J.W. Anderson RTW Spring 2019
Jonathan Anderson has taken a break from unisex — at least for spring — and traveled back into traditional feminine territory with lace, doily fabrics and frilly edges, his signature elongated silhouettes and outsized proportions channeled into peasant skirts and languid silhouettes, all with a bohemian, tossed-together feel.
Beware — this can be tricky terrain. Who wants to look like an extra from “Fiddler on the Roof” or “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”? In Anderson’s hands the scarf hemlines, bib tops, macramé overlays and headscarves may have been folksy — but they were also breezy, playful and done with a light touch.
“I wanted something a little bit more bohemian, a bit of a celebration of fashion through texture, something that had a kind if fluidity to it, a patchwork somehow,” said Anderson, who chose to forgo a coed outing and will show his spring 2019 men’s wear as part of a collaboration with artists later this year.
“It was this idea of the empowerment of women. How do you empower the look of the wearer? With fluidity and everything moving off the body. It’s this idea that the clothing comes to life through walking in a domestic space — or in the landscape of life. It’s laid back.”
Models breezed through Anderson’s hot, crowded show space wearing long striped dresses with white bib tops and handkerchief hems, while fit-and-flare knit dresses came with tank tops or fluttery lace sleeves so delicate they looked as if they could fall off at any second.
Fringed macramé dangled from the edges of tailored check jackets, while floppy bows adorned waists and low-slung necklines and floor-sweeping fringes dripped from the sleeves of cropped blouses. Long cotton skirts and wide trousers went whoosh as models strode by in their Converse sneakers or loose, wrinkly boots.
Granted, Anderson’s designs may not be as pivotal as the moment when women cast off their corsets or their girdles and bras, but it’s always a joy when a laid-back and democratic collection like this comes along.
Launch Gallery: J.W. Anderson RTW Spring 2019
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