Viktor & Rolf could not host a presentation this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. In these extenuating circumstances, Vogue Runway has made an exception to its policy and is writing about this collection via photos and remote interviews.
Just as fashion designers are often asked who “their woman” is, bridal designers have historically designed with a specific bride in mind. Those archetypes are falling away as individuality and personal style replace old-school notions of trends, and Rolf Snoeren of Viktor & Rolf was happy to report that they don’t just have one type of bride anymore. “It’s pretty amazing to see how many different women are getting married in our dresses,” Snoeren said on a recent FaceTime call. “For us, it’s important to have really diverse silhouettes [in each collection], from empire waist to ballgowns to jumpsuits, so we can cater to different women with different needs.”
The surprise for spring 2021 was the new emphasis on softer, freer silhouettes, like an A-line gown with an abbreviated train or a strapless, away-from-the-body dress with a knotted bodice. A single-sleeve ivory caftan was the standout, unadorned but for a small bow at the neckline. Those drapey, unstructured lines aren’t the norm chez V&R; the duo’s signatures are more sculptural, typically in the form of molded ball skirts, folded ruffles, 3-D flowers, and “sugary” embellishments, as Snoeren called them. “We’ve struggled a bit with the fluid [silhouettes], but for some women, they’re a must,” he said. V&R purists won’t be lacking for options either; a satin strapless gown came with a new twist on the duo’s sliced-skirt detail; trimmed with flower petals, it was cut away to reveal soft, airy tulle underneath.
