How to socially distance in style – fashion offers fun and functional solutions
Multiply’s petticoat dress, modern crinolines, breathable ‘facewear’ and giant hats can look cute or cuckoo, but all keep encroachers away
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news: the summer holidays are cancelled. As the heat and humidity have set in, so has the reality that most of us aren’t going away this summer. So instead of packing for that annual trip to the south of France, Maine, or anywhere else, it’s time to think about summer essentials and make the best of staying home. Frolicking, of course, while being eternally grateful for our good health.
Staying home doesn’t mean being stuck indoors if you’re lucky enough to live in a community easing out of lockdown. The tricky part is getting fresh air and vitamin D while beating the heat and practising social distancing. The Hong Kong government’s coronavirus.gov.hk website tells us to “Maintain social distance, keep a distance of at least 1 metre from others.” Here, fashion can help.
I loved the viral (sorry) images of the Italian man wearing a giant cardboard disk around his waist for a trip to a market in Rome, and children in China returning to school in creative, one-metre hats, but I might not go to the same lengths.
Or would I? I’d wear the petticoat dress, “designed to answer the question of social distancing” by Multiply, which provides a two-metre perimeter around the wearer. A voluminous Rosie Assoulin sleeve should keep some germs at bay. I’m also reconsidering the modern crinoline skirts by Area, Off-White, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Puppets and Puppets, and Comme des Garçons.
We still have to wear masks in public, no matter how much perspiration accumulates. (Great. A new sweat stain to be embarrassed about.) The first step to a happy summer staycation in the time of Covid-19? Masks with greater breathability! Sportswear labels such as Adidas, Reebok and Under Armour have released plain, branded versions.
While fashion labels Tanya Taylor, Re/Done, Citizens of Humanity, and Christy Dawn, among many others, have made pretty, patterned fabric masks. Should we start calling it facewear? I’m coming around to coordinating outfits and masks, though I’ve been loathe to admit it. As for mask tan lines, only sunscreen can save you.
