February 18, 2018 |
Good things come in tens. Well, we would know. It’s ten years since JW Anderson. He says of that moment, “When I look back, that show was probably the most important one I will ever do. It was about gender confusion, because that’s an issue that’s around us, and I believe as a designer you have to reflect what’s going on.” An issue relevant then, now more relevant than ever. So ten years on, Jonathan Anderson has combined his womenswear and menswear collections to show co-ed. A natural progression. His clothes, regardless of gender, work so well together, interweaving and creating a perfect cadence. His Northern Irish upbringing has translated into an everlasting purposefulness, imbued with an honesty that underlies everything he does. Autumn/ Winter 2018 was refined, in the heartland of JW, sincere, strong simplicity. Straightforward. No bullshit.
And so today the girls walked to the hopeful, sweet techno vibes of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Deadly Valentine, wearing pretty drop waist dresses, sun ray pleat skirts and those leather bags with giant lacing up the sides. Handkerchief hems swished to the beat, as soft blancmange pinks simmered ever so slightly. Deep khaki’s drifted through the collection, zip contouring toughening it up. Boys wore slouchy picture knits with authority figures, JW going that extra step to make some come to life, with knits that swung in step, real time. There was a profound innocence to it all. This is simply the next step in the story. Always empowering, pioneering. Just doing his thing, which included some crowdsourcing for his inclusive campaign that recently surfaced. Your photo, your future. Send ‘em in. Power to the people.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd Evans
