August 16, 2016 |
And so, on to J.W. Anderson, and another lesson in how to dress like a woman but still be a man. For Anderson, as you have probably noticed, is very good at dressing men as women. Not as in “stick a dress and a platform heel on him”. More in the borrowing of feminine shapes and details from a woman’s wardrobe and reworking them for a man. Or to quote, sort of, from the postcards that were at the show, “commandeering and perverting classic men’s shapes. Inspired by the personality of the bourgeois woman”. Same difference, really.
The Jacket
I like to think of this as a Hillary Clinton jacket. It’s short, ending on the hip and fastened, unlike most men’s jackets, with a single button. Think of a lady head of state. It’s the sort of jacket you wear to a dinner with diplomats, with a matching skirt. Here, though, it’s worn over a bare chest. Which sounds a little risqué if you’re contemplating wearing one to a dinner with diplomats.
The Pussy Bow
I’ve never understood why men never took to pussy-bow blouses. You’d think that a blouse that comes with an attached necktie would be the perfect solution for any working man. Never again would you spend hours agonising over which tie to wear. Which is why the appearance of pussy bows at JW Anderson is so exciting. The actual pussy bow is worn loosely tied, not as a bow. The blouse comes in a diagonally striped shirt in a fetching sludgy green. Or blue. It’s worn with a matching trouser. A quick note on the trousers: slouchy. Pockets were lower down the leg. Top to mid-thigh rather than the more traditional hip.
The Matchy-Matchy
Matching is back. Here it comes in the form of fabrics. Match your navy pinstripe shirt to your navy pinstripe trousers and finish off with a navy pinstripe vest that ties at one hip. Or why not match your loose robe coat, reminiscent ever so slightly of a blousy shirtdress, to your trousers? Matching is all about a single colour or pattern, though. It’s called a total tonal look.
The Square
Tops here are square cut. There are silk tops that fall off the shoulder, fastened in place with knotted flaps of fabric, both at the shoulder and hip. There are knitted tops with boat necklines and cap sleeves knitted with vistas of British landscapes. Green hills, blue lakes. These are by the textile designer John Allen. Inspired by his recent show exploring British landscapes. Landscapes work best on boxy shapes when embroidered across clothes. In interesting facts, Allen trained originally as a dental technician.
Taken from Issue 40 of 10 Men Magazine, photographer Jason Lloyd-Evans
