Written by Megan C. Hills
After an embarrassing year, zoom in on awards, speeches and
tie dyed hoodie, it’s a relief to see the stars return to the red carpet. Glamor returns with a vengeance, filling our feed with color, sparkle, and flashes of nostalgia.
With Billie Eilish’s foam highlights
Met Gala Lady Gaga’s prom dress and extraterrestrial miniskirt, 2021 is the year the stars have a chance to redefine their wardrobes – and many have delivered. Here are a few notable trends.
Dopamine clothes
first/22
Trend 1. Dopamine locker: After a year indoors, many stars took the opportunity to make a dazzling fashion statement – as seen with singer Billie Eilish’s sparkling evening gown at the Met Gala. Credit: Kevin Mazur / MG21 / Getty Images
Bright colors, sparkly outfits, and playful looks brought joy to this year’s celebrity wardrobe, as the stars happily dressed themselves amid the ongoing pandemic. At the Emmys, Michaela Coel wowed in a striking yellow Christopher John Rogers outfit, while Anya Taylor-Joy was the image of a retro Barbie in a hot and sexy pink dress at the Venice Film Festival. Others use their inner disco balls: Dakota Johnson’s fringed Gucci creation featured at the Venice Film Festival and more recently Olivia Rodrigo’s periwinkle
American Music Awards the cloak glittered as she fidgeted beneath its feathers.
Store fashion
Cardi B attends the photocall “Thierry Mugler: Couturissime” within the framework of Paris Fashion Week at the Musee Des Arts Decoratifs on September 28, 2021 in Paris, France. Credit: Image Richard Bord / WireImage / Getty
Fashion history becomes this year’s biggest red carpet event, as stylists and celebrities seek out rare pieces from decades ago. The growing interest in vintage and vintage pieces certainly played a big part in this trend, which included Rodrigo wearing a pleated 2001 Versace gown to the MTV VMAs and queens of the world. archive Bella Hadid in vintage Gucci, Stella McCartney for Chloe and more on the street snap. And who can forget olive green
Jean Paul Gaultier Kylie Jenner’s dress?
Dare to go bare
Zoë Kravitz attends the Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. Credit: According to Wargo / Getty Images
Post-disaster red carpets are more glamorous than ever as some pandemic restrictions are eased and celebrities are back in the public eye. Gorgeous dresses, such as Saint Laurent by Zoe Kravitz
Met Gala look and Megan Fox’s Thierry Mugler dress (with a pair of nude panties) at MTV
VMAs, was seen at many big events, while other famous stars such as Zendaya, Kendall Jenner and Halle Bailey opted for revealing outfits.
Subtle bodysuits have been featured by Carey Mulligan, Rina Sawayama and Alicia Keys throughout the year, while Lil Nas X, Kim Kardashian and Hailey Bieber were among those who sported catchy outfits. eyes that leave little to the imagination.
Men’s clothing by gender
Troye Sivan attends the Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. Credit: According to Wargo / Getty Images
With Gen Z challenging gender discrimination on TikTok and discussions of versatility reverberating in the fashion industry, celebrities have not been shy about pushing boundaries. With LGBTQ+ stars leading the way – including Billy Porter in a pastel pink suit and designer Harris Reed launching his first gender-fashion collection – others followed suit: Troye Sivan donned a dress minimalist to the Met Gala, and Kid Cudi wore a Kurt Cobain-inspired floral dress for his Saturday Night Live performance, followed by a wedding gown at the CFDA Awards.
Some have taken more subtle approaches, including Bowen Yang, to his background
Syro Heel protruding from under the hem of a sharp garment
Emmys. Nail polish was also widely received by stars like Lil Yachty and Tyler the Creator, and Styles and Machine Gun Kelly even launched their own nail polishes.
Fashion as wearable art
Bella Hadid poses as she arrives for the screening of her film “Tre Piani” (Three Floors) at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on July 11, 2021. Credit: Photo Valery Hache / AFP / Getty
Bella Hadid scene at
Cannes This summer’s film festival, wearing a copper Schiaparelli necklace designed to resemble a pair of lungs, brought the Internet down. That artistic, surreal approach to fashion continued throughout the second half of the year.
Di Petsa’s “steamy-looking” dresses, created by self-described interdisciplinary artist Dimetra Petsa and meticulously layered in tulle, have turned stars like
Hadid sisters,
SZA, Chloe Bailey and
Megan Thee Stallion into fairies that looked as if they had just emerged from the sea. Zendaya chose a similar style, crafted from Balmain’s nude leather, for the premiere of “Dune” in Venice. Her look was offset by co-star Timothee Chalamet, who was wearing a glittering Haider Ackermann outfit that looked as if it had been shot out of the night sky. Of course, who can forget Kim Kardashian’s impressive look at the Met Gala – a
no face The custom Balenciaga outfit raises questions about the nature of celebrity while spawning countless memes on Twitter.
Celebrity feedback
Gemma Chan pays tribute to Anna May Wong at the Met Gala. Wong is considered the first Chinese-American Hollywood star. Credit: beautiful pictures
As many stars exhaust their wardrobes after locking their doors, others have taken a step back to pause and pay their respects to those who paved the way before them. Returns to specific celebrity and supermodel outfits were seen throughout the year.
For example, at the Met Gala, Gemma Chan honored the Chinese-American movie star
Anna May Wong in a Prabal Gurung dragon embroidered mini dress and coiled pigtails, and YouTuber Nikkie de Jaeger stepped out in
Floral dress with a “Pay it no mind” ribbon pinned to her bodice – a reference to Stonewall transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson. Meanwhile, Kendall Jenner impressed Audrey Hepburn with a stunning gown covered in crystals. The dress is a contemporary model worn by Hepburn while playing Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”.
Zendaya gave some nods to icons, wearing a Beyonce 2003 BET Awards gown to the same event this year and a yellow cut-out gown for
Oscar, modeled after the one Cher previously wore on “The Sonny & Cher Show.”
And Angelina Jolie kept the reverse references close to home at the “Eternals” premiere in London, with her daughters
Zahara and Shiloh sporting some of Jolie’s previously worn red carpet gowns when they accompanied her. Jolie wears a 2018 Valentino dress.
Y2K
Avril Lavigne attends the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on September 12, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Credit: Image Astrid Stawiarz / WireImage / Getty
Introduced by Gen Z stars like Dua Lipa and Addison Rae, the men’s obsession is still going strong into 2021. All the old trends are back in full effect, spotted on the internet. Beyonce and Lipa’s hot pink Versace heels
distinctive a la Mariah Carey butterfly outfit – even a Von dutch cap has been touted by
Rihanna and
Miley Cyrus.
Surprising brands like Ed Hardy and Juicy Couture are back among the celebrities, and retro staples like mesh tops, braille tops, and cardigans have become the go-to items.
Other non-designer Y2K styles, including low-rise jeans and kid’s t-shirts, also found their way into our wardrobes.
Lipa,
Hadid and
Kaia Gerber. The love for the 00s shows no signs of slowing, and it’s likely we’ll continue to see celebs champion the decade through 2022, with Versace, Fendi and others all at the helm group.
