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Beauty
This ho-hum season has been short on fresh silhouettes and fashion thrills. Enter Jonathan Anderson, who churned out new shapes and eye-catching embellishment with the ease of crumpling an aluminum beer can — incidentally, one of the more offbeat references in his fabulous fall collection.
“Making an entrance” was the benchmark Anderson set for each of his exits — and a gold or silver beer-can dress, the fabric swirled into a cocoon, is about as literal as it gets for a conversation-starting cocktail number. Its balloon-shaped skirt was a leitmotif that looked terrific across satin dresses, a trench with a built-in cape, and a coat dress and peacoat with serious drama.
“Playing with textures and volumes; blowing up and reducing,” he mused backstage, rubbing his chin pensively.
JW Anderson RTW Fall 2020
42 Photos
While he mentioned the Twenties, “where everything resurged again,” here there was nary a hint of retro. Celluloid tinsel collars and sleeves — in icy white or antique gold — fluffed up shoulders and added zing to flaring coats in tattersall checks, sequin dance dresses and handsome gray capes. Fur collars, fake or real, suddenly seemed anachronistic.
Giant trapeze coats came with equally giant shawl collars in leather. Big shapes were interspersed with sleek and narrow ones, including a killer tuxedo and a slim knit column with a slashed neckline that erupted in swishing godets.
Bernard Arnault recently sang Anderson’s praises at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton’s year-end results presentation. (The French group owns 48 percent of his JW Anderson brand and employs him as creative director of fast-growing Loewe.) With this winning show, he cemented his reputation as one of fashion’s golden boys.