2020 fashion rewind: reflections on a stylish year

As we near the end of January 2021, we’ve made it through the first month after what was a very long year. The pandemic has characterised the majority of the past year and throughout this pandemic, we saw a lot of new trends emerge.

Fashion is always led by icons and this year we were blessed with exceptional ones. I have to admit, I was afraid for a moment when the 2000s tried a comeback, but I did come around in the end. 2020 was the year of destroying gender stereotypes and bringing totally new trends compared to previous decades.

He was a regular on the red carpets and he gave us some exotic looks

For a couple of years now, clothing styles have evolved and pushed back boundaries. We can think of the incredible Met Gala style of Ezra Miller in 2018 or more recently, Robert Sheehan’s looks at different ceremonies. They paved the way to make skirts and dresses acceptable and fashionable in menswear.

Timothée Chalamet is one of our 2020 icons. He was a regular on the red carpets and he gave us some exotic looks. A piece really worth seeing is the Gucci liberty floral cotton jacket sported by Chalamet on the red carpet. He has consistently distinguished himself through colourful suits and those looks bring some colours to our months spent in isolation. He was able to mix the return of the ‘80s look and combine it with more modern colours.

Undoubtedly, the milestone of this end of the year was the iconic Vogue photoshoot from Harry Styles. I still don’t know which picture is my favourite, between the cover or the combo kilt-shirtless Harry Styles.

This year, the fashion scene was really diversified in term of women icons and new trends

The most dominant aspect of the photoshoot is the emergence of freedom in menswear through some virile features. Through his fashion identity, he destroys gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. He is the proud ambassador of Gucci and the brand had a real stroke of genius with this photoshoot.

This year, the fashion scene was really diversified in term of women icons and new trends. One of the most extravagant is definitely the singer Lizzo. Her onstage looks are all incredible and represent her personality as a badass artist. If I had to choose only one night, her outfits during the Grammy awards were breathtaking.

Lizzo’s first outfit on the red carpet was a white Versace sublimate with Swarovski crystals. Then on stage, she wears a custom Christian Siriano black sequined gown during the first song, then changing into a bodysuit-corset designed by Zigman. For the final carpet, she wore a Versace dress see-through, accessorized with her three Grammys. Her signature confidence is reflected through her styles and confirms her as a leader in the body positive movements.

We can at least be glad that we were blessed with some incredible fashion moments and pieces

If you have been on any social media, you certainly notice that if 2020 was a good year for someone, it was definitely for the Emmy winning actress Zendaya. Her style is flawless, and she is famous for contributing to the comeback of women-suits. Zendaya’s outstanding outfits in July 2019 during the Armani private show definitely owned her the title of Queen of Suits.

My favourite outfit from Zendaya by far is the hot pink look imagined by Tom Ford during the Critics’ Choice Awards in January 2020. The combination between the metallic breastplate and a mid-rise skirt seems to be made for Zendaya and she wears it like the warrior woman she is. Inspired by Saint Laurent and Issey Miyake from the 80s, the breastplate was one of the first trends of 2020 and we cannot get sick of it. I hope to see it more on the red carpet as soon as it is walked on again.

As we say goodbye to the year from hell that was 2020, we can at least be glad that we were blessed with some incredible fashion moments and pieces from icons that are set to take the world by storm in 2021.