As restrictions come to an end, let’s look back at what we’ve been wearing through the pandemic.
March – May 2020
At this point we were pretty hopeful we’d be back out and life would be up and running soon so we didn’t let go of ourselves too much. Many of us embraced a cosier home lifestyle wearing comfy clothes but still making an effort for the first few weeks anyway. After a while though, activewear and loungewear were in full force. Jeans, heels, anything even slightly more dressed up was firmly packed away. We hadn’t seen the outside world for a while and it didn’t look like we were going to be out again any time soon. At this point, leggings and joggers were the go-to. Online brands such as Pretty Little Thing, I Saw It First and Asos were producing loungewear more than ever before and we were clicking and uploading our card details to buy it from home. During these months was also the height of zoom calls, this phase of lockdown fashion saw weekly dress up themes or just wearing a nice top with loungewear bottoms.
Image from instagram.com/emily.raymond_
June – October 2020
We made our grand entrances back into the world with some restrictions being lifted. Once again, online companies were able to make the most of this, adding sections to their website for ‘jeans and a nice top’ or ‘post lockdown fashion’. The heels were back out, the dresses back on, shoulder bags packed with lip-glosses and compact mirrors ready for our restaurant reservations. But unfortunately, it didn’t last long. We all tried to squeeze back into our jeans but found ourselves desperately ripping them off as soon as we got back home. These months also saw the trend of matching your mask to your outfit, this is where we got way too comfortable with pandemic fashion.
Image from instagram.com/emily.raymond_
November 2020 – March 2021
The festive period was a quiet one for many, no Christmas parties were held and many had a small Christmas day at home. The usual festive outfits were toned down and the New Years glamour was no more as many sat with a takeaway in their pyjamas to ring in the new year. Over the festive period, many decided to shop small and support small businesses when buying presents and clothes. There was an increase in people buying from Instagram businesses and smaller companies such as Lucy and Yak. Once again, the leggings, joggers and hair in a bun prevailed as we sat at home waiting for somewhere to go to get dressed up for.
April – May 2021
Fashion has recently taken a hopeful turn. As summer is on the horizon and shops have reopened, many have taken fashion inspiration from TikTok hauls and have rushed out to Zara, Primark, Urban Outfitters and more to pick up some new summer clothes. Throughout April the reopening of pubs outdoors began; many pub goers donned their coats to the pubs with an umbrella (typical Britain) but still managed to make it look chic. Even better though, May 17th marked the beginning of indoor restaurants which saw visitors cracking out their dresses and heels once more.
Image from instagram.com/emily.raymond_
June 2021
With June 21st approaching, the date from which life will supposedly be ‘back to normal’, Boohoo, among many other fashion brands has added a section called ‘June 21st’ to their website. This could see many young people being back in clubs wearing skirts, dresses, heels, trainers, fancy dress… who knows? Or has lockdown changed fashion forever?
Image from instagram.com/emily.raymond_
By Alycia McNamara