Will Jonathan Anderson ignite a firestorm of discussion on social media over his ridiculously capacious tweed coats? His hats that resemble gray-haired poodle perms? His drab brown sweaters that look like they were pulled off the dorm-room floor — one tugged over the head, and the other wound coarsely around the waist?
His JW Anderson show for fall challenged the eye with offbeat proportions, boring colors, too-thick fabrics and throw-something-on-to-answer-the-door randomness.
While the show lacked the charm and verve of his last few womenswear outings, it provided much food for thought in questioning the nostalgia craze that has sent decades-old songs by Kate Bush and Tracy Chapman back to the top of the pops.
“I just wanted something which was a bit off-kilter,” the designer said during his stream-of-consciousness explanation after the show, journalists piled eight deep around him and straining to record his deep thoughts.
He had found inspiration in more banal elements of Britishness, mentioning the “woman next door,” “nosy neighbors,” horseback riding, Marks & Spencer blouses from the 1970s, dress patterns purchased at John Lewis or “things where you win trophies at.”
The latter were expressed as wrestling belts festooned with fabric flowers and extra-long first-prize ribbons dangling like the tentacles of a jellyfish.
A low-key rebelliousness also came through in his chunky shearling chukka boots, his hourglass minidresses with sweatshirt collars, his loopy cable-knit sweaters that brought to mind dripping candles, and his uber-chic trench coat tops.
In an interview with WWD before the show, the designer said he believes “there is a need and a desire for fashion right now. And I also think people want authenticity and originality.”
Anderson is surely a fashion original, and his press notes neatly summed up the alternatives to our current obsessions. “Instead of nostalgia, colloquialism. In lieu of the sensational, the non apparent. Rather than notoriety, being secretive.”
Don’t tell anyone.
