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Finally, we have a sartorial vision for what life beyond our living rooms will look like. Make no mistake, fleece is out, frills are in, while sweats have been swapped for sequins; glamour is back, but as with any good fashion narrative, this sartorial story has a fresh twist. In their autumn/winter 2021 collections, designers put forward refreshingly optimistic outfits that have set the refresh button on my, and many other women’s, pandemic approach to their wardrobes. While for the past 12 months fashion experts have debated, discussed, reflected and meditated on what fashion will look like post-pandemic – wondering if women will forsake fanciful fashion in favour of pragmatic purchases now that remote working looks likely to be the future – the new-season shows demonstrated more firmly than anything that fashion won’t be dumbed down or diluted, not even by a global pandemic. Designers have rewritten the rules around what constitutes glamour and they make for very uplifting viewing.

If you’re looking for an icon of inspiration who reflects this new fashion mood we’re moving towards, consider American poet and activist Amanda Gorman. Both the woman and her clothes project a sense of beauty, hope and authenticity. She represents perfectly how dressing to impress for 2021 will differ from the days before Covid-19 consumed us. Earlier this year, she told American Vogue: “I’m glad we can talk about the fashion, because it has so much meaning to me, and it’s my way to lean into the history that came before me and all the people supporting me.” While she loves to wear colour, print, shimmer and standout accessories, nothing is chosen blithely. The yellow Prada coat she wore for her recital at President Biden’s inauguration was chosen as a nod to Dr Jill Biden, who recommended her for the event and had complemented Gorman on another yellow outfit she’d worn previously. The jewellery she chose for the occasion, meanwhile, included a caged bird ring which served as a reference to the late author and activist Maya Angelou (author of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings), who also recited an inauguration poem, but at Bill Clinton’s 1993 ceremony.

When women attribute this kind of value and meaning to their style choices, they immediately imbue their clothes with a longevity that gratuitously glamorous dressing doesn’t warrant. While the fashion industry is moving towards real sustainability, we as consumers need to take steps towards making more meaningful purchases. There’s a dual responsibility going forward. Certainly, it looks as if the industry is beginning to make serious strides. Heritage fashion house Chloé, under new creative director Gabriella Hearst, delivered a collection rooted in sustainability by leaning into its own history. Fifty vintage handbags were repurposed to create “new” versions of the original ‘Edith’ bag launched under the legendary Phoebe Philo. According to Elle magazine: “Eco-friendly suppliers are at the ready, from production to packaging, with 20% of the ready-to-wear collection manufactured by World Trade Organisation members. The brand is also shifting from the use of synthetic fibres...in favour of earth-friendly raw materials.”

Glamour for glamour’s sake is being forsaken for beautiful, mindfully-made clothes that provide context for the wearer.

Hearst chose to reimagine the original Edith bag because it was the first Chloé handbag she ever owned. She leaned into her own history as well as that of the French brand’s. Of course, this kind of meaning and resonance is what great personal style has always been about. As Nikki Boyd, author of Beautifully Organised, told The New York Times earlier this month: “Your closet, at every point in your life, should represent you in that time.”

The notion of glamour has cleverly been reimagined by brands for consumers who’ve spent more time on the couch than in clubs or pubs this past year. The Guardian predicted last week that the “big bright dress” will be the staple piece for SS21. The article describes them as, “Loose, lightweight and perfect for dancing.. [they] promise freedom from fake tan, tailoring and depilation.” In other words, they’re easy. In fashion, “easy” was once a synonym for lazy, but in 2021 it translates as freeing and empowering. If for you, glamour and sexiness have always been intimately entwined, then nothing has changed, because what could be sexier than feeling at liberty in what you wear?

This same freedom of movement was reflected in the style of dress adopted in the 1920s – with its drop waists and unstructured silhouettes – in the wake of the horrors of The Great War. Similarly, after the straightjacket-like outfits of the 1950s, which were a kind of PTSD response to the chaos and disorder of WWII, the sixties and seventies released women once again from restrictive dress codes. Social disruption has always directly impacted on how women dress, and this pandemic will prove no different.

There’s an intelligence to this new phase of fashion, too, that in no way undermines its joyfulness. As we move forward, well-judged style choices will no longer necessarily be wrapped up in investment neutrals, sensible basics or a clean-lined capsule wardrobe. The smartest piece of clothing you’ll ever purchase is the one that resonates especially with you. It’s the piece that defines exactly who you are at this moment. I guess it’s really an emotional intelligence I’m speaking of because the pandemic has lifted the lid on our relationships with our wardrobes. Have you missed your clothes? Do you open your wardrobe now and wonder how you ever wore what’s inside? Are you aching to dress up again, or would you rather explore a new version of you? We’ve all got a clearer idea of our sartorial personalities since we pressed pause on the hamster wheel of our pre-pandemic lives.

Whichever woman you are, there’s a nuanced notion of glamour to suit your post-pandemic needs. Even the sturdy, serviceable puffa jacket has had an elegant makeover; at Tod’s for instance, it came with ladylike ruffled collars. Here in Ireland, Dublin brand WearWith Cashmere has created exquisite lace and pleated cuffs that can be attached to its beautiful cashmere sweaters for an easy day-to-day elegance and instant individuality. It’s as if designers understand they need to coax us out of our stasis without frightening us into paralysis. I, for one, am more than ready to be persuaded.

Marie Kelly, April 2021