The Covid-19 Pandemic has not dampened the creativity of fashion-especially designer’s fall debuts. This pandemic has actually made everyone more familiar with runways and street fashion. Urban clothing this season will be a brilliant combination of patterns, texture, and color while still being comfortable. It’s that time of year to pull out the cozy clothes from the depths of your wardrobe in preparation for the crisp fall air in the midwest. If you live in any other part of the world that stays warm during the fall months, you can still wear the styles effectively. You may need to go on a shopping spree if you don’t already own these pieces- not all of them are items that you would have stored in your drawers. However, some of these do transition over from summer trends or recent years’ styles that you can incorporate into your outfits this season.
A lot of the bright, saturated colors will follow through from the summer along with the bold accessories. This season’s fashion incorporates lots of layering, mixed prints, and unique color. Eclecticism is very trendy at the moment and it shows. Instagramers are taking lots of photos in front of the urbane architectural style, so of course, that needs to match with the clothing aesthetic. The style derives from a range of sources, which is perhaps why the style this season has unique pairings that you might not think go together. Contrasted to previous seasons or “classic” fall clothes such as plaid and scarves, the urban fall style looks very different from that. The truth is though, it can be worn anywhere. In a way, fall fashion has always been a bit raggle-taggle. This year has taken the raggle-taggle up a notch (even with office wear), which you may have not expected for looks to be worn in a city environment. There is also a bit of 90’s and Year 2000 (Y2K) nostalgia incorporated. In general, autumn fashion has surpassed sleek elegance in the city. Y2k and maximalism are on the rise. Recent bright, baggy, and mixed print clothing could represent how chaotic the past few years have been. This fall, people have a yearning for comfort and nostalgia in the way they dress.
Puffy Accessories
Candy monochrome and retro resin rings are trickling in from the summertime. Pair those rings with colorful acrylic statement earrings, silky headscarves, sunglasses, and San Juan bracelets. That’s right, 2021 is giving major 90’s/Y2k vibes when it comes to accessories. As for bags and shoes, it’s all about clouds, and by that I mean puffy. There will also be lots of knit, messenger, and tote bags if you’re in need of more toned-down looks . Those will pair well with the more rugged fall looks talked about in this blog.
Bag Inspiration:
You’ll see shoulder pieces reminiscent of the Bottega Veneta pouch/padded bag collections, Pesago suede bag, Fendi Roma bags, and the Vogue tote bag (which you can get free with a magazine subscription by the way).
Shoe Inspiration: Shoes similar to Vince Camuto Woven Strap Mule, Franco Sarto Balin Loafers, and Steve Madden Howler Boots will be seen strutting down urban streets.
Jewelry Inspiration: Shein is affordable and stocks a lot of chunky resin rings, Etsy carries uniquely crafted jewelry pieces, ASOS has an entire Y2K accessory inspired category on their site.
Eclectic Midi Skirts
Skirts, skirts, skirts! There are so many skirt options for this fall.
Midi Skirts are the perfect way to add patterns to your outfits. Long skirts with a variety of prints to choose from are nothing new to the fall season, but this year it’s popular to go even wackier in a true eclectic style.
Pops of Neon, Lilac, and Saturated hues
This season’s fashion is all about layering eclectic style with counterintuitive colors.
Fushia, tangerine orange, neon green, lilac, cobalt blue, scarlet red- these are the bold colors defining fall 2021.
They can be highlighted in any way you choose; as a pop of color or as a full on monochrome outfit.
Sweater Vests
Sweater vests are a way of bringing 90’s influences back into the mainstream as the leaves change color. They’ll be layered on top of button ups and long sleeve shirts.
Brown and Leather
Brown is the new black, specifically on leather peices.
“We came from a time where there were lots of jewel tones and rich colors. People just get tired of it and want a 180 on something,” suggests New York based designer Robert McKinley. “There’s a kind of rebellion that happens.”
McKinley blames the pandemic for brown’s resurgence. He compares Covid-19 to the financial crisis of 2008, which prompted an embrace of neutral earthy colors.
It’s clear to see that there will be a clashes and combinations of earthy tones with jewel tones.
Tailored on Tailored
There is a fresh take on suiting for this year. This trend is a bit unexpected – as men and women are just now returning to in person office settings. At the same time, the way this trend has been transformed makes some sense post-pandemic. People will be wearing more baggy and disheveled pantsuits. We’ve had a lot of time to think about how we will look once we return to the office and no longer have to wear sweatpants out of view of the webcam while in Zoom meetings. Don’t worry, you’ll still be seeing husband shirts that aren’t tucked in paired with gray sweatpants in the office these days. There’s no pressure to step outside of your comfort zone. If you do decide you are ready to reaquaint with classic office life again, try layering a vest on top of your button-up and throw on a long jacket over it.
To summarize the popular urban autumn fashion components to be seen in 2021: Everything from bright neons to in-your-face-prints, and comfortably homespun eclectic looks . It makes it easy for people to choose between being low profile post-pandemic or bold.