THE LOOK
Pandemic Fashion: Going
Beyond the Mask
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SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
IN 2020, comfort was key.

Elissa Bloom, executive
director of the Philadelphia
Fashion Incubator, saw the
popularity of items like sweat-
pants, sneakers and leggings
skyrocket throughout the fashion
world. Those fortunate enough to
work from home started taking
business calls in sweatsuits
instead of pantsuits and attended
conferences in dress shirts over
pajama bottoms.

Even as business casual
outfits hang abandoned in
closets, Bloom, who is Jewish,
said local designers elevated
the humble sweatshirt to a
stylish wardrobe staple without
sacrificing comfort.

“I know that a lot of different
designers have been manip-
ulating the sweatshirts or
putting an applique or painting
or doing embroidery,” she said.

Danielle Tobin, founder of the
apparel and accessories brand
Elle Tobin, has embraced what
she describes as the “COVID
cozy” trend and designed several
brightly colored sweatshirts from
sustainable materials and reflec-
tive fabric that glows in the dark.

“It was most inspired by
comfort first, and the second
thing I was inspired by was just
being bright and bold. Things
were dark, and there was a lot
of uncertainty, and I really just
wanted to bring some sunshine
to people’s faces,” she said.

Galit Carmely, owner of the
boutique My Little Redemption
in Old City, said the emphasis
on comfort and bright colors
combined with another trend:
the return of the ’80s. Shoulder
pads and oversized sneakers
were already creeping back into
closets before the pandemic hit,
but the necessity of working
from home combined with a
desire for bright visuals has
accelerated the popularity of
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loose fits and colorful prints.

Carmely prefers
the oversized sweatsuit trend to
leggings, which she thinks are
clingy and unflattering. She
gravitates more toward classic
and timeless pieces in her own
wardrobe and inventory, but
embraced the emphasis on
comfort and some of the subtler
aesthetic trends of 2020.

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“I’m going toward the
colorful pieces, a lot of
matching,” said Carmely, who
is Israeli. “Pieces like a jacket
that’s not very fitted, that’s
more loose and comfortable,
but has some shape to it. And
I’m all about the same color for
the top and the bottom.”
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