Everything about the holidays looks different this year. Most of us are spending the next week at home with our immediate “pods,” not party-hopping around the city, and our usual outings—ice skating, last-minute shopping, holiday concerts—will be replaced by movie marathons and grainy Zoom get-togethers. What we wear to celebrate the season will change, too. This time last year, we were dreaming about the glittering evening tops, piled-on jewelry, and taffeta cocktail dresses we’d just seen in the pre-fall collections; this year, designers are offering cozy knitwear, luxe pajama sets, and blanket-like caftans instead.
These clothes aren’t intended for the holidays—the 14 looks below will arrive in stores in the spring or summer of next year. But they were designed in lockdown to reflect our current reality, and if you think creatively, you’ll find holiday style inspiration to spare. At Jil Sander, Lucie and Luke Meier made the case for dressing up your pajamas with a big necklace and strappy sandals; Brock Collection’s swirling knit maxi skirt and crop top will inspire you to pull out the sweater dress in the back of your closet; and at Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello paired feather-trimmed party tops with something you’ve been wearing all year: leggings.
These are easy, mood-lifting combinations that will get you in the spirit, even if you’re tempted to just throw on a sweatshirt. If there were ever a time to find some joy in getting dressed, it’s now; as Lynn Yaeger pointed out, “the quest for beauty, the need to rage against the machine, is perhaps never stronger than when we are waging uphill battles.” Consider a spangly top or an XXL ruffle your own act of perseverance and optimism—then wait for the Zoom compliments to roll in.