With Paris Men's Fashion Week (FW2021) coming to a close and Paris Haute-Couture Week (SS2021) kicking off on January 25th, what will Women's Fashion Month look like for this upcoming Autumn/Winter season? Will New York London, Milan, and Paris
COVID-19 restrictions ease within the next few weeks (wishful thinking here for NY!)?
During last season's New York Fashion Week, some of the giant fashion houses were not in attendance (i.e. Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren). After considering opting out for the season, Tom Ford decided to host a runway show that showcased a vibrant colorful collection and later released photos for everyone to see. Jason Wu also showcased with only a small group of 36 masked spectators in attendance. This Autumn/Winter 2021 season could be a beneficial opportunity for fashion newbies and upcoming designers who can fill the void of missing well known houses who may choose to not showcase again.
SPECIAL MENTION! : Ulla Johnson's flow-y, flower-y, lace-y, pleats, and soft colors granted her collection to be on my top 5 favorites of S/S21. (FYI: Spring and Summer are my favorite seasons for fashion).
Paris hosted a hybrid S/S21 fashion week which included physical and digital presentations (with some designers also opting out). Attendance was low due to American and Asian fashion editor's absence because of French coronavirus restrictions. Totaling over 80 events, London also hosted its fashion week creating a blend of limited physical presentations, appointments, and films. Fashion giant Burberry streamed a live show without an audience. During Milan Fashion Week, Moschino took a different approach and prepared a video of a marionette show (Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful puppets made a special appearance).
The creative director of Gucci, Alessandro Michele, decided early on to restructure the schedule of all presentations. In May of 2020, Alessandro posted on his personal Instagram page that he will "abandon the worn-out ritual of seasonalities and shows to regain a new cadence closer to my expressive call". Did Alessandro know something we didn't know about the future of fashion?! This means there will only be 2 lines a year. Existing cruise, pre-fall, spring-summer, fall-winter are now "stale and underfed words". So long to your yacht clothes everyone!

With all of the changes in the entire fashion industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, what does this mean for the future of our fashion experience? We have all become accustomed to living and working virtually, but this will ultimately take away from the actual feeling of fashion. Seeing the gleams of metallic, movements of various fabrics, eye-catching winter tones and romantic spring pastels on an actual runway (or in person at a showroom) cannot compare to images on our phones, tablets, and computers.
As the world slowly evolves into a place where everyone feels more stable in their everyday lives, a virtual world will continue to be at the forefront. Unless... the Autumn/ Winter 2022 season surprises us all and I can finally pack my bags, get on a plane, and make my way to Paris!
Comentários