Grace Jones, the iconic musician of the 70s and 80s, was famous beyond being an amazing musician — she was also famous for her incredible fashion sense. She originally started as a model for Parisian fashion houses, including Yves Saint Laurent, and went on to appear on the cover of numerous magazines, including Andy Warhol’s Interview.
And now in 2021, her sharp-edged shoulders and bold imagery is providing the perfect intensity of inspiration for today. Ultra-intense, almost sci-fi power shoulders, which almost have a “protective layer” to them”, have been spotted on numerous runways — from Balmain, who are famous for beautifully dramatic shoulders, to Balenciaga and Carolina Herrera.
Here are our favourite looks:
Balmain SS21
Olivier Rousteing at Balmain went fabulously intense this S/S, by peaking shoulders into a magnificent pagoda cut, perfectly suited for the most dramatic of personalities and/or occasions.
Alexander McQueen AW20
Sarah Burton celebrated beautiful intensity at McQueen, by adding operatic shoulders to velvet and silk jackets in dramatic shades of red and black. The shoulders are paired with slick ultra-long line boots that feel very Grace Jones all the way to the ground.
Balenciaga FW20
Demna Gvasalia added a twist to the dramatic shoulder trend at Balenciaga, throwing in green pleats and polka dots to peaked shoulders – all more than enough to ensure that you could stand out in any venue.
Givenchy SS21
This season Matthew H. Williams beautifully matched the intensity of squared up shoulders at Givenchy, with sheer and bejewelled textures to key the eye interested.
Carolina Herrera Resort II 21
Carolina Herrera turned up the volume of not just the shoulder but of the fabric as well, on this gloriously liquefied gown that projects shimmering perfection.
And a few of our favourites you can buy straight away:
Words By Victoria Arrington, Graphic By Emily Chapillon
