Lockdown has affected several parts of our everyday life, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear, it has and will continue to influence the cultural and social aspects of the world. However, one thing I never expected it to affect was red carpet couture!
For hundreds of years, it has been centred around bling and wealth, with high-brow people dressed by the best notorious designers in dresses and suits we all wish we could own. But it has recently undergone a revolution and changed.
Don’t get me wrong, I have still seen phenomenal extravagant garments on the red carpet after lockdown, from Lil Nas X and his three-in-one outfit at the Met Gala to Anya Taylor-Joy’s stunning Dior masterpiece at the Golden Globes. Yet, there have been a lot of casual looks which have emerged from the staples worn in lockdown; so, here are my top 5 lockdown fashion trends that I have seen influence celeb looks on the red carpet.
1. Sweats
Sweats were an essential part of lockdown fashion, with their comfortability and warmth they were considered the ideal indoor outfit. Many fashion brands have released sweat collections in the past eighteen months and some recent emerging brands are solely based around the clothing type, for example, the Angelle collection.
A great deal of people purchased sweats during lockdown; I certainly did and I’m sure you did too, but I never pictured them being a part of high fashion. The red carpet is usually pictured as an extravagant place that exhibits the best of the best, so the simplicity of sweats always seemed too impossible to fit the black-tie theme. However, it was done. My favourite examples from this year were Timothée Chalamet and Demna Gvasalia at the Met Gala.
2. Blazers
Blazers have rapidly become the current generations way of putting a classy spin on a dull and boring outfit. I have seen people wearing them with sweats to make them dinner appropriate, and even with dresses styling them as jackets.
Blazers have been worn on the red carpet for years typically with a suit, but in recent years we have seen that stereotype become less apparent as people are wearing them with anything. For instance, Tiara Thomas at the Oscars and Avril Lavigne at the VMAs this year.
3. ActiveWear
Previously activewear was just worn in a gym environment, but who enjoys that! Workout gear became a staple in lockdown life, it was seen everywhere from the house to fashion Instagram and has been incorporated with many different clothing pieces.
The rise of activewear enhanced companies like Gym Shark and Fabletics and placed them on mainstream fashion’s radar, then coincidently people started to wear it on the red carpet, which I know sounds crazy. But, this was seen in the very controversial outfit from Kim Kardashian at this year’s Met Gala. While she didn’t quite wear leggings, she wore a similar figure-hugging material, which did appear very comfortable in comparison to her ‘wet’ look in 2019.
4. Masks
As most of you already know, face masks have become a central aspect of everyday life; whether they are vital anymore or not, it would be impossible not to mention them. I have probably seen at least one person wearing them every day for the past year and a half; I love how they changed from medical equipment to a fashion accessory, while still serving their actual purpose. From crazy colours to bold patterns, they have been incorporated into outfits and matched co-ordinately.
Most red-carpet events require guests to wear face masks, however, celebrities have gone above and beyond to align their outfits with their masks, as well as make the mask the statement piece of the outfit. Some stand-out examples from this year being Taylor Hill at the Venice Film Festival and Grimes at the Met Gala.
5. Bold Prints
In the words of Taylor Swift, this craze came “stronger than a ‘90s trend” and I have to admit it has been my favourite lockdown trend yet! Being able to express your style through print is exhilarating, it adds a personal touch to any outfit and the opportunities are endless!
Many celebs have adopted this trend, with some being good and some bad. However, I will only focus on the good as it’s mainly based on your own opinion and personal taste. My favourites from this year have been Carrie Underwood at the Latin American Music Awards in one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen, and Joey King at the Golden Globe Awards.
As a woman heavily enthusiastic about fashion, I have enjoyed exploring this timeline of fashion evolving from a bedroom aesthetic to red-carpet worthy. The return of the red carpet this year placed major pressure among celebs and fashion designers, as critics were more judgmental than ever.
Though every designer has created original and innovative looks, they have incorporated what people loved wearing in lockdown as we see through the continuation of lockdown fashion trends onto the red carpet. Covid-19 has affected every industry and it has been interesting to see how everything has changed, especially fashion, and I’m excited to see what else will influence the fashion industry in the future!
Words by: Hayley Seagrave
Edited by: McKenzie Burnett