For AW21, Rick Owens presented his latest collection on the docks of the Lido right by his house in Italy. Only Rick Owens can make a place that holds so many childhood-like memories look like a gothic fantasy. The opening ensemble featured an array of oversized capes almost as a duvet-style cover, shielding the models from the biting cold. For this season, Rick Owens is in between life and reality with a collection that channelled both Covid-19 friendly fits like full hazmat-like suits but in buttery leather and the full cast wearing facemasks, juxtaposed with Bowie-esque sequined suits and your archetypical Rick Owens sculpturesque pieces. A hundred shades of black were met by soothing hues of beige to only be juxtaposed with sky blue and muted purple this season.
What stood out the most this season was the shredded, holding-on-by-a-thread pieces that looked like the garment had been put through a wood-chipper. Perhaps this is a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for how everyone is feeling and doing mentally, barely holding on, but still present. The shredded looks also brought a sense of hope, as the world coils its way out of another lockdown, Rick Owens offers a sense of strength even with its scars still fresh.
Written by Madeleine Holth for The Perfect Magazine
