2020 was not kind to us. We were truly put through an emotional ringer, beginning the year with the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, on January 26, and concluding it with the passing of MF Doom on the brink of a new year—not to mention COVID-19, which has rocked the world since WHO declared a global pandemic in March.
Nonetheless, from the perspective of fashion, this year has been a surprisingly positive one. Due to a variety of positive trends, I felt it necessary to clone an idea from one of my favourite magazines, GQ, and curate my own personal 2020 Fashion Awards, with a Fashion Forward spin.
Best Womenswear Piece: Biker Shorts
Most feminine-leaning people probably began the summer with the same thought that rings through their minds every year: “Summertime means sundress season.”
While they weren’t wrong, biker shorts seemed to be the queen of street fashion throughout the summer of 2020. Due to the recent rise in popularity of vintage clothing and greater interest in second-hand shopping, biker shorts became a staple last summer, making a comeback from years of being cast aside in charity shops.
Some experts would point the resurgence to the infamous photos of Princess Diana rocking a bold crewneck, vibrant biker shorts and clean tennis shoes. From this, women adopted a more modernized version of the outfit.
While the older Air Jordan 1 silhouettes were slowly becoming the most popular sneakers of 2020, its friend from the same era began to find a new life in the form of vintage T-shirts. Combine the three and you have a match made in heaven.
Best Menswear Accessory: Pearl Necklace
Coming to a conclusion for this award was difficult. Every part of me wanted to highlight aspects of the “E-boy” grunge look that overtook young consumers in 2020. However, I couldn’t look past the sheer class of the pearl necklace—not to mention the piece’s popularity.
In the photo above I’m wearing a deconstructed version of a pearl necklace (one-third pearls, two-thirds sterling silver beads) from In Gold We Trust Paris, but the actual trend stemmed from pure pearl necklaces that could be paired with everything. 2020 was the year of squashing masculinity in fashion, so this trend grew quickly.
From streetwear to high fashion, pearl necklaces could be dressed up or down accordingly, but my favourite of them all comes from Vivienne Westwood, which combined its infamous Orb pendant into the centre of a pearl arrangement.
Nonetheless, pearls in any form reigned supreme for men’s fashion, helping us transition into our next category.
Influencer of the Year: Harry Styles
If you search “pushing the boundaries of masculinity in fashion” on Google, a handful of photos featuring the former One Direction star will appear on the first page.
Harry Styles has been known to push the boundaries of masculinity since his departure from the infamous boy band. From tight trousers and ‘feminine’ tattoos to skirts and painted nails, Styles has been the idol for men who are looking to experiment with fashion’s gender binary.
Later in 2020, Styles was interviewed and photographed by Vogue’s Hamish Bowles and Tyler Mitchell. In the photoshoot, Styles can be seen flaunting his figure in a Gucci dress, Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Kilt and an oversized JW Anderson overcoat.
If you pop over to his social media, the theme is the same. His page is tastefully littered with pieces that are stereotypically feminine, even captioning one of his photographs, “Bring back manly men.”
In addition to his success in influencing clothing, Styles continued as the personification of Gucci fragrances, arguably one of the most popular designers of the year. His song “Watermelon Sugar” climbed the charts and quickly became one of the most popular songs on TikTok.
Trend of the Year: Utility Wear
In the mid 2000s, Kanye West’s Yeezy was the forefront for the beginnings of a style known as techwear. The look was based around a simple motto: If there’s room, it needs more. Whether that was more fabric, more pockets or a combination of the two, techwear was dominated by pants with zippers, jackets with excessive pockets and balaclavas.
In 2020, techwear’s younger sibling, utility wear, grew up to be the best trend of 2020.
The trend focused on a minimal look, emphasizing individual pieces of clothing over brands. The main staple of this trend is cargo pants. Brands like Stone Island and Undercover have always released pants with an exuberant amount of pockets and little to no branding, fitting in with this trend perfectly.
The climax of this trend was photographed and frozen on Instagram and Pinterest. Most streetwear outfits in 2020 featured a pair of Air Jordan 1 sneakers, cargo pants, and a utility vest over a hoodie or T-shirt.
The trend blossomed due to its casual and basic styling nature. One can take a Gildan T-shirt and some Dickies pants, throw on a vest with pockets and call it a day.
Personally, I’m excited to see where fashion progresses in 2021. 2020 was a great year for pushing the boundaries of masculinity and making comfort fashionable. I think we’ll see feminine clothing continue to shape the definition of men’s clothing.
Bold predictions: We will see obscure footwear silhouettes from Nike’s Jordan Brand take centre stage, vintage shopping will take a downfall, and we will see more men wearing skirts.
Featured image provided by Manuel Baechlin.
