friends with cream circle skirts and an of array of playful knitted face coverings.

Despite their thematic similarities though, Prada’s presentation differed greatly from Viard’s on the basis of destination and domesticity. Miu Miu is known to be the more playful side of Prada’s creative universe, but the colorful knits marked the introduction of a new kind of Miu Miu woman. This latest version of the label leaves behind stereotypes of the high fashion female, a departure set in the snowy hillside of Cortina d'Ampezzo. This idea of departure manifested through physical scenery was also present on the Balmain runway, which took place in a cavernous hangar at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Creative director Olvier Rousteing sent models walking in and around an Air France 777, put out of airline commission by the pandemic.



As reimagined flight suits of army green and brown leather buckle bound jackets transition to a futuristic selection of silver and hot pink, the backdrop becomes a space expedition. The virtual outerspace landscape set the stage for Rousteing’s sartorial experimentation with singular neon suit lapels and bright orange leather platform boots. The tenured creative director, who has managed to last longer at the helm of a French fashion mainstay than his peers, continued to explore ways of blending the youth of his Millennial and Gen Z based “army” of fans with structural elements of fashion’s past. Matthew Williams made a similar effort over at Givenchy, blending faux fur, leather, and animal masks for a music-inspired virtual show.



Givenchy Fall/Winter 2021

Stepping outside the box of digital versus traditional shows once again was Loewe. It has become an expectation at this point that Jonathan Anderson will innovate the unexpected in order to present his Loewe collections amid COVID constraints. "The Loewe Show has Been Canceled" is the headline of Loewe's A Show in the News runway rendition Anderson prepared in collaboration with the M/M Paris team. The pair realize the newsworthy theme of the Fall Winter 2021 assembly through photos of Freja Beha Erichsen taken by Fumiko Imano.



Loewe's Fall/Winter 2021

To top it off, real publications featured the show on the day it was supposed to premiere at fashion week including El Mundo in Spain, Le Figaro, Le Monde in France, The Times in London, The New York Times, and The Asahi Shimbun in Japan. In a year that hopefully has more fortuitous headlines ahead, the collection embraces the moment while keeping the fashion fantasy alive.

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
×