Apocalypse Now

This season, designers answered the question, What happens when maximalism meets Mad Max?

- By Kristen Bateman

Schiaparelli's Gilded “opera gloves.” Loewe's armor-like body sculpting. Marine Serre's head-to-toe catsuits. The new mode of dressing takes inspiration from bracing for the apocalypse, but with a stronger, sexier MO than your typical Blade Runner fare. It's glamorous, dripping in gold and rife with baroque patterns. Perhaps the rise of this aesthetic stems from our obsession with dystopian series like Station Eleven. Or maybe it's the idea that we're literally shielding ourselves in a new way, after years of collective suffering caused by the pandemic and the climate crisis.

The concept also owes a debt to TikTok, where the #avantapocalypse tag has over 500K views. Participants are deconstructing, cutting, repurposing, and upcycling pieces they already have in their wardrobes, putting an emphasis on the body with skin-revealing cutouts and curve-hugging fabrics.