How Fashion Month Shows Have Changed Amid Coronavirus

For inspiration this Fall, designer Virgil Abloh started with a drawing by Fornasetti for inspiration, an Italian artist who lived and worked through the better part of the 20^th century. As such, many of the pieces featured patterns in collaboration with the late artist’s atelier.

The jackets were oversized, paired with crinoline skirts that were, in turn, layered on top of loose thigh-high boots. Jeans were styled with chunky knit tunics that sat below bombers of contrasting prints.

It was a brightly colored collection, to be sure, which gave interesting contrast to the largely black-and-white drawings of Fornasetti himself.

Chanel’s show might have been virtual this year, but it did feature an army of tweed-clad models, marching through the streets of Paris.

In fact, the collection film splices back and forth from black-and-white footage of Paris itself, as well as models getting ready in the Chanel atelier (and the iconic rounded mirror staircase), cutting to color clips of an actual traditional runway, audience excluded.

Chanel Fall 2021 is a Winter’s dream, with Fair Isle sweaters, houndstooth coats, and tweed dresses, alongside the suiting that’s a staple of the design house.

Though the color palette is fairly dark, featuring black, brown, navy, and the like, there are pops of color throughout by way of hot pink, butter yellow, and cobalt blue.

Miu Miu staged a full-blown runway show for the Fall 2021 season, although there was no audience to speak of. It was housed in the great outdoors, courtesy of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.

The models were certainly dressed for the weather, as the Fall 2021 collection included oversized coats, leg warmers, and chunky knits. They also debuted a particularly apt accessory by way of the masked baclava (masks removable with a button securing it on either side of the head) that fans immediately gravitated toward in light of the pandemic.

As is true to Miu Miu’s history, all of the notable silhouettes were in attendance: the mini skirts, bralettes, and slinky dresses were peppered in with oversized bombers, slouchy cargo pants, and a re-introduction of the quilting you first fell in love with on the Miu Miu runway back in 2014.

Givenchy’s Fall 2021 collection delivered statement, head-turning pieces that were all refreshingly wearable. There were blazers, bomber jackets, sheath dresses, and heeled ankle boots that one might snatch up for social events once the pandemic ends.

Each boasts a twist that seems destined for ‘it girl’ status like a sheer maxi dress with lingerie underneath, a jacket so asymmetric in the hem that one side hits the model’s shoulder, or embellished skirts trimmed with fur and feathers alike.

Balmain’s Fall 2021 Collection was presented through video with the runway in a virtual format. The film begins on the moon, with designer Olivier Rousteing watching a collection of TV screens propped up on metal stands.

What ensues is a Balmain army of models walking through airplane hangars, along the wings of the planes, and down the tarmac.

The collection was very utility-centric at its core, with most looks made of black leather or army green materials. With a nod to the moon, however, there is a more futuristic set towards the end, boasting metallic suiting, neon knits, and Balmain’s signature strong shoulder silhouettes.

Prada debuted a Fall 2021 show via livestream. Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada designed a collection rooted in black, with overcoats and bags peppered throughout in bright tones of blue, green, and yellow.

Perhaps the most talked-about accessory that walked the runway, however, was the handbag gloves, which was an opera-length glove that had a little purse attached to the top of one hand. Though barely the size of a credit card, it was certainly a lesson in mini bags gone extreme.

Christian Louboutin has turned to a virtual presentation for the second time since Covid-19 forced social distancing practices upon the world. The first, named LoubiWorld, debuted in November 2020.

This season, the virtual journey was on the LoubiPlane, inspired by the designer’s love of travel. Fittingly, it was shot at the TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK Airport.

The virtual presentation shows off 15 different animations that correspond to Louboutin’s various inspirations, featuring everything from gingham pumps to chunky white Chelsea boots. And the shiny red pumps and strappy heels were a brilliant nod to the brand’s signature sole.

Hailing from Australia, Rebecca Vallance debuted her Fall 2021 collection via lookbook this season. It was inspired by “the opulence and youth in the 1990s,” according to a press release from the brand, which resulted in a collection of head-turning silhouettes that are reminiscent of the junction between the late-‘80s and early ‘90s. There were blazer dresses, oversized bows, and ruched one-shoulder mini dresses alike.

Fausto Puglisi’s designs for Roberto Cavalli’s Fall 2021 collection centers around one trend in particular: animal print. Evening dresses, sleek suiting, and athletic shorts are rendered in a variety of contrasting leopard and tiger prints.

The lookbook is bold, unapologetic, and set against a white backdrop with nothing but a series of black vintage cars to accessorize the set.

Vivienne Westwood debuted her Fall 2021 collection via look book, a common modification in the age of Covid. In a press release, the designer shared that 90% of the apparel in this collection was “made from materials that have a reduced impact on our environment.”

Though the British designer has long been a pioneer in sustainability, it’s a fairly new practice for her to create original pieces from upcycled materials, like the denim she has included for the coming season.

The collection is iconically colorful, rife with contrasting patterns, brightly toned suiting, crafty knits, and more.

Molly Goddard produced a runway collection that was streamed online for all to see. Set against a bright yellow background, she presented her iconic ruffled confections with voluminous dresses aplenty.

Peppered in, however, was a more pared down version of Goddard’s signature designs with skirt suits, cardigan sets, and tailored blazers.

Bora Aksu presented his Fall 2021 collection in a socially-distanced manner at the Tate Britain Museum with a performance by Alison Sudol. The designer was inspired by Revolutionary France, “amid the tumultuous landscape of upheaval,” so say the brand’s show notes.

The dresses were voluminous and romantic, though they carried with them an edge and touch of grunge, by way of layered materials, tiered silhouettes, and crops that revealed ankle booties beneath.