Color | Fashion
On Color & Fashion FW21
A commentary on the use of color in Jacquemus’ La Montagne and Off-White’s Ready-To-Wear FW21 Show.
A light nude figure emerges from a stiff, sky-blue set. Heads turn. The caramel-toned figure struts determinedly on the inside border of a circle made of primary-yellow cubes and cylinders. A fuzzy and electric-orange accessory is pinned to the figure’s side, contrasting the subtle, neutral host. iPhone cameras are out. The figure circles the pale lime-green field, which bulges in the middle, introducing Jacquemus’ La Montagne.
In another universe, a sleek, velvety royal-blue commands attention. The color seems to slightly morph from its deeper version to a lighter hue as it moves. Lights shine bright. The blue extends towards the bottom of the figure as a more lit-up and reflective material. Flashes of gold zing into and out of sight, contrasting the blue. Behind, a figure fully clad in white emerges. Its face completely swallowed in the Off-Whitescape.
No printed graphics. No busy patterns to be seen. No statement or distracting accessories. Nothing but striking colors.
Jacquemus: Nature’s Neutrals and a Fiery Fiesta
Simon Porte Jacquemus, along with Bureau Betak’s director Alexandre de Betak, conceived La Montagne: a minimalist set where color is the main character. Jacquemus’ Fall Winter 2021 show, aired on June 30th, is an ode to the modern adventurer: where strappy pieces, ankle-high boots, and bulky jackets and vests adorn the star-studded cast of models. But it’s not the accessories or clothes themselves that steal the show, it’s the bold choice of highly chromatic ensembles.
But it’s not the accessories or clothes themselves that steal the show, it’s the bold choice of highly chromatic ensembles.
Starting with the simple minimalist backdrop, a few subtle curves delineate the boundaries between the introspective-blue, round walls and the pale-green, hilly floorscape. The ceiling is a completely illuminated white oval, while the seats are cylinders and cubes covered in bright-yellow.
I could not seem to identify a sequential order for the outfits’ color appearances. In some cases the models entered with an accessory of a certain color, and then that color became more prevalent in the following models. While in another case, the army of caramel-colored soldiers was abruptly followed by the fiery pink looks.
Neutral, natural colors were the building block for the collection with several hues dominating a section of models: light khaki, caramel, a brownish-plum*, and black. As a breather in between these hues, or rather a bold interruption, strutted models in more vivid ensembles. A fiery fiesta of hot pink and saturated red in one case, and a cast of chartreuse and baby-blue in another case.
*Because of my computer screen graphics, I can’t tell if it's a deep plum or a brownish-black. Any real-life attendees of the show, please confirm in the comment section.
After watching the full show, I offer some notable color combinations: chartreuse and baby-blue; dark-brown and pale-almost-white-green; brownish-plum and burnt-orange; primary red-orange-brown.
Off-White: A Futuristic Grayscale with an Electric Feel
After a year off, Virgil Abloh returns to design for Off-White’s Ready-To-Wear Fall 2021 show “Laboratory of Fun”, unveiled on July 4th. Long silhouettes and blazer-style tops dominate the looks, against an industrial and familiar backdrop. Colored lines painted on concrete recall the aesthetic of highly-trafficked neighborhood basketball courts. A cold undertone runs through the primary palette, and the electrified colors send voltage running through the skin.
A cold undertone runs through the primary palette, and the electrified colors send voltage running through the skin.
The designer takes us on a journey through a cold-toned grayscale. Ranging from #000000 black to #FFFFFF white, we travel through cloudy and seafoam grays to purple-tinted and shimmering silvers. Other neutrals like the eponymous off-white, also range on the cold-colored side of the spectrum.
Once every couple of greys appears a vibrant outcast hue as an outfit or accessory. A saturated-orange blazer and gloves bring an electric shock to the sophisticated black; a mustard-yellow and sky-blue hue provide balance to the soft grays; a fluffy canary-blue complements an off-white look.
To conclude, some color takeaways of the show: off-white and canary-blue; fully-saturated-orange and pitch-black; and the monochrome seafoam gray.
As the first couple of fashion shows of 2021’s Fall Winter collections roll out, monochromatic ensembles have seemed to take over the runway. Both Jacquemus and Off-White made a solid foundation using a range of neutrals and added the oomph with fiery and electrifying colors. Some looks featured a chromatic, contrasting accessory, while others stayed true to a single hue. Attention was drawn to the colors and silhouettes, keeping a playful yet modern aesthetic.
Be on the lookout (or scroll down on Instagram) for the next few weeks, to see what the rest of the fashion world has in store.
About the Author
Cristina Gómez is an architect and designer with a trained eye for color and a weak spot for craftsmanship. She has drawn design and color inspiration from traditional Guatemalan textiles and vintage Italian bicycles to far-away fashion shows on Zoom and a trip to the fruit section of the supermarket. She explores the dynamic role of craft in modern culture through her multidisciplinary projects.
She is a graduate from the University of Southern California, where she received her Bachelor in Architecture, and from the Politecnico di Milano, with a Masters in Color Design and Technology. She currently teaches at Universidad Francisco Marroquín in her home country, Guatemala.
