GETTING WAISTED
Bad news for those who spent most of the pandemic snacking: The waist is the season’s It zone. As if they had had enough of our collective lockdown loungewear, Prada codesigners Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are championing elegance and tailoring. As the press notes declare, “the body is given emphasis, shoulders and waist delineated through traditional tailoring.”
Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia — who apparently now desires to be referred to only by his first name — was in a somewhat similar frame of mind. Taking cues from the iconic couture designs of Cristobal Balenciaga, Gvasalia conceptualised tailoring that looked almost armour-like with its cast forms, complete with a nipped-in waist and exaggerated hips.
At Dior Men, one of the archival influences that artistic director Kim Jones integrated into his latest collection was the Bar jacket. Created in 1947, the Bar jacket was part of Christian Dior’s post-war New Look for women, and featured a cinched waist and flared hips for a powerful and ultra-feminine silhouette. Jones adapted it for the Dior man with the use of exposed, raw seams and, of course, subtler curves.