The undisputed king of modernity during London Fashion Week, J.W. Anderson surprised its expectant public by introducing a collection once again radically different from the one of the preceding year. The Spring/Summer 2014 vision seems to consider a woman far less simple, ready to wear muddy shades of brown used for heavily pleated garments, all topped up by highly visible and attention-grabbing bows or sashes. In line with his usual works, the Irish designer adopted leather and sequins to create more clean-looking silhouettes, among which he favored folded vests and strapless tops.
Surely he seemed to have dedicated this season to experimentation, with midi-length skirts completely replacing the mini version, different colored fabrics combined to obtain shadowy hues and female style winning over its boyish counterpart. Always particularly renowned for his ability to blur the lines between men and women in fashion, JW’s show this year has not in fact been the usual struggle to define degrees of sexuality.
While his signature pieces in past collections have always been those that boyfriend and girlfriend could have easily exchanged, for 2014 Anderson’s woman presents herself as feminine, almost romantic, inspired by ancient Greek clothing shapes. This probably confirms how very few predictions can be made over the designer’s choices, always ready to reinterpret his style for the sake of modernity and innovation.
Sept. 26, 2013
British Higher School of Art and Design
Design Skolen Kolding
Shenkar
Design Academy Eindhoven
LOFT 42
World Architecture Festival
