Feathers Are Having a Moment

To the dismay of brands seeking to break free from the crowd, birds of a feather do, indeed, flock together. Perhaps inspired by the dazzling costumes in popular period dramas such as Bridgerton and The Gilded Age, designers this season migrated en masse toward plumage. This is, of course, not the first time we’ve witnessed a surfeit of avian finery—feathers have always had pride of place for high-wattage occasions, whether it be the haute couture collections in Paris, the streets of Rio during Carnaval, or the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Feathers, in all of their diversity, are organic, architectural marvels made of keratin—the same protein found in human hair. They were treated as sacred forms of adornment in various indigenous cultures before they started to appear in Western menswear during the Renaissance. A plumage craze that took hold around the turn of the 19th century was driven by aristocratic women, who showcased their status with ornate fans and headpieces. By the early 20th century, some feathers were worth twice their weight in gold, and an estimated 300 million birds were dying each year in the name of style. Anyone made aware of this statistic might find the plot of The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film, in which devious birds inexplicably ravage a coastal town, to be slightly less absurd. Were they simply seeking revenge?

While we typically associate feathers with the flamboyance of flappers and showgirls, many of the dark and somber looks on recent catwalks bring to mind Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven more than the Moulin Rouge. Dolce & Gabbana served a gothic and somewhat villainous black coat; Prada gave a nod to the feather-crazed milliners of centuries past with elongated pageboy caps that were as moody as they were chic.

In the wild, feathers serve all sorts of purposes: They help birds insulate from the cold, repel water, and even attract mates. The ones we’ve seen on runways as of late are also multifunctional. Those eager to catch the eye of a lovebird of their own can flutter about in sexy dresses by Dilara Fındıkoglu or Celine. ­Anyone looking to spread their sartorial wings a bit further can indulge in more experimental evening gowns by ­Givenchy. And don’t be scared of flying high: We all know what happened when Icarus got too close to the sun, but, fortunately, the best plumed looks this season are meant to be worn in the safety of moonlight.