In Milan, designers have sought comfort in the classics. From Prada through to Fendi, brands have weaved a sense of reassurance into their collections by celebrating the foundations of what makes the man’s wardrobe. Familiarity is, of course, a soothing balm during trying times.
“I think we’re going to head into a season of reduction and stripping things back,” said Jonathan Anderson backstage after his latest JW Anderson show in Milan. “If we don’t have humour, it’s going to be hard.”
With both his namesake label and his work at Loewe, Anderson has been on a surrealist trip, subverting “normal” fashion in ways that have been brilliantly bonkers and clever in their constructive dialogue around how we engage with clothing each day. His Milan debut in June, for instance, saw Anderson dress models up like sponges and present hoodies that were held together with door hinges.
This collection was pleasantly surprising in how stripped back it was. From leather duffle coats to skinny suits and cosy jumpers worn as dresses. “The sweater is the sweater, the trouser is the trouser, the jacket is the jacket. There’s no over explanation in the look,” adds Anderson. The show notes described the show as a “blank slate”, where Anderson has allowed himself to be self-referential for the first time, resurfacing those tabloid-grabbing ruffled skorts from his standout AW13 collection, now fashioned from buttery leather.
Elsewhere, woollen undies printed with bunny rabbits and pillow-carrying models – one of whom came painted with tomatoes – showed Anderson wasn’t letting go of his unabashed fun, even teaming up with Wellipets to create clutch bags and men’s mules (Prince Harry’s favourite frog wellies are all grown up). “I’ve been trying to work with [Wellipets] for 10 years,” says Anderson, “There’s something about them that remind me of my childhood, they were such a thing to have. It’s the only surrealist moment in the collection, they’re almost like a cassette player; an icon of design.”
Photography courtesy of JW Anderson.
