JW Anderson puts the fun back in fashion
The designer previewed his SS24 collection at LFW
We never expect anything boring from Jonathan Anderson, but he certainly amped up the fun for the SS24 collection of his eponymous label.
His show notes warned us to expect 'function with the oomph of play' and he certainly delivered.
The first look set the tone: a hoodie and shorts moulded to the models as if they were made of clay, creating a stiffness not dissimilar to Barbie's wardrobe, were she to go down the casual route.
Instagrammable? Sure. Wearable? Not so much, but no matter, the rest of the collection was all about wearable, everyday clothes that had the sense of playfulness and cheekiness that we've come to expect from the Irish designer.
An oversized bomber jacket with feathers bursting at the seams. A perfecto with XXL hardware. Padded PVC trousers. A crochet mini dress. A deconstructed trench coat.
Each piece played with proportion, from the dress with exaggerated hips to the blazer with accentuated shoulders and a nipped-in waist, the balloon-leg cargo pants and the bomber jacket so oversized it can be worn as a dress.
Nothing was too dressy, or casual. One particular look that comes to mind is the hoodie paired with a sequin skirt, the epitome of high-low style.
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As for the hues which everyone will wear come spring/summer 24, orange can't be ignored, but it'll be mixed with more neutral shades of green, ochre and monochrome.
As Jonathan Anderson puts it, these are 'clothes meant to be used, misused and toyed with'. Agreed.
Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.
Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).
Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.
However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.
Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.
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