The best fashion trends for spring and summer 2021 show us that how we find style inspiration has become much more diverse. The London Fashion Week [1] catwalk will always give trends their official validation, but we can't leave out the sartorial impact of pivotal political moments of the past year and the stylish television [2] and film characters that are giving us our fashion fix through lockdown. For spring 2021, we picked seven standout fashion trends that we are buzzing to wear for the warmer months ahead and why they're worth adding to your wardrobe.

"Fashion flossing" is becoming a popular term in editorial and refers to brands like Charlotte Knowles [3], Victoria Beckham [4], and Roksanda that are using delicate spaghetti straps and drawstrings details to give a subtle, '90s-inspired look to dresses, trousers, and crop tops. Moving even further back in time from the 1990s, nostalgic moments of the 1970s and even the 1810s were major sources for inspiration at London Fashion Week Spring 2021. Most designers showed '70s-inspired flared trousers, and oversize, loose-fitting jeans. We loved the wide hems at Simone Rocha, Osman, Victoria Beckham [5], and Charlotte Knowles.

Puff sleeves are one of the most defining trends of this era in style, and with the premiere of Bridgerton [6], dressing like you are a 19th century debutante continues to be in fashion. Erdem and Simone Rocha showed us how to bring this early 1800s trend into the 2020s, while corsets made a major comeback at Vivienne Westwood, David Koma, and Bethany Williams.

When it comes to trends that responded to a call to action, there was an overarching theme of returning to the sea and the transformative power of water. At Burberry Spring/Summer 2021 [7], creative director Riccardo Tisci used cobalt blues and nautical motifs to represent a creative rebirth. Similarly, collections from RIXO and Emilia Wickstead included dresses covered in mermaids, seashells, and sailboat motifs.

Keep reading ahead for a more detail look at the seven spring 2021 trends we can't wait to wear outside.

• '70s Flares [8]
• Fine Lines [9]
• Nautical [10]
• Bralettes [11]
• Corsets [12]
• Cut Outs [13]
• Screen Style [14]

'70s Flares

Wide-leg trousers and loose-fitting denim were the silhouette of choice at London Fashion Week Spring 2021. Victoria Beckham [15] showed '70s-inspired flared trousers in buttery yellow, vivid lime green, and wide-leg jeans in subtle patchwork designs. Models wore leggings with flared hems at Charlotte Knowles, whereas Simone Rocha, Osman, and Roksanda's collections were filled with wide-legged trousers in cropped and full lengths. In the world of screen style, The Serpent [16] is pioneering that '70s look back into our wardrobes.

Fine Lines

Delicate, strappy details are one of our favourite trends for Spring 2021. We loved the drawstring butterfly tops and midriff-flossing at Charlotte Knowles, as much as the spaghetti-strap maxi dresses at Victoria Beckham [17]. Fashion East's Nensi Dojaka had a delicate, dancewear-inspired take on spaghetti straps, Bethany Williams used tiny ribbons to secure patchwork trousers in her collection, and Roksanda showed some surprisingly interesting drawstring details on boots and dresses.

Nautical

There was a lot of water at London Fashion Week Spring 2021. Water and the sea was a central theme at Burberry, which used the element to represent rebirth and communicated this through cobalt blues, fisherman's netting, and mermaid and lighthouse motifs. RIXO also celebrated the sea with a collection of dresses covered in mermaid and seashell prints, designs from Emilia Wickstead featured sailboat motifs, and Osman showed cobalt-blue tie-dye pieces.

Bralettes

For Spring 2021, there were few designers who didn't feature a beautiful bralette in their collection for London Fashion Week. We loved the knitted bohemian bralettes at Dior, eclectic bralettes at Maximilian, and beaded bralettes at Simone Rocha. For a minimal interpretation of the trend, we're taking notes from the sophisticated, barely there bralettes at David Koma and Emilia Wickstead.

Corsets

Thanks to the sartorial influence of Bridgerton [18], we might see corsetry become one of 2021's biggest fashion trends. But a few months before the series introduced millions of viewers to Regency fashion, the corset made a major comeback at London Fashion Week. Vivienne Westwood is a master of the corset, and the designer showed both a punk-inspired plaid bustier and a rich denim corset for Spring 2021. Charlotte Knowles showed a brown leather corset and suede bustier, David Koma gave us a '90s update on the corset for Spring 2021, and Bethany Williams used colourful, patchwork to construct stunning bustiers in a painterly palette.

Cutouts

An elegant maxi dress with tasteful cutout details seems to be the ideal look for a dinner date in Spring/Summer 2021 (or whenever restaurants reopen). Maximilian and Victoria Beckham [19] did this trend justice at London Fashion Week. Maximilian's update on the black evening dress featured a stunning long-sleeved gown with a plunging neckline and an artful take on the open-back silhouette. At Victoria Beckham, maxi dresses covered with cutout and drawstring details was a standout look. Burberry and Charlotte Knowles featured cutout leggings and trousers, and cutout details were spotted on dresses at Roksanda, Vivienne Westwood, and Richard Malone.

Screen Style

After a year-long pause on red carpets and street style, many of us are getting our fashion fix by living vicariously through the stylish characters of our favourite films and television series. The Queen's Gambit inspired a surge in searches for black and white styling, and "chessboard" prints like checks, gingham, and houndstooth. Killing Eve introduced fashion brand The Vampire's Wife to a new fanbase. Bridgeton's modern take on Regency fashion validates puff sleeves for another year. And Euphoria [20] gave us a peek into what 2020s youth culture really looks like.