High-heeled suit of armour boots, corsets, and head-to-toe chainmail seem unlikely styles to trend in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are, watching Balenciaga, Celine and more feature them in their 2021 collections.
We're nearly a year into quarantining at home, shuffling around in slippers and bottoms with elasticated waistbands. And while we love the comfort, we are growing rather tiresome of wearing the same hoodie to Zoom meetings. Which would explain both shoppers' and brands' current predilection for hard-wear — the antithesis of loungewear, with structured styles that prompt us to sit up straight, rather than slump at our makeshift desks.
Paco Rabanne has long considered chainmail its USP, regularly sending metal sheath dresses and matching headwear down the runway. But, now medieval is a whole mood (unsurprising, giving it was a period also referred to as the Dark Ages, and, well, these aren't the brightest of times...).
In December, Balenciaga featured LARP-style (that's 'live action real play' for the uninitiated) in its AW21 collection, producing thigh-high boots made by a craftsman who specialises in medieval armour.
Super-cinched bodices, harnesses and wide belts also feature heavily in the pre-fall 2021 collections of Alexander McQueen and Givenchy, offering the opposite of the soupy cotton sweaters we've become accustomed to living in throughout lockdown.
Celine is the latest to join them, unveiling its AW21 menswear collection earlier this week in a Game of Thrones-type film titled Teen Knight Poem. The 13-minute production was packed full of hard-wear, with stoney-faced teen models stomping through the Château de Chambord in France wearing vast, black, sharp-shouldered jackets, metal-tipped boots, and thick silver chain-link chokers.
While hard-wear co-exists with softer styles, and sales of loungewear—from stretchy Skims to The Row-style cashmere—have surged by 49% since last March, there's clearly a growing appetite for harder and more form-fitting styles.
Best Hard-Wear Fashion
Alaïa Laser-cut leather waist belt
Bottega Veneta Leather coat
Asos DESIGN ASOS DESIGN cuban heel western chelsea boots in black patent with silver chain
AZZEDINE ALAIA Corset leather shoulder bag
Lyst, a number-crunching platform that tracks the product searches of over 100,000 million people worldwide, reports that searches for corsets have shot up by 123% this year. La Perla has also reported a 50% increase in searches for corsets, and a 57% increase for bodices compared to this time last year. While the Bridgerton-effect might have something to do with that, the point still stands: the longing for day-to-day structure in our schedules may soon permeate our wardrobes too.
We might have nowhere to wear our suit of armour boots or tight-bodice frocks just yet, but while we're still working from home, the latter might do wonders for our posture.
The Best Knee High Boots To Stomp Around In This Spring
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
In need of more inspiration, thoughtful journalism and at-home beauty tips? Subscribe to ELLE's print magazine today! SUBSCRIBE HERE
