by Claire Hsu
Arts
October 26, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on some fashion designers, and Fashion Month was not the same without the regular crowds and street style influencers filling up the streets surrounding the runways. Taking a departure from previous years, all showcases moved to audience-free, in-person by appointment, or completely digital runways in consideration of the present environment. Yet these runway shows premiering collections for the spring of 2021 challenged designers to embrace the new normal, leading to the creation of several memorable moments.
Moschino Spring to Summer 2021 Moschino
Since fashion is an important industry in Italy, the show went on in Milan. One of the unique showcases displayed this month was created by Jeremy Scott for Moschino, an Italian luxury brand, and this collection, named No Strings Attached, consisted of forty miniature couture creations modeled by tiny puppets. The show may have been miniature-sized, but the process was more expensive than a real-life one. The looks were scaled down from their original life-sized versions to fit the thirty-inch puppets, and every detail was proportioned again without losing the original splendor of the fabric. Such close attention was paid to detail that there were even puppets acting as audience members, talking to each other and taking notes about the show. The runway was filled with classic upscale gowns in the more neutral or muted colors that many designers chose to use this month, and feminine details and silhouettes like tulle and frills. Though the collection was made in Milan, Moschino released a video of the show that’s available to all on Youtube. It can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQE9PrcIDo.
Jason Wu Spring 2021 Jason Wu
Outside of Milan, New York Fashion Week also continued this year, but many designers such as Jason Wu came out with more contemporary and affordable lines for the first time, reflecting the extensive impact of coronavirus-caused job losses in America. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, Wu wanted to create a collection about hope and new beginnings and cultivate a sense of escapism with the theme of a vacation in Tulum, Mexico, his “home away from home.” The looks represented an imaginary vacation that many can now only dream of, with the collection’s flowy, comfortable, and loosely fitted garments in bright, happy colors. Even though this collection ignited a longing for travel amidst the current restrictions, it brought a new sense of happiness to New Yorkers and anyone else who watched the show.
Bobb, Brooke. Jason Wu Spring 2021 Ready-to-Wear Collection. Vogue, September 14, 2020.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2021-ready-to-wear/grey-jason-wu.
Madsen, Anders Christian. Moschino Spring 2021 Ready-to-Wear Collection. Vogue, September 26, 2020.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2021-ready-to-wear/moschino.
Triplett, Stephanie. What was fashion month in the midst of COVID? Mood Fabrics, October 7, 2020.
https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/what-was-fashion-month-in-the-midst-of-covid/.
The Scarlet Letter 