After months of choosing clothes based purely on comfort and under the premise that we are unlikely to see anyone and them see us, I’m more than willing to forgo anything with stretch, or considered slouchy, for the foreseeable future. I am ready to dress up, regardless of whether I am going to leave the house or remain indoors.
What began as a feeling of restlessness grew into an unshakeable need to upgrade my loungewear to anything that doesn’t allow for periods of sitting down for any longer than ten minutes. This craving for discomfort and a need for impracticality was further incensed when I saw the Versace Resort 2021 collection.
I don’t generally follow the fashion calendar, with all the fashion weeks and fashion shows and ready-to wear and resort... the over saturation made it impossible to determine one collection from another. The concept of newness was moot because as soon as it was released, it was already old. It was just continual fashion. After a while, I gave up. But every once in a while, a collection resonates with me, the most recent being the Versace Resort 2021 collection.
Versace is synonymous with Italian glamour, bold, striking, statement making, OTT, worn by women who embody confidence with places to go and a wont to be seen, which is basically the antithesis of pandemic living. Whilst I have always appreciated the aesthetic of Versace, it is one far removed from my own, even before the world stilled into lockdown.
However, in a convenient alignment, as we begin to re-emerge so too has my desire to dress up awakened. I want clothing that requires consideration of underwear to be necessitated, I want there to be some resistance to my movements, I want to have to check myself in the mirror, I want to feel aware of what I’m wearing. All of these are not satisfied by sweatpants. They are however, fulfilled by the sartorial panache of Versace’s resort collection.
According to Vogue, Donatella had advised that the collection feature “nothing boring”, taking inspiration from the attitude of rebellion of young musicians. The true rebellion here though obviously being getting dressed at all. And whilst the pandemic has not generally been conducive to feelings of inspiration, there was something intriguing about the clothes being in such opposition to the current circumstances, yet still somehow managing to be wearable.
The outfits featured items that may already be resident in ones wardrobe, cardigans, pumps, tube socks, paired with midi dresses and oversized blazers creating a collection that plays with the dichotomy of relaxed sophistication. Even the fabrications used explore this concept of contrast, with oversized, slouchy silhouettes in luxe leather and vinyl, board shorts offset with heavy gold chains and of course the iconic Versace Medusa logo on everything from bucket hats to sweatsuits.
The collection heavily featured pick ‘n’ mix pastel hues contrasted with bold coloured leathers, all grounded with tones of black, brown and beige, giving the clothing a sense of sweet moodiness. Offsetting the neon and pastels with earthy tones is a wearable means of embracing colour for those old enough to watch an 18 rated film without having to produce ID. The styling prevents the sorbet colours appearing too saccharine, with face eclipsing sunglasses, saucer sized gold hoops and dizzying platforms, adding an edginess that is both futuristic and quintessentially the Versace glamazon.
As I slowly enter back into society and shed the athleisure that has made up much of my 2020 thus far, I feel an urge to shimmy into leather leggings and wrap my entire body in gregarious gold chains. The appeal of contorting my feet and tottering around in anything taller than an inch makes me giddy with the probable vertigo I’m destined to be afflicted with thereafter. (I feel my Birkenstock’s will be glad of the rest!) A rebrand from a lifestyle of hygge to that of chic ostentatiousness, from living room puzzles, to cocktails with the girls (even if it’s over Zoom).
And therein lies the aesthetic appeal of this collection at this particular moment, allowing us to realise that this life does have some semblance of normality, (or the new normal at least) and it’s what we make of it that matters and that includes dressing up for the occasion. Versace Resort 2021 embodied a shift in perspective, that has inspired me to dress like I want everyone to know about it - from a socially distanced vantage of course.
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