This fashion story is a love letter to the after-party

Over the last year and a half, as COVID brought life to a halt and shuttered the doors of most public spaces, it often came as a surprise to find out what you missed the most. While hedonistic nights out were, of course, top priority post-pandemic, it was the pre and post-party moments with friends that many of us found ourselves longing for. The anticipatory delirium of getting dressed up; animated conversations on the bus; blinking into the sunrise as you make the arm-in-arm journey to the afters. 

It’s this feeling that Dazed’s new fashion story aims to evoke. Featuring a group of IRL friends, the photo series captures the delirious joy of travelling home from a party in the early hours of the morning. Stomping the suburban streets head-to-toe in Dolce & Gabbana’s AW21 collection, the friends shelter from the rising sun, stop for a lie down on a park bench, and lounge around in the grass – extending the night for as long as they can.

Evoking the fashion of 90s rave culture, one partygoer channels BDSM style in a black satin bustier dress with corset lacing. Another makes a statement in a red off-the-shoulder draped tulle dress with a matching graphic head scarf. The others pair ripped, embellished jeans, tight black denim shorts, and wet-look leather trousers with baggy logo tees and chunky gold chains.

The fashion story pulls pieces from Dolce & Gabbana’s Next Chapter womenswear collection, which traverses the worlds of tradition and innovation. As well as revisiting the much-loved looks of the 80s and 90s – indulging the nostalgic desires of the new generation – the collection explores technology’s increasingly dominating influence on fashion. Neon pinks, yellows, blues, and greens appear in fuzzy lines across the collection – think: the stress-inducing site of a TV test card – while new textures of technical fibres are mixed with luminescent wires for a shimmering metallic, technological effect.

The house’s AW21 menswear collection, DG TOGETHER, similarly delves into the digital age and its push-pull relationship with youth culture. Inspired by Gen Z and TikTok’s very own E-boys, the looks hark back to the imagined future of Blade Runner – space-age gold puffa jackets, silver sequin sports gear with fingerless leather gloves, and textured disco trousers that look like they’re made out of actual metal. Bringing a cyberworld feel to more traditional looks, the collection also includes striped patchwork suits paired with glistening silver boots, blood red shirts, and furry, leopard-print sliders.

See the campaign in the gallery above, and think twice before regretting that 8AM-end after-party.