What’s next?

As the first national lockdown took hold in March last year, the sudden lack of places resulted in a dramatic decline of sales in ready to wear. One category that came out of of the chaos almost completely unscathed however, was loungewear. Never before has the world seen such a demand for comfortable clothes. The classic going out ‘jeans and a nice top’ combo was swiftly replaced with a staying in combo of ‘cute joggers and a presentable top’. Brands quickly capitalised on the new demand and both searches and sales of comfortable but cute loungewear soared. There were a host of brands such as Ganni and Temperley London that had never ventured into the category before, taking their formative steps into the world of the elasticated waistband for the first time last year.

As a huge chunk of the population switched to working from home, the commute to the office was replaced with a commute to the living room and with all efforts in getting dressed limited to the waist up, ‘workwear’ took on a whole new definition. Now, as we begin to look forward to a roadmap out of lockdown I’ve been wondering what fashions roadmap will look like?

Will business decide it’s more economical to work from home more frequently, heralding in a new age of ‘comfortable work chic’? Or will we see the pent up creative energy that’s been bubbling under the surface for so long finally be released, culminating in a well dressed explosion of creativeness, colour and over the top dressing?

If the Spring/ Summer 2021 collections are anything to go by then designers are certainly counting on the latter. Gorgeous, frothy tulle creations in vivid colours welcomed in the new season at Molly Goddard, whilst pin sharp tailoring and exaggerated proportions created a frisson of drama and intrigue at Alexander McQueen. Riotous displays of glitter took centre stage at Christopher Kane, inspired directly by the paintings Kane created during lockdown, the collection was a nod to creativity and letting go of inhibitions.

Big moments in fashion and shifts in trends usually occur after significant political or global events, for example; the aftermath of the Second World War which lead to the fun and carefree fashion of the Swinging Sixties. So, whatever happens to the way we dress post pandemic, it will be interesting to see.