Looking ahead to spring 2021, comfort, a sense of feel-good melancholy and the hope of joy emerge through women's fashion as top trends.

Looking ahead to spring, comfort remains a key element in fashion — as it has been throughout the pandemic. Think large pants, tunic dressing and easy knits, which encapsulate the larger message. Meanwhile, a sense of feel-good nostalgia emerges through ’90s crop tops, transparencies and crochet details. Hope for a more joyful summer is expressed through bright colors and playful prints, all of which round out the season as designers look ahead to fall.

(Spring 2021 Women’s Trends; Looking ahead to spring 2021, comfort, a sense of feel-good melancholy and the hope of joy emerge through women's fashion as top trends.; wwd.com)

As movement becomes increasingly important, fashion illustration is expected to become more animated.

Blassport, Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta in a 1976 issue of WWD. Illustration by Steven Stipelman. Fairchild Archive

Through the decades, the value and appreciation of fashion illustration has risen and fallen with societal shifts.

While WWD’s roster of fashion illustrators included Kenneth Paul Block, Steven Stipelman, Antonio Lopez, Robert Passantino, Kichisaburo Ogawa, Cathy Clayton Powell, Ruth Reeves and scores more, the monetary value of their work is not as easy to pinpoint. The same might be said about fashion illustration as a whole, a category that is sometimes undervalued in the art world.

Executives at Christie’s and Sotheby’s declined to comment about the current interest in fashion illustration or the lack thereof. A Sotheby’s spokeswoman said she didn’t think the company has the right specialists to discuss the subject.

The is-it-really-art debate is one that fashion illustrators and gallery owners have heard for years. Available in select galleries and to an even lesser degree online via the occasional used poster or book on sites like 1stdibs, eBay and Etsy, the hunt for fashion illustrations from decades past is no easy task.

But Bil Donovan, a fashion illustrator who works for Dior Beauty among other brands, said the genre has only evolved. He said recently, “There are people who say, ‘Fashion illustration is dead,’ like Donald Judd said, ‘Oh, painting is dead.’ People just reiterate this, because they don’t see it in the usual markets where they have seen it in the past.”

A calendar that he designed for South Coast Plaza, for example, was used for signage and “huge walls, but someone in New York is going to see that in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar,” Donovan said. However, social media is predominantly responsible for the current resurgence in interest in fashion illustration, he said. “People, who in the past would not have entrée into seeing this work, now can go on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and see tons of illustration,” Donovan said.

David Downton, Tina Berning, Sara Singh, Cecilia Carlstedt, Daniel Egneus, Blair Breitenstein and Gill Button are helping to attract a new generation to fashion illustration, according to Donovan.

Having curated a show earlier this year at the Society of Illustrators that celebrated 100 years of fashion illustration, he said, “It almost blurs the line between fine art and commercial illustration. Fashion illustration, at least [for] high fashion, you’re not only selling a product, you’re selling the essence of the product. Some of the work is so abstract.”

Specializing in fashion illustration and mid-century textiles, Gray M.C.A, a gallery in London, garners a lot more publicity for its fashion illustration, according to fashion curator Connie Gray. “Everyone now seems to be really interested. The word ‘fashion’ is very fashionable right now, if that makes sense. Anything that is associated with the great designers, particularly of the 20th century like Dior, Balenciaga or Chanel in Europe, [is of interest] or in America, anyone from Donna Karan to Bill Blass to Halston,” she said.

Gray continued, “I’m thinking of Women’s Wear Daily particularly. They were such important names in the mid to the latter half of the 20th century. If it’s a draft, drawing or an illustration, people instantly recognize it and see the beauty and the historical interest in the drawings.”

Gray expects American fashion illustrators from the latter half of the 20th century to be the next group to begin to increase their prices. At the moment, the focus continues to be on work from the Forties, Fifties and Sixties, she said, adding that work by René Gruau could garner anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.

Of the American WWD illustrators, Antonio Lopez is probably the most important and is beginning to command $16,100 to nearly $27,000, she said. “As the market begins to open up, collectors are beginning to recognize the worth of these later illustrators and artists, and how brilliant they were as artists. Forget the commercial tag and look at them genuinely as artists, they are the next group to pick up.”

Gray expects prices for work for the mid-range of American artists, which currently is around $2,690 to $4,000, to change over the next 10 years. “They were so prolific and brilliant, turning out the most wonderful drawings day after day,” she said. “They are also a rarity. They’re not easy to come by.”

Noting how Passantino and Melendez kept some of their work, she noted how that was not the norm. “Most of the work for Women’s Wear was tossed as soon as it was printed, or it went into an archive somewhere never to be accessed again. So when they are available, that adds to the value of them,” she said.

One exception was Block, who asked for all of his work back, as much as he could, Gray added. “With the illustrators like [Carl ‘Eric’] Erickson, [René] Bouche, or [René] Gruau, their work was commissioned, printed and literally thrown in the trash can at the end of the printing line,” Gray said. “Their value was in the published piece and not in the original art work.”

She continued, “To a large extent, you can say that about the Women’s Wear artists. What was important was what was in the paper the next day. Forget about the actual original. Some artists would ask for them back, if they could get them back. More often than not they ended up in the trash can, which is a great, great shame.”

Betty Morgan, who runs the Kenneth Paul Block Foundation with her husband Steven Block, the artist’s nephew, said the value of Block’s work varies. Several pieces have been sold in the $12,000 to $15,000 price range, and others have been sold for less than that, she said.

In 2023, Gray M.C.A hopes to showcase the work of WWD illustrators like Lopez, Glen Tunstull, Block, Melendez, Passantino and more in an exhibition. While there is the book “WWD Illustrated: 1960s – 1990s,” no one has done an exhibition of their work.

As a gallery, Gray M.C.A is constantly trying to research and unearth those long-lost drawings that have not been seen in 40 or 50 years. Gray said, “They have either been hidden away in drawers or cupboards and literally haven’t seen the light of day. When we are lucky enough to find them, and if necessary restore them and have them framed as works of art, they are absolutely stunning when you put them on the wall. They’re important not just for their social history but for their beauty.”

Measuring prices against last year’s prices is difficult, Gray said. Gray M.C.A bills itself as the only gallery in the world that specializes in this genre of art. In the 15 years that Gray has been working in the category, there have been year-on-year increases for the value of the work, she said. “It’s really about exposing the work and opening the collectors’ eyes to this genre of art. In some ways, people are only just beginning to recognize the Seventies and Eighties. It was almost too recent even 10 years ago. Going into 2021, there is a little more distance and people become a little more reminiscent so they see the work with an air of history to it,” Gray said.

In New York, Daniel Cooney, who owns a namesake gallery, said fashion illustration is available, including originals, which he specializes in. During a recent interview, he said, “It’s out there. I just think there is this snobbery that it is commercial art and not fine art. That is kind of absurd to me, but it’s true. Illustration is often made on assignments. They’re paying jobs. It is different than the traditional idea of an artist sitting in a studio, thinking. Most of them are working under deadlines. To me, that makes it more interesting. They’re trained artists — Richard Haines, Antonio Lopez. They have very broad audiences, which most artists don’t.”

Having done three shows with fashion illustrator Richard Haines, Cooney said the first one opened his eyes to a whole new audience. The gallery has also done a show for Mel Odom, and it represents the Antonio Lopez estate. Visitors will find on view original paintings or drawings, and they are often more accustomed to seeing the images printed in magazines, on Instagram or on their computers, Cooney said. “People always come in and say they have never seen the original paintings or drawings,” he said, noting how Haines has 70,000 Instagram followers but hardly any have seen his work.

When Cooney staged the Odom show, 50-year-old and 60-year-old men were coming in saying, “‘When I saw his work in a magazine as a kid, I knew there was a bigger world out there for me. But I’d never seen it in person.’ That was really exciting for me. It was not something that I had really thought about.”

Haines’ 14 x 11.5-inch drawings are priced at $3,000 and Lopez’s work that is 20 x 24 inches has sold for up to $18,000, Cooley said. Comparatively speaking, “Nothing is really worth what it was a year ago. Things are selling. It’s just bigger discounts than normal, which is fine. If I’m selling, I’m just happy to be selling.”

Former Halston model Chris Royer, who has a collection of fashion illustrations from Joe Eula and Block, addressed their talents for catching movements instantaneously. “When a girl was moving down the runway, Joe could pick up on that because they were just moving quick. He could do it with his pen. It was just unbelievable — in a couple of lines, you had it. It was so riveting because you understood the dress, you understood the attitude — you understood everything about the whole concept and what that design was about in an instant. Sometimes in photographs it becomes a little too distracting. You don’t quite get in the same way,” she said.

Eula also worked closely with Halston and Elsa Peretti to conceptualize the designer’s first fragrance, Royer said. His myriad skill set included working with photographer Milton Greene, doing some ballet costumes for Jerome Robbins in “Private Lives,” and creating concert posters and other items for Miles Davis. Eula also created posters for Diana Ross and The Supremes for a 1965 appearance at Lincoln Center. As of Monday, one of those prints was retailing for $444 — a 20 percent discount — at 1stdibs.com.

Royer thinks fashion illustration may come back in different ways, because it tells a different story. Citing Donovan’s illustrations for “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, she said that “in one line he gets it.” Royer added, “The world needs a little more fantasy and glamour. With illustration on that level, you can do it.”

While Donovan doesn’t expect fashion illustration to come back in the manner that it once was, he said, “It’s resilient. It’s never gone away. It’s always there. It’s visual poetry and it’s always found a place somewhere in the market. Whether that will be sustained, I don’t know. It just touches something in people…there will always be a place in the marketing realm for fashion illustration.”

(Is It Fine Art?: Putting a Price on Fashion Illustration; As movement becomes increasingly important, fashion illustration is expected to become more animated. wwd.com)

As movement becomes increasingly important, fashion illustration is expected to become more animated.

Blassport, Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta in a 1976 issue of WWD. Illustration by Steven Stipelman.

Fairchild Archive

Through the decades, the value and appreciation of fashion illustration has risen and fallen with societal shifts.

While WWD’s roster of fashion illustrators included Kenneth Paul Block, Steven Stipelman, Antonio Lopez, Robert Passantino, Kichisaburo Ogawa, Cathy Clayton Powell, Ruth Reeves and scores more, the monetary value of their work is not as easy to pinpoint. The same might be said about fashion illustration as a whole, a category that is sometimes undervalued in the art world.

Kenneth Paul Block illustrates Jackie O in the newest Valentino longuette look for day for the October 12, 1970 issue of WWD.  Fairchild Archive

Executives at Christie’s and Sotheby’s declined to comment about the current interest in fashion illustration or the lack thereof. A Sotheby’s spokeswoman said she didn’t think the company has the right specialists to discuss the subject.

The is-it-really-art debate is one that fashion illustrators and gallery owners have heard for years. Available in select galleries and to an even lesser degree online via the occasional used poster or book on sites like 1stdibs, eBay and Etsy, the hunt for fashion illustrations from decades past is no easy task.

But Bil Donovan, a fashion illustrator who works for Dior Beauty among other brands, said the genre has only evolved. He said recently, “There are people who say, ‘Fashion illustration is dead,’ like Donald Judd said, ‘Oh, painting is dead.’ People just reiterate this, because they don’t see it in the usual markets where they have seen it in the past.”

A calendar that he designed for South Coast Plaza, for example, was used for signage and “huge walls, but someone in New York is going to see that in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar,” Donovan said. However, social media is predominantly responsible for the current resurgence in interest in fashion illustration, he said. “People, who in the past would not have entrée into seeing this work, now can go on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and see tons of illustration,” Donovan said.

David Downton, Tina Berning, Sara Singh, Cecilia Carlstedt, Daniel Egneus, Blair Breitenstein and Gill Button are helping to attract a new generation to fashion illustration, according to Donovan.

Having curated a show earlier this year at the Society of Illustrators that celebrated 100 years of fashion illustration, he said, “It almost blurs the line between fine art and commercial illustration. Fashion illustration, at least [for] high fashion, you’re not only selling a product, you’re selling the essence of the product. Some of the work is so abstract.”

Specializing in fashion illustration and mid-century textiles, Gray M.C.A, a gallery in London, garners a lot more publicity for its fashion illustration, according to fashion curator Connie Gray. “Everyone now seems to be really interested. The word ‘fashion’ is very fashionable right now, if that makes sense. Anything that is associated with the great designers, particularly of the 20th century like Dior, Balenciaga or Chanel in Europe, [is of interest] or in America, anyone from Donna Karan to Bill Blass to Halston,” she said.

Illustrations by Robert Melendez of the movie “Cabaret” from 1972.  Fairchild Archive

Gray continued, “I’m thinking of Women’s Wear Daily particularly. They were such important names in the mid to the latter half of the 20th century. If it’s a draft, drawing or an illustration, people instantly recognize it and see the beauty and the historical interest in the drawings.”

Gray expects American fashion illustrators from the latter half of the 20th century to be the next group to begin to increase their prices. At the moment, the focus continues to be on work from the Forties, Fifties and Sixties, she said, adding that work by René Gruau could garner anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.

Of the American WWD illustrators, Antonio Lopez is probably the most important and is beginning to command $16,100 to nearly $27,000, she said. “As the market begins to open up, collectors are beginning to recognize the worth of these later illustrators and artists, and how brilliant they were as artists. Forget the commercial tag and look at them genuinely as artists, they are the next group to pick up.”

Gray expects prices for work for the mid-range of American artists, which currently is around $2,690 to $4,000, to change over the next 10 years. “They were so prolific and brilliant, turning out the most wonderful drawings day after day,” she said. “They are also a rarity. They’re not easy to come by.”

Noting how Passantino and Melendez kept some of their work, she noted how that was not the norm. “Most of the work for Women’s Wear was tossed as soon as it was printed, or it went into an archive somewhere never to be accessed again. So when they are available, that adds to the value of them,” she said.

One exception was Block, who asked for all of his work back, as much as he could, Gray added. “With the illustrators like [Carl ‘Eric’] Erickson, [René] Bouche, or [René] Gruau, their work was commissioned, printed and literally thrown in the trash can at the end of the printing line,” Gray said. “Their value was in the published piece and not in the original art work.”

She continued, “To a large extent, you can say that about the Women’s Wear artists. What was important was what was in the paper the next day. Forget about the actual original. Some artists would ask for them back, if they could get them back. More often than not they ended up in the trash can, which is a great, great shame.”

Betty Morgan, who runs the Kenneth Paul Block Foundation with her husband Steven Block, the artist’s nephew, said the value of Block’s work varies. Several pieces have been sold in the $12,000 to $15,000 price range, and others have been sold for less than that, she said.

In 2023, Gray M.C.A hopes to showcase the work of WWD illustrators like Lopez, Glen Tunstull, Block, Melendez, Passantino and more in an exhibition. While there is the book “WWD Illustrated: 1960s – 1990s,” no one has done an exhibition of their work.

Blassport, Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta in a 1976 issue of WWD. Illustration by Steven Stipelman.  Fairchild Archive

As a gallery, Gray M.C.A is constantly trying to research and unearth those long-lost drawings that have not been seen in 40 or 50 years. Gray said, “They have either been hidden away in drawers or cupboards and literally haven’t seen the light of day. When we are lucky enough to find them, and if necessary restore them and have them framed as works of art, they are absolutely stunning when you put them on the wall. They’re important not just for their social history but for their beauty.”

Measuring prices against last year’s prices is difficult, Gray said. Gray M.C.A bills itself as the only gallery in the world that specializes in this genre of art. In the 15 years that Gray has been working in the category, there have been year-on-year increases for the value of the work, she said. “It’s really about exposing the work and opening the collectors’ eyes to this genre of art. In some ways, people are only just beginning to recognize the Seventies and Eighties. It was almost too recent even 10 years ago. Going into 2021, there is a little more distance and people become a little more reminiscent so they see the work with an air of history to it,” Gray said.

In New York, Daniel Cooney, who owns a namesake gallery, said fashion illustration is available, including originals, which he specializes in. During a recent interview, he said, “It’s out there. I just think there is this snobbery that it is commercial art and not fine art. That is kind of absurd to me, but it’s true. Illustration is often made on assignments. They’re paying jobs. It is different than the traditional idea of an artist sitting in a studio, thinking. Most of them are working under deadlines. To me, that makes it more interesting. They’re trained artists — Richard Haines, Antonio Lopez. They have very broad audiences, which most artists don’t.”

Having done three shows with fashion illustrator Richard Haines, Cooney said the first one opened his eyes to a whole new audience. The gallery has also done a show for Mel Odom, and it represents the Antonio Lopez estate. Visitors will find on view original paintings or drawings, and they are often more accustomed to seeing the images printed in magazines, on Instagram or on their computers, Cooney said. “People always come in and say they have never seen the original paintings or drawings,” he said, noting how Haines has 70,000 Instagram followers but hardly any have seen his work.

When Cooney staged the Odom show, 50-year-old and 60-year-old men were coming in saying, “‘When I saw his work in a magazine as a kid, I knew there was a bigger world out there for me. But I’d never seen it in person.’ That was really exciting for me. It was not something that I had really thought about.”

Haines’ 14 x 11.5-inch drawings are priced at $3,000 and Lopez’s work that is 20 x 24 inches has sold for up to $18,000, Cooley said. Comparatively speaking, “Nothing is really worth what it was a year ago. Things are selling. It’s just bigger discounts than normal, which is fine. If I’m selling, I’m just happy to be selling.”

A Kenneth Paul Block illustration from 1982.  Fairchild Archive

Former Halston model Chris Royer, who has a collection of fashion illustrations from Joe Eula and Block, addressed their talents for catching movements instantaneously. “When a girl was moving down the runway, Joe could pick up on that because they were just moving quick. He could do it with his pen. It was just unbelievable — in a couple of lines, you had it. It was so riveting because you understood the dress, you understood the attitude — you understood everything about the whole concept and what that design was about in an instant. Sometimes in photographs it becomes a little too distracting. You don’t quite get in the same way,” she said.

Eula also worked closely with Halston and Elsa Peretti to conceptualize the designer’s first fragrance, Royer said. His myriad skill set included working with photographer Milton Greene, doing some ballet costumes for Jerome Robbins in “Private Lives,” and creating concert posters and other items for Miles Davis. Eula also created posters for Diana Ross and The Supremes for a 1965 appearance at Lincoln Center. As of Monday, one of those prints was retailing for $444 — a 20 percent discount — at 1stdibs.com.

Royer thinks fashion illustration may come back in different ways, because it tells a different story. Citing Donovan’s illustrations for “About Time: Fashion and Duration,” an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, she said that “in one line he gets it.” Royer added, “The world needs a little more fantasy and glamour. With illustration on that level, you can do it.”

While Donovan doesn’t expect fashion illustration to come back in the manner that it once was, he said, “It’s resilient. It’s never gone away. It’s always there. It’s visual poetry and it’s always found a place somewhere in the market. Whether that will be sustained, I don’t know. It just touches something in people…there will always be a place in the marketing realm for fashion illustration.”

(Is It Fine Art?: Putting a Price on Fashion Illustration; As movement becomes increasingly important, fashion illustration is expected to become more animated.; wwd.com)

It's stylish. It's a Class 1 medical device. And it's available for orders, starting Friday.

As the world reels from revelations that no place is safe from the coronavirus— whether that’s Amazon, Congress or the White House itself — a new product ventures into the market pledging to help consumers worried about infection.

On Friday, award-winning product designer Joe Doucet revealed that he’s turned his fashionable face shield concept into reality. Doucet made a splash this spring with his own take on a healthy safety product that, he hopes, people will actually want to wear. Now the product is in production and ready to take orders, with availability in November.

He explained his concept to WWD in May: “If I could adopt that common behavior [of wearing glasses] and create a face shield that would be very desirable to wear, something that has a factor about it that you want to put on, perhaps we can achieve more mass adoption of this necessity.”

For now, he’s selling directly to consumers online at Vue Shield’s web site, with shipments worldwide. But the designer anticipates product availability at other retailers before long. He’s already tackled the difficulty of spinning up full-scale production during a global pandemic — which has been “the largest challenge,” he said — and now manufacturing partners can handle up to one million units a month for wholesale orders.

So far, most of the public discourse around personal protection has revolved around face masks, though health experts regularly weigh in on whether they offer better protection than shields. The opinion seems to vary, depending on whom one asks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing “cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” Other organizations such as University of Iowa Health Care and Ohio Department of Health have also indicated that face masks are preferred, particularly when they’re adequately sealed to the face.

According to a question-and-answer column offered by MIT Medical this summer, masks can capture large respiratory droplets before they hit the air, which can help protect surrounding people. By contrast, a face shield, by virtue of its more open design, could allow the droplets to escape.

Notably, though, a team from MIT produces disposable face shields for use in hospitals, where medical personnel often use both masks and shields.

Face shields appear to have other proponents as well. In The Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine professors noted that “face shields appear to significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to influenza virus, another droplet-spread respiratory virus.” In a study with a simulated health-care worker, face shields seemed to reduce immediate viral exposure by 96 percent.

Of course, Doucet’s opinion on the matter is obvious: He believes shields are more effective at preventing infection, and they also keep people from touching their faces — which can be a major vector, he said, as “we do this over 20 times an hour.”

For his product, in particular, “we have designed the shield to mound around one’s face, unlike other face shields which are quite open on the sides and bottom,” he added. The unit sits taller and curves above the head and under the chin, and covers the sides of the face.

Another key aspect that could help ease nervousness: Vue Shield is qualified as a Class 1 medical device. And if that’s not enough, at-risk people can double up by wearing a mask inside the shield, as the design allows for that.

(Joe Doucet’s Fashionable Face Shield Launches; It's stylish. It's a Class 1 medical device. And it's available for orders, starting Friday; wwd.com)

The mood is "more fancy-relaxed and cool clothes than high-heels," the designer said.

In a historically challenging year, Lebanon has seen more than its fair share of hardships.

An explosion at Beirut’s main port on Aug. 4 killed 200 people, injured 6,000 more and ravaged neighborhoods and businesses already reeling from the coronavirus. The country is now bracing for a second wave of infections on top of escalating political and economic crises. But the fashion business continues to persevere.

“We’re managing,” said Elie Saab on a call from Beirut, explaining that damage to his atelier from the explosion was repaired within two weeks, allowing the team to get back to work producing couture, which he showed via look book two months late, and now ready-to-wear, which he presented via a short film during Paris Fashion Week.

Business in his shops is down, “but haute couture is the same,” Saab said. And he has high hopes for his new spring rtw, which harnesses the power of positive thinking to suggest we will be out of seclusion by spring, in time for a romantic, outdoorsy adventure.

“It’s a celebration of life,” he said of the film, shot in the hills of Mount Lebanon near his country home, featuring a group of models, sans masks, coming together to enjoy a day in nature — while wearing some gorgeous clothes.

As peppy as his grass greens, sunshine yellows and fuchsia pinks were, and that stunning short-sleeve floral-embroidered tulle gown with black-and-white waistband that had the ease of a T-shirt, there was something about the all-white looks that struck a chord: a strapless gown framed in feathers for a screen siren, and an easy, short-sleeve, ground-sweeping crochet lace dress for a more earthy glamourpuss. A classically elegant white shirt with cinched puff sleeves, worn over a wide belted black ball skirt, looked timeless, as did a pair of draped, rose-gold sequin goddess gowns.

Saab has a way with jumpsuits, and there were a lot to like, including one in a black translucent tulle with jet crosshatch beading that would seem Hollywood bound. A pants suit in pale blue with rosette embroideries was also charming.

The mood is “more fancy-relaxed and cool clothes than high-heels,” the designer said, acknowledging, “It’s a very critical period now. The atmosphere is very heavy and we have a lot of problems as a country. But Lebanese people always find time to be happy and celebrate life.”

Including the designer, whose son and company chief executive officer, Elie Saab Jr.  and his wife, Christina Mourad, welcomed their first child, baby Sophia Saab, this month.  “I’m so happy about that,” the proud grandpa said. “She’s so beautiful.”

(Elie Saab RTW Spring 2021:The mood is "more fancy-relaxed and cool clothes than high-heels," the designer said; wwd.com) 

Forget Zoom wear. Wes Gordon believes that life still offers occasions of celebration, and, he says, women want to dress for them.

Wes Gordon believes that women want to get dressed. He’s banking on it.

The Carolina Herrera collection that Gordon unveiled today is all about getting dressed. Really dressed. These aren’t waist-up, casual glam clothes for Zooming, but clothes for living in, and going out in, the world, with a decidedly evening bent to boot. Gordon worked that direction apologetically, spending not a moment on anything resembling an at-home loungewear component.

Which is not to say he’s oblivious to reality. To wit, he conducted a preview appointment from his farm in Connecticut, where he just started quarantining the day after returning from Atlanta and his sister’s backyard wedding. Yes, she wore a real bridal gown.

Our women are still celebrating. Those life milestones are still happening,” Gordon said. “There are still birthdays, there are still weddings, there are still those occasions with close friends and family, and you want to feel joy. The look and feel of the celebration have changed, but it’s still a special occasion, and clothes can help make those moments something you remember.”

To capture the sense of occasion, Gordon created a show for digital viewing, his venue the old Williamsburg Savings Bank headquarters in Brooklyn. He noted that, despite the lack of audience, creating the show felt happily familiar. “We did the whole thing as if it were a real show,” he said. “KCD produced it, we had hair and makeup, we had all these people whose [typical] annual professional calendars are defined by fashion shows and fashion week. People who do it because they love it and they are passionate about it.”

Gordon worked a deft, delightful fusion of flamboyance and restraint. As always, he drew on elements of the house founder’s style, both her classicism (the essential white shirt) and her flamboyance (Ruffles! Dots! Volume!). His favorite accessory: big “pearl” button earrings taken from those Mrs. Herrera wears in a famous Mapplethorpe portrait.

Yet here, Gordon found inspiration as well in two other women with very different styles: Mia Farrow in “Rosemary’s Baby’s” mode, which is to say, spare and innocent, and Sade, from whose controlled bravado (and single, long braid) Gordon derived a determined sensuality.

The disparate references coalesced into an intelligently rendered lineup in which he tempered his more effusive inclinations with smart restraint, including all-flat shoes. One of the collection’s recurring themes, a demonstrative triple-loop bow bodice, topped otherwise spare silhouettes: short and long dresses in black and pink, respectively, and reimagined as a cropped top over black high-rise trousers. Similarly, a bolero with take-flight shoulder treatment (inspired by a different Mrs. Herrera photograph) tops mannish trousers and brogues. Curvy dresses and pants looks cinched by wide belts reflect the Sade influence. As for the numerous short, flirty dresses, they charmed, from a plain white mini (the most overt Mia homage) to those with varying degrees of decoration — black slip with big bow detail; white petal-like embroidery; a fanciful eruption of pink tulle.

Throughout Gordon worked in some fresh shirting stripes and other looks that could pass as daywear. But overall, this collection was about dressing up for events and, Gordon said, “getting back to falling in love with fashion again.” Will women feel the same way? Let’s hope so.

After months of quarantine and seismic economic challenges, consumers can brighten their outlooks with spring-summer colors.

After months of self-isolation brought on by the global pandemic, economic upheaval, record-high unemployment and civil unrest in some cities, the promise of spring may hold greater meaning. Indicative of how millions may be eager to lighten the mood, the spring-summer 2021 New York Fashion Week color palette consists of brightening and soothing shades. Leading the charge is Marigold, followed by Cerulean, Rust, Illuminating and French Blue. The second half of the assortment includes Green Ash, Burnt Coral, Mint, Amethyst Orchid and Raspberry Sorbet. Variations of these colors are expected to crop up in the coming days, when New York designers reveal their collections via drastically scaled-down shows, virtual shows, Zoom presentations, private appointments or however they choose to debut their designs.

Referring to the color choices, the Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said they present the opportunity to have fun with one’s wardrobe and to put together unique combinations. She said, “Here, we’ve got light, mid tone, bright and dark. What it’s playing to is this whole idea of more choices for people. The idea is that they have had so little choice in so many other areas of their lives in the last several months, let’s try to have some fun again. That’s what we’re looking for and fashion gives us that opportunity.”

With millions of people around the world still working from home for the foreseeable future, many WFHers are craving a shot of color and signals of a new season while others are quite content with their quarantine-inspired wardrobe favorites, according to Eiseman. “There are two sectors that will affect not only our interior world but also our clothing. If you have been wearing a lot of gray sweats and some of the other things that people have been wearing, people are really longing to get out and wear some color. We’re already in that process. Others are saying, ‘This is my comfort level. This is what I’m doing every day and I am OK with it.’”

Fashion designers, interior decorators and other creatives have understood the power and mood-altering effects of color for as long as their disciplines have been practiced, but the coronavirus-prompted confinement has enlightened more people to that idea. With many ready for “an instant refresh” — whether that be for the color preferences or wardrobes — the hues you choose can “give you something to look forward to to get your energy level up,” Eiseman said. Marigold 14-1050 Like Rust, Marigold is more commonly associated with autumnal scenes — cornucopia, pumpkin patches and such. The fact that both shades are key for fall speak to the nonseasonal apparel trend that has been in place for few years, Eiseman said.

With its warm base, Marigold is a cozy, friendly color, according to the color expert. Khaite, Maara Collective’s Julia Shaw, M.M. La Fleur and other labels have used Marigold.

Cerulean 15-4020 K2 climbers and other Himalayan mountaineers have raved about the cerulean sky on a crystal clear day at upwards of 28,000 feet. But consumers don’t need to reach such heights to share that level of appreciation, especially after months in lockdown. Steadfast as lovers of the color blue are, they are always in search of a new variation of their preferred blue, Eiseman said.

Rust 18-1248 Victoria Beckham and Meghan Markle are two of the high-profile stylesetters who are unofficial advocates of Rust. The color’s ranking in Pantone’s spring-summer palette was a surprise to Eiseman. In addition to its seasonless appeal, Rust offers a bit of pragmatism in that some consumers may be inclined to dip into their closets to retrieve rust-colored items from seasons past.

Illuminating 13-0647 Who isn’t appreciative of the promise of a sunny day at this point? Instinctively, this is a color that people are naturally drawn to. The same might be said for plants. This “ultimately joyful color” is not only associated with a cloudless day, but also sunny from a psychological standpoint. Anna Sui used glints of it in her spring-summer 2021 inspiration.

French Blue 18-4140 The late New York Times street photographer made this color his signature look, but more contemporary style arbiters like Kate Middleton have been known to sport French Blue for prime photo-ops. The reality is that people who favor blue are not inclined to stop wearing it, but they do like to update their shades with what they don’t have, Eiseman said. “The human eye is notoriously fickle. Put something new into their line of vision and their eye is drawn to it. Whether they ultimately buy it or not is another point.”

Green Ash 13-0117 However dystopian this name might sound, this is a restorative and regenerative hue. In tune with the the upswing in gardening, hiking and longing for the great outdoors, Green Ash is gaining interest from city dwellers and suburbanites alike. “Even people who live in apartments find themselves hungering for gardens,” Eiseman said. A recent survey showed that more than 55 percent of American adults are tending to gardens or caring for their lawns and 20 percent said that they were likely to head outdoors to accept the green thumb challenge.

Burnt Coral 16-1529 Building off the interest in Coral, a former Pantone Color of the Year, Burnt Coral has a familiarity and comfort level, Eiseman said. Given that, some people feel that wearing Burnt Coral can be like wrapping themselves in a warm blanket, she added. Burnt Coral also represents the preservation of the coral reef, which has been of increasing concern along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and other areas. Acknowledging how consumers’ interest in coral seems to be holding on, she said some may choose to wear coral garments purchased a few seasons ago or to update with this new variation.

Mint 16-5938 As its name suggests, Mint is the quintessential refreshing shade. “When we hear the word, we automatically associate it with the taste of mint. It is a cleansing color. Cleansing is a really important word. Who today doesn’t respond to the word cleansing?” Eiseman said. “Colors like Mint, Green Ash, French Blue and Cerulean play well to the whole concept of cleansing.”

Amethyst Orchid 17-3628 Unquestionably a unique combination, Amethyst Orchid offers a dose of originality to the spring-summer palette. Amethyst conjures up images of a “big, beautiful sparking stone,” whereas Orchid offers an exotic undertone with a new dash of purple, Eiseman said. “A great addition” to the spring-summer lineup, she said Amethyst Orchid, like Cerulean, “adds a bit of sophistication.” Apple Watch owners may recognize Mint, Amethyst Orchid and Raspberry Sorbet as the illuminated rings on their watches. Chalking that up to merely a “happy connection,” Eiseman said, “Apple people are really on top of what’s happening in the world of color.”

Raspberry Sorbet 18-2043 Reminiscent of the pastel packaging for Kylie Skin by Kylie Jenner, Raspberry Sorbet is a surprisingly versatile color. Raspberry Sorbet is dualistic in that it has both cooling and warm properties. This all-encompassing color also hints at how a little indulgence is well-earned post-lockdown. Comfort food offered a little relief for some while quarantining and spring colors like this one can have a similar effect.

The Pantone Color Institute also has delivered its five core colors for spring-summer 2021:

Spring-Summer 2021 Core Classics

Inkwell 19-4016 This deep resonant blackened blue is always a favorite in spring and summer, Eiseman said. Solid and very intense, this anchoring color can be used as a great background color, she added.

Ultimate Gray 17-5104 Quietly assuring, Ultimate Gray is practical in every direction – all of the spring-summer 2021 selections work with gray.

Buttercream 11-0110 The pandemic set off what might be described as a worldwide bake-off followed by the sourdough bread backlash. But Buttercream offers a warmer dimension. Although white is a given in spring and summer, Buttercream is not a pure white.

Desert Mist 14-1127 The color of shifting sands, Desert Mist blends well with cooler and warm colors.

Willow 16-0632 Another indicator of the public’s need for nature, Willow and other greens have been gaining traction in recent seasons. “There’s hardly anything you can do wrong with anything that is green today. There is now more significance because people are longing to escape into the greens even if it’s just Central Park to take a walk and look at some of the greenery that is there.”

(Pantone Unveils Spring-Summer New York Fashion Week Color Palette: After months of quarantine and seismic economic challenges, consumers can brighten their outlooks with spring-summer colors. wwd.com) 

  The world is changed dramatically; we can't plan to travel, have no music concerts, and have no sports events; everything is postponed due to the deadly coronavirus. But things are getting in control over time, and scientists are giving positive news related to the Covid-19 vaccine. Let's be positive and plan for 2021, here you will find the best recommendations for the destinations that will be popular in 2021. Don't miss a single one!

Canada

As the second-largest country in the world, Canada has become one of the most popular destinations for 2021 due to its enormous cultural offer and the variety of outdoor activities that can be experienced in different parts of the country.

Whether you want to tour the West Coast and drive yourself into the Rocky Mountains or Vancouver Island, for example; Or you decide to visit the beautiful eastern provinces such as Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, among others, Canada is full of adventures to experience at any time of the year.

In addition, Canada is listed as one of the favorite destinations to experience the famous northern lights. These magical northern lights are one of the main attractions of the Yukon.

Philippines

If you want to enjoy a few days of relaxation on the best beaches in the world, the Philippines can not miss among your destinations to visit next year. Its paradisiacal islands fall in love at every step.

Discover beautiful fish on the island of Boracay, one of the most famous in the world, or swim with the impressive whale shark in Cebu. Of course, visit El Nido, a must in the Philippines, and enjoy its unique settings full of nature and fascinating beaches.

Thailand

This destination is a favorite of travelers, and we find more and more reasons to fall in love with Thailand.

This country is full of attractions, from its most iconic beaches in Phuket and the Phi Phi islands, to its least explored corners such as Khao Sok National Park. The options for activities in Thailand are endless.

Morocco

Morocco is a place that never ceases to amaze. With its fascinating Arab culture and its many hidden treasures, exploring this country is a must within the destinations that will be popular in 2021.

From Marrakech, you can visit impressive places such as the Djemaa el Fna market square, the multiple mosques, its valleys, and the Merzouga desert, where you can spend the night under a typical haima while letting yourself be carried away by the tranquility of the clear and starry sky.

Japan

Japan amazes travelers with its culture and modernity in big cities like Tokyo, where the world's busiest crosswalk is located while retaining its ancestral side reflected in more traditional temples and buildings like the iconic Osaka Castle.

Experience the best of Japan by visiting its traditional Buddhist temples, the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, and Shiga Kogen National Park, just to name a few sites, as this country is full of impressive places to explore.

India

The country that gave rise to yoga practice will be one of the favorites to visit in 2021. Its iconic cities such as bustling Delhi and pink Jaipur, along with the devotional culture and spirituality that is breathed in India, are some of the reasons why this destination will be popular this new year.

Not to mention that in Agra is the magnificent Taj Mahal, a modern wonder of the world that leaves everyone who visits it speechless. This monument should definitely be on your list, along with other attractions in India, such as the golden temple and the residence of the Dalai Lama.

Brazil

The beautiful land where much of the famous Amazon is located, the world's lung, is a must for next year.

This country offers beautiful beaches, unique sunsets, nature, and eco-tourism activities in its most famous destinations such as Copacabana and Rio de Janeiro, but it is also the perfect place to discover less explored places such as the Lençois Maranhenses National Park, where the only one desert in the world with its own lakes.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially due to the country's eco-tourism activities.

Here is one of the ten best rivers in the world for rafting: the Pacuare River. Also, canyoning can be done in several of the volcanoes found in this destination, among them the most famous for doing this activity is the Arenal Volcano.

Do not forget that there are also the best zip lines in the world in Costa Rica, where you can enjoy unique landscapes while you fly over the treetops of this exotic country.

Mexico

The land of mariachi, tequila, and the most beautiful beaches is becoming increasingly popular with travelers. Mexico falls in love with its culture, its people, and its unparalleled places to discover in different parts of the country.

From the north, passing through the iconic Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, following Guadalajara, the "Perla Tapatia," to the beautiful states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, among others.

Peru

The adventure activities that can be found in Peru is one of the reasons why you should travel to these beautiful Inca lands. The Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu is undoubtedly one of the most incredible in the world, in addition to the variety of routes to take to discover this wonder of the world.

If you want to spend a few days exploring places like the mythical Cusco, the city of Lima, Paracas, and the incomparable mountain of the seven colors, Peru has everything to offer an unforgettable trip.

  Airwrap™ Complete Styler – for Multiple Hair Types and Styles DYSON

What it is: A styler engineered for multiple hair types and styles, featuring Coanda air styling and propelled by the Dyson digital motor.

Who it's for: Suitable for multiple hair types and styles.

What it does: It allows you to curl, wave, smooth and dry hair with no extreme heat. The styler attracts and wraps hair using only air. The Coanda effect attracts hair to the barrel, wraps it for you—no clamping mechanisms or gloves, just voluminous curls and waves. It styles and dries simultaneously. It combines powerful airflow with controlled heat to dry your hair as it styles.

Features and benefits:

- 1.2-inch Airwrap barrel engineered to create voluminous curls or waves.

- 1.6-inch Airwrap barrel engineered to create loose curls or waves.

- Firm smoothing brush engineered to smooth and control frizz-prone hair.

- Soft smoothing brush engineered to gently align and smooth fine hair.

- Round volumizing brush engineered to volumize and shape fine, flat hair.

- Pre-styling dryer takes hair from wet to damp to prep for styling.

- No extreme heat damage thanks to intelligent heat control; measures air temperature over 40 times a second to prevent extreme heat damage while styling.

- One-click attachments and cool-touch tips designed with quick-release switch allow you to easily change attachments while styling.

- Symmetry barrels move clockwise and counter-clockwise for symmetrical curls.

- Easy clean filter that is magnetic, removable and washable and comes with a filter cleaning brush.

- Cool shot button sets your style.

• Negative ions help reduce static in the hair.

With gyms, museums, theaters and restaurants closed or operating at limited capacity, people are spending inordinate amounts of time at home. Rather than investing in a new status handbag or dress, there is a priority for home furnishings. And thus, everyday objects like candles, slippers, loungewear and bed linens are taking precedence as shoppers look to transform their homes into personal sanctuaries.

Influencers’ dwelling spaces have become their new social media backgrounds during this period of isolation, rather than events or far-flung vacation destinations. As such, certain home decorating trends have begun to emerge on Instagram, with some veering toward midcentury minimalism and others a candy-colored pastel aesthetic. While fashion companies raced to put out branded masks in the months immediately following the coronavirus’ outbreak, it seems like home fashions could be their next uncharted frontier.

Look no further than the upcoming, reformatted New York Fashion Week as an indicator that home furnishings are a newfangled element of style. Home improvement store Lowe’s, best known for plumbing supplies and timber, is the event’s newest sponsor — tasked with building out impressive structures for those few designers presenting their collections outside. One of those taking part is Jason Wu, who last month introduced a kitchen faucet collection with longtime collaborator Brizo.

Even emerging designers are turning to home goods as a means to generate sales during this difficult time. LVMH Prize semifinalist Emilie Helmstedt will release a collection with a Brown’s this month that will include robes, pajamas, silk turbans and area rugs. “It all plays to the world situation right now of having something to wear at home,” Helmstedt told WWD.

(Home Goods as Fashion:Shoppers are spending more on trendy home goods during lockdown to turn their living spaces into personal sanctuaries.: wwd.com)