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Statement collars are a fashion accessory for our time. In a moment where getting overly ‘dressed up’ still feels a relic from a past life—and where looking presentable from the waist-up is still a reality for most—they offer the much-needed quality of immediately zhooshing an outfit, with little effort (or cost) required. Parfait, non?
The style mavens of Paris Fashion Week certainly thought so, with the statement collar proving a sleeper hit among the well-heeled attendees of the spring summer ’21 shows. White blouses with exaggerated, embroidered lapels were layered under simple jumpers and cropped jackets, and often worn with jeans or trousers and flats. Or, to put it typical fashion jargon: they immediately elevated otherwise simple ensembles.
Statement collars skyrocketed into the zeitgeist last year, when Miuccia Prada sent blouses with hugely exaggerated collars down the runway at Miu Miu’s Resort ’20 show in June. Soon, brands like Maison Cleo, Ganni and La Veste were making a quiet killing with their kitschy-cool iterations, and everyone from Leandra Medine to Pandora Sykes and Blanca Miro were spotted wearing them.
As it turns out, they’re a trend with staying power—collars also featured heavily at the S/S ’21 shows, though usually the stiff, crisp, sharply lapelled creations spotted at Emilia Wickstead, Fendi and JW Anderson. At Miu Miu, coats with crystal encrusted collars appeared throughout, whereas at Patou, who showed a particularly great collection this season, enormously oversized lapels featured heavily.
Looking at dabbling in the trend yourself? Let the collar do the talking. Keep the rest of the outfit relatively simple—a high-waisted trouser or mid-length skirt, topped off with a nice tailored blazer. Or you could throw caution to wind and trend-clash, tucking it under a so-bad-its-good grandpa sweater with fabulous printed trousers. As we’ve seen time and time again, the most important ingredient for a compelling look is confidence, so bring that in droves.
