Is It Time to Dress Up Again?
“Hearst Magazines and Verizon Media may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.”
When the pandemic hit full-force, it was almost a relief to sit at home in pajamas and not have to think about what outfit to prep for the next morning's guaranteed rush. But as the days, weeks, and months of being in lockdown stretched out as—what felt like—further than our mental capacities could handle at the moment, dressing up felt like not just a luxury, but a need, for just a touch of return to our past lives. And whether or not that dressing up was done for another Zoom call or just for yourself, the act of going into your closet and unearthing past beloveds that haven't seen the light of day in over a year is almost a cathartic action that is symbolic of the hopefulness that we are all feeling right now.
It's been apparent as well, as we've seen in the recent collections and on the virtual runways, that designers are ready to regale their followers with not just comfortable clothing, but with beautiful, artful silhouettes and fabrics that pay homage to a different time when it was perfectly acceptable to wear your dazzling jewelry and fur coat on a minute errand. Indeed, we've never seen so many Instagram stories of ladies exiting the grocery stores or dry cleaners in their fur coats and tennis bracelets as we have in the past few months. The 93rd Academy Awards, which took place this past Sunday evening, was a colorful parade of gowns that harkened back to the glamour of the 20th century when starlets showed up and delivered on the viewer's fashion-fantasy expectations.
"I am crawling out of my loungewear like a caterpillar and showing up as a butterfly," says Lauren Santo Domingo, the founder behind the ever on-the-cusp fashion site Moda Operandi. "A Moda woman has a stylish soul, and she traded in her ball gowns for placemats and elegant minaudières for hand-painted water glasses, [but now] anything becomes an occasion. If I have people over, I want to shed all traces of questions. Put away the puzzles and sourdough starters and put on a dazzling caftan and set the table with sparkling silver."
This idea of celebrating the small moments, I think we can all agree, is a product of the last year of anxiety, worry, sickness, and so many other heavy moments. And while we will never forget the darkness of the pandemic, it now feels more important than ever to make sure we properly commemorate the time we spend with friends and family, despite the weightiness of the occasion. And what better way to commemorate that time than to really dress for it?
Of course, there is much chatter about what the days when we are fully back in action will look like. Great Gatsby-like imagery floats through our minds: overflowing champagne towers, over-the-top lingering dinner parties, and—naturally—the evening wear to rival even the most iconic ball gowns of parties past. "The Roaring Twenties fascinate me because of its spirit of freedom in all artistic fields and peoples’ lives," says Claire Choisne, the Creative Director of the French jewelry maison Boucheron. "Indeed, [this time was] after the war, people suffered a lot - and it was then all about freedom, having fun, and enjoying life. Women were totally free to assert their style and convictions, to wear men's clothes and cut their hair."
And not only will our dressing up be a celebratory act, but this idea of a return to a formality of dress will be a great moment for re-evaluating our society's sometimes too-casual attitude. While boarding a plane during decades past dressed in a chic traveling dress and pearls seemed preposterous pre-pandemic (although we love the idea, here at VERANDA) now seems not so ridiculous—perhaps even necessary! "After almost 18 months of lockdown and wearing casual clothes all day, we all feel the need to rediscover the excitement of dressing up. Clients are looking for creativity, differentiation and they value more quality and craftsmanship," says Cynthia Tabet, Piaget's Product Marketing Director. "All Piaget's creations are infused by positive energy and joie de vivre. It is about authenticity and generosity. It is about celebrating life. And this is what we need today."
It seems that this trend is only poised to grow as vaccinations continue and evenings out fill our schedules once again, as designers are finding the demand for exquisite gowns, jewelry, and accessories on the rise: "I believe people are responding well to our fall collection because of the amount of texture that was developed through our embroideries," says Fernando Garcia, one of the creative directors (along with Laura Kim) at Oscar de la Renta. "Evening styles are picking up as we see more and more socially distant events on the calendar, so our clients are asking for more and more special occasion looks from us."
And while we will definitely see an uptick in luxurious dressing and bringing out our finery for the foreseeable future, eventually perhaps we will come to a happy medium between loungewear and evening dress - taking the best of both extremes and adapting them to our new post-quarantine closets. "During the whole pandemic, we spent a long time not being dressed up. For me, this is something we will keep: more simplicity, saving time, being comfortable in our clothes and what we wear. On the other hand, there is also the deep desire to put on a dress or a pair of heels to go out, have dinner or a drink," says Choisne. "For me, it's mostly about being more in tune with yourself - thinking about your comfort, feeling good. When people go out, they will really dress up."
You Might Also Like
