The DIY Lockdown Fashion Trend That’s Taking Over Instagram

With the news that the upcoming couture season has been cancelled, those who delight in seeing fashion’s most breathtaking (and often wackiest) creations grace the runways twice yearly may be feeling a little glum. Thankfully, there’s now a solution for anyone itching to indulge in the haute couture fantasy, and you can even do it within the comfort of your own home: #HomeCouture. “The idea is that quarantine queens across the world can doll themselves up, Cinderella-style, with scouring-pad ball gowns, toilet-roll palazzo pants, and saucepan fascinators,” says the hashtag’s creator George Serventi, a London-based fashion writer (and occasional meme-maker) who has been posting the looks under his Instagram handle @skipdin. “In the words of Fifth Harmony, we can work from home!”

So far, Serventi and his friends have been re-creating looks from the runways of some of fashion’s most forward-thinking talents, using what they’ve found lying around in their apartments or family homes. The resulting creations have included bulbous, sculptural dresses by Comme des Garçons, pleated tulle from John Galliano’s Maison Margiela couture collections (here re-created with torn-up cardboard boxes), and even the Marilyn Manson makeup and soda-can hair rollers crafted by Peter Philips and Guido Palau for Alexander McQueen’s iconic 2009 Horn of Plenty show. “Materials we all have at home like tin foil, bin bags, newspaper, and cellophane work surprisingly well,” Serventi explains, “but so do Pot Noodles and broken plates.”

If you’re impressed by the ingenuity of some of these homages, it’s worth noting that Serventi and his participating friends are mostly recent graduates of Central Saint Martins, many of whom bonded over a shared willingness to affectionately poke fun at the fashion industry’s more overblown moments. “The fashion industry is definitely guilty of taking itself too seriously, but what’s great about #HomeCouture is we’re all in it together—taking the piss out of ourselves, each other, and fashion at large. The more you root around the Vogue Runway archive the more bizarre, unwearable, and amazing looks you find.”

All jokes aside, for Serventi, the current lockdown has been an opportunity to look at fashion through a sillier, more playful lens, as we all look for a little escapism. “I just thought I might provide some fashion-inspired comic relief during this stressful period when everyone is bored and stuck at home,” says Serventi. “The challenge is all about bringing people together online seeing as we can’t physically hang out. It’s an opportunity to get creative and celebrate our fave fashions while connecting through humour. If we can’t laugh, we’ll cry.”

And now the #HomeCouture train has started running, it’s showing no signs of stopping. “It started off small with my mates, but yesterday we went international and had some New York submissions,” says Serventi. “It’s a global movement!”