#Trends from a mostly virtual spring 2021 season

New York Fashion Week is always a highlight for me. I love hitting the pavement, show-hopping around the city, on the hour, almost every hour, for over a week’s time, soaking up whatever magic designers have been cooking up for the weeks or months prior to showtime. Some shows are gigantic, Champagne-fueled productions, like when Rihanna showed Savage x Fenty at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Others are quieter (but no less extravagant affairs), like when Tory Burch hosted Sunday brunch at the Brooklyn Museum last September. Alexander Wang’s Saturday night after-parties (known as #wangfest) were the stuff of legend — stripper poles, catering from McDonald’s and 7-Eleven, buckets of Budweiser served alongside Dunkin’ Donuts towers  — and surprise performances by Missy Elliott.

Life in the time of COVID has put all of this on pause, for now, because Fashion Week — with crowds clamoring at nearly every venue — resides on the opposite end of the social-distancing spectrum.

But true to form, many designers and their presentations marched on this past week in New York City. The formats were less familiar (most were virtual by way of visually stunning videos or wonderfully compelling photos), and a lot of boldface names opted out. Last season’s buzziest brand Pyer Moss held off its plan for a socially distanced drive-in experience, Michael Kors announced he will be showing in October, Marc Jacobs opted out of showing entirely this season, and Telfar — who has shown at wildly unexpected locations such as the East River helipad — ditched the runway altogether and announced an upcoming collaboration with Ugg. (Prepare for cop-mania to ensue come 2021 when the collaboration drops.)

But the fashion was alive and well despite not being able to experience most of it IRL.

Jason Wu

Jason Wu kicked off the week with one of the very few runway shows (with COVID guidelines held strictly in place) where guests were sparsely in attendance, at Gitano, and the venue served to inspire a sense of escapism to Tulum, Mexico. “Pose” star Indya Moore opened the show in an eyelet rust-colored frock paired with colorful flat sandals. What followed was a collection of comfortable-looking threads — perfectly baggy Bermuda shorts, body-hugging knits and loose-fitting dresses that are ideal not just for your next beachy vacation (whenever that may be) but for the potentially long days ahead when you’re stuck at home but want to throw on something effortless that still makes you feel like you tried, fashion-wise.

Ulla Johnson

Ulla Johnson also did the runway show thing sans guests, and after months of viral articles debating whether New York City is “over,” her ode to the Big Apple ran deep. A video debuting her spring 2021 collection opened with shots of some of the city’s most beloved icons including the Chrysler Building and the Freedom Tower. She, too, showed more relaxed silhouettes that were heavy on the romance: tiered, ruffled frocks with poufy sleeves, sheer lace A-line minidresses. All were styled with bold earrings, hair jewelry and flower crowns — essential accessories for those waist-up shots we’re all too familiar with on Zoom these days.

Imitation of Christ

Imitation of Christ returned from a several-year hiatus via a clever, cool video featuring skater girls zooming around a skatepark dressed in hand-sewn, upcycled fabrics that blended Cali cool, sporty chic and pretty prom vibes — a dreamy blend of the philosophy and aesthetic of which the brand’s founder Tara Subkoff has long been a champion. The threads are currently up for sale on TheRealReal.com, with a portion of all proceeds going to Fridays for Future.

Collina Strada

Collina Strada’s wildly colorful video presentation — dubbed “Change Is Cute” — also stayed true to its sustainable, DIY roots. Tie-dye sweatsuits, flower-shaped masks and loose, trippy floral-printed dresses styled with chunky glittery sneakers celebrated letting your fashion freak flag fly in the best, most smile-inducing way possible. And who couldn’t use a serious dose of cheer right now?

Carolina Herrera

Charming was the one-on-one conversation between Carolina Herrera and the brand’s current creative director, Wes Gordon, which was shot in Herrera’s home. Despite Gordon noting that it was “the first time we’ve talked about fashion,” glimpses of Herrera’s impeccable taste (her wickedly sexy stiletto-shaped Good Girl perfume bottle makes a cameo) and art collection (including a portrait of Herrera by her late friend Andy Warhol) were sprinkled through the 20-minute video.

Christian Cowan

Christian Cowan’s video presentation was all about his muses: a glitter-dusted Lil Nas X, Helena Christensen tied up in a giant bow and a high heel-clad Marc Jacobs. (Turns out he couldn’t resist making at least one NYFW appearance, and I am very much here for it.) They served serious poses in Cowan’s sparkly, spangly, form-fitting, bow-embellished gender-fluid designs. The fantasy! The fashion. The glamour! It was a reminder that creativity, despite its restraints this season, has no limits.

Christian Siriano

Speaking of no limits, Christian Siriano showed voluminous ball gowns with layers (and layers!) of tulle for days — perfect for socially distancing at your next black-tie gala. The inclusive designer invited a select few guests to his backyard in Connecticut for a fashion show. Billy Porter was in attendance wearing head-to-toe glitter (mask included). Styled with shoes from Sarah Jessica Parker’s line SJP Collection (her new flagship store neighbors his atelier, and thus a magical partnership was born just in time for NYFW), models strutted across a swimming pool. During the finale lap, a pregnant Coco Rocha opted to take an impromptu dip in her red, ruffled ball gown.

Tom Ford

Tom Ford unveiled photos of his tightly edited, heavy-on-the-sex-appeal collection: skimpy swimwear, blouses unbuttoned down to the belly button and animal-printed short shorts. His shows are typically the most celeb-filled affairs. Being used to gawking at his boldface front rows in pre-pandemic times, there was something supremely lovely about simply scrolling through the photos and pouring over all of the details — like logo emblazoned pajama pants for one.

Was watching all of this through the screen of my MacBook Air while wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and a covered-in-holes wool sweater less exciting than the show-hopping I’ve thrived on for the past 14 years? For sure. But the fashion and the creative ways designers opted to show their hopes, dreams and threads during a global pandemic? It more than delivered.