Masks Became More Than Protection This Year
Face masks became part of our everyday wardrobes this year, and they evolved well beyond a form of protective gear. Their key purpose going into 2021 is protection, but that didn’t stop wearers and designers from turning masks into beautiful objects as well as protection. The general mood became that, if we have to wear them, they might as well look cute.
Citizens were advised to start wearing masks in late March, and to leave medical ones for professionals. Many tutorials on how to make your own out of spare fabric sprang up, and some designers, like Christian Siriano, mobilized their workforces to start making cloth masks en masse. As the year progressed, the conversation around masks took on an aesthetic bent too. Not only was it a way to keep yourself safe, it was also a way to support indie designers who had been by the pandemic. Brands like Collina Strada and Gypsy Sport adopted fashion-forward masks early on. They became pretty as well as functional.
And when it became clear that Hollywood, street style, and award shows were not going anywhere this year, stars used masks to make bold statements on red carpets, at awards shows, and even on their personal social media accounts. Some, like Tilda Swinton at the Venice Film Festival, gave them a theatrical fashion twist for fun, others, like Vogue cover star Naomi Osaka, used them as a political statement, or to shine a light on movements such as Black Lives Matter. In a year where there was so much to say, masks became our new billboards. What better place to display a message than front-and-center on your face?
Not every celebrity mask moment was avant-garde: stars gave everyday outfits a cheeky twist with their masks, too. Lizzo even matched her bikini to her mask for a poolside dip, while Anne Hathaway sported a tongue-in-cheek mask on the streets that made one do a double take.
Those who did opt for a dramatic approach, though, did so in spectacular fashion. The queen of this was Lady Gaga. At the MTV VMAs in August, the Chromatica singer busted out her best social distancing-appropriate couture. She rocked several outfit changes with a different creative mask for each, ranging from a clear bubble hat that acted as a face shield to a hot pink latex mask that wrapped around her face. Naturally, Björk also got creative with her face coverings. Her James Merry face shield, which she wore for an Instagram video introducing a charity livestream that she was a part of, gave her look a futuristic—if not otherworldly—feel.
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