Last season J.W. Anderson time warped fashion crowds to the 1980s. For spring/summer 2016 we were visually tuned into the decade but also the era's obsession with conspicuouness could be felt too. Trends come and go, but that hunger for fame never fades.
A surprising mix of Rihanna and Justin Bieber made up the soundtrack - surprising because knowing the designer's highly cerebral take on the world of pop culture, this won't have been some light decision based purely on the fat tune factor.
J.W. Anderson is a designer who doesn't rest on his laurels. In the past year alone, the progression of superbrand J.W. has been moving swiftly along: he's become the latest Coca Cola designer, following Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier, refashioning the iconic bottle once and simultaneously throwing his name into the mass psyche ring - if that Topshop collection in hadn't already done it in 2013. He's added complementary commerce to his e-store - you can now find old magazine and books that no doubt hold some inspiration for the man himself - creating an even fuller Anderson brand experience. And as for his successful tenure so far at Spanish label Loewe? Well, we could write an entire essay on how his effect has quickly transformed not only the heritage of the leather experts, but the wardrobes of the fashion aware, too. From Loewe the silver foil dress over flares has been coveted to say the least, from J.W. expect to see much of his lurex and velvet hitting the streets of LFW and beyond. So it's perhaps no strange thing that power must be on the mind.
Back to SS16 and we're talking about exaggerated signs of the '80s: gigantic, leg-o-mutton sleeves, frou frou-ish negligees turned into separates, leather supersize frills paired with ballooning trousers drawstring'd at the ankle (expect that silhoutte challenge to be accepted by the most trailblazing followers), teeny black bralets worn alone or over another top, twisted takes on the posh tracksuit with layer upon layer of mesh, boxy, zippy trouser suits in aerodynamic fabrics but sweet-as hues, skintight ribbed and ruffled jumpers, swirls and loops of graphic lines and chunky metal tubular jewellery that could have both been a lovechild of Keith Haring and Jeff Koons... There was nothing subtle about the designer's brass, blown out mix. Even the bags were worn two-by-two, cutting across the body. Sensible brogues were morphed into vertiginous heels. There was even - shock! - hi tech knitted body skirts and dresses paired with giant corsted belts. A sentence we never thought we'd type in regards to this wunderkind and his usually anti-sexy stance on style. But that's exactly the point - J.W. was quite clearly toying with us and the idea of showing off in the most overt ways possible. A serious message wrapped up in very exciting paper - this provocateur knows playing safe won't lead to global domination anyway...
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