I Didn’t Miss Street Style During This Fashion Month
Photo Dries Van Noten via Vogue
By Lauren Payne
For as long as I can remember, every fashion week is usually structured in the same way.
Schedules packed to the brim with shows, intimate presentations are held with small crowds checking out lesser known brands and streets are lined with influencers, media personalities and celebrities being snapped by street style photographers.
But, for obvious reasons, this fashion week was different.
The schedules were scarce, presentations were non-existent, streets were empty and, most noticeably, street style was absent for the first time in decades. For me and, I’m sure others in the industry as well, the impact of this was huge.
During the 2010s, street style somehow clawed its way to the top and became one of the main focuses of fashion week, second only to the runway shows themselves.
“As digital media and Instagram evolved and surged in popularity, street style also got bolder and more graphic—eye-catching, photogenic stuff.””
As technology evolved, so did the rise of self promotion, specifically in the form of sharing fashion week OOTFDs.
As a flow on effect, street style photographers like Mr Street Peeper also rose to prominence to satisfy the sudden demand for street style documentation.
An image of someone walking to a show could hint whether they are a minimalist or maximalist, prefer colour or monochrome, are more reserved or happy. Playing along from home, it allowed those of us who wear physically not a part of the festivities a peak into the industry and the personalities of those involved.
Is this the allure of fashion week street style to cast a closer eye on the people behind the global fashion industry? Or is to focus on the outfits and styling themselves?
Regardless, there’s obviously something seriously alluring about street style images which have allowed them to stand the test of time, until now.
During the Spring/Summer 2020 season, rather than the focus being on street style, a spotlight was lent to the designers and their shows for a change.
Don’t get me wrong, I love street style and think it’s a great way to collect styling inspiration for my own wardrobe, but this season, I noticed that the lack of street style allowed me to pay more attention to the collections.
The less time I spent scrolling through images of people walking to and from shows, the more time I spent looking at the shows themselves. Although, despite not being able to host the physical shows they usually do, it was nice to pay attention to the magic the designers were able to still present.
The Row via Vogue
I was able to actually take notice of the proportions in The Row’s minimalist and textured pieces through captivating images and absorbing the intricate attention to colour Dries Van Noten presented in their series of stunning beach images was extremely exciting.
This season, Loewe’s look-book sprinkled some extra character into their already eye-catching garments and JW Anderson’s cut-out creations was a very inventive way to present a collection in a more miniature context.
Of course, some designers decided a look book simply wasn’t enough and decided to go the extra mile.
Jacquemus via Vogue
I was able to truly drink in the magical socially distant Jacquemus show set in a dreamy wheat field, from the comfort of my couch thanks to a live stream. Balmain’s virtual show had my eyes glued to my screen as I watched the boldly coloured suits stomping down the runway.
Miu Miu’s virtual front row made me giggle as Lottie Moss strutted in ‘60s inspired shapes and hues. We also cannot forget Mochino’s ground-breaking presentation which was a film featuring marionette puppets donning the brand’s collection. There was even a marionette Anna Wintour in the front row!
I realised, if my eyes were fleeting between runway images and hundreds of street style stories, I may have missed details of these fantastic productions. Paris Fashion Week did have more of a street style presence than the other major cities on the fashion calendar, but it still didn’t make as much of an impact on this season as usual.
During Spring/Summer 2020, we were forced to focus on the shows and were consequently able to digest fashion without additional distractions. For me, this move felt like a much needed breath of fresh air into the industry.
Street style may have waned, but it diminished just in time for fashion to become inventive again. It’s as if we were meant to pay more attention to the runways now, as the fashion industry is being forced to transform and present their new collections in ways that were previously unheard of.
Although 2020 will be remembered for a variety of reasons, hopefully one of them will be that it birthed one of the most innovative seasons in history. Every show was unique and has something special about it.
The COVID-19 restrictions not only brushed away the haze of logistics and crowds that usually shadow fashion week, it also enhanced the fashion itself, proving that designers will endure and thrive under pressure.
Like coal, pressure has produced a series of diamond collections that will influence our wardrobes for the coming seasons; more so than the wardrobes of street style influencers, which is a beautiful thing.